IMMINZ · IMMIGRATION GUIDE
Employer accreditation and Job Checks: plan the sequence
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What to check first
- Confirm the employing entity and suitable accreditation category for your hiring plans.
- Prepare the role, pay, hours and applicable recruitment evidence for the Job Check.
- After approval, support the worker’s visa stage and keep meeting employer obligations.
Prepare for a useful first conversation
For the first discussion, have your NZBN, accreditation status, proposed roles, number of hires and recruitment timeline ready. Keep employment agreements and recruitment records together.
A common question
Does accreditation let a worker start immediately?
No. The worker must have permission for the actual employment. The employer and worker stages need to align.
Choose the accreditation that fits your business
Standard accreditation covers up to five AEWV workers at one time; high-volume accreditation covers six or more. Placing workers with another business may require triangular accreditation. Count the relevant workers and identify the actual employing entity before applying.
INZ assesses a genuinely operating, viable business and compliance with its requirements. Having an NZBN alone is not enough. Gather the financial and operational evidence relevant to your entity.
Plan the three approvals in order
1. Employer accreditation: establish the right entity and category, prepare the evidence and obtain approval.
2. Job Check: settle the duties, pay, hours, location and minimum requirements. Check advertising and Work and Income requirements or an applicable exemption before recruiting. Keep records of the recruitment outcome.
3. Worker application: after an approved Job Check, the worker uses the application invitation and provides their own eligibility evidence. Check the worker’s actual permission before the job starts.
Keep one consistent employer file
Business: NZBN, legal name, organisation structure, financial evidence and current accreditation or renewal correspondence.
Role: job description, agreement, pay, guaranteed hours, location and the qualifications or experience genuinely needed.
Recruitment and onboarding: dated adverts, recruitment records and evidence of the settlement information supplied to workers. Reconcile changes before submitting a Job Check.
Renewals and responsibilities after approval
Initial accreditation lasts 12 months. Standard and high-volume renewals normally last 24 months; triangular renewals last 12 months. If accreditation expired more than 12 months ago, the renewal period is 12 months.
INZ recommends allowing at least five weeks for a renewal application. Keep settlement-support and compliance records throughout the accreditation period, rather than collecting them only at renewal time. Employer recruitment costs must not be passed to workers.
Avoid preventable delays
Check that the legal employer, advertised role and employment agreement match. Do not promise a start date from an average processing time or treat accreditation as permission for every worker to start.
We link to current INZ processing times and government fees below. These can change, so check them when planning recruitment. Our service fees remain separate and are shown here.
Our published service fee
Standard $1,500 · High Volume $2,000 · Job Check Level 1–3 $1,000 · Level 4–5 $1,500
This is the fee displayed on our service page. Confirm the scope and applicable costs before engaging us. Government charges, where applicable, are separate. Official processing estimates can change and are not guaranteed completion dates.
How Imminz supports employers
We help with accreditation eligibility, application preparation and lodgement, Job Checks, renewals and ongoing compliance support. Tell us which stage you need help with and whether the worker also needs visa assistance. We confirm the scope and fees before engagement.
Related guides
Explore relevant options; moving between visas is not automatic. Each route has its own requirements.