Almost 200 Waikato businesses concerned by recent Government moves to accredit employers of migrant labour attended a seminar last month hosted by Hamilton-based immigration specialists New Zealand Shores.
The seminar, relating to specific immigration issues top of mind to Waikato businesses, was held at Zealong Estate in Gordonton, and attracted a gamut of employers from large organisations employing over 40 migrants to businesses reliant on a couple of workers.
Also in attendance were Immigration New Zealand managers, representatives from Ministry of Social Development, and Labour MP Jamie Strange.
The lively question-and-answer session highlighted the desperate position of businesses struggling to retain and attract skilled migrant labour.
New Zealand Shores owner Allan Crome says demand by skilled talent offshore to enter New Zealand is at an “all-time” high with the company having more than 100,000 skilled candidates waiting for border restrictions to loosen.
At the same time, he says, business leaders inside New Zealand have a skills shortage so pernicious that employers are poaching one another’s labour resources.
The trend is expected to continue as the minimum salary threshold for employer-supported visa applications keeps increasing; migrant workers opt to go for employers who are willing to pay the extra dollar that will enable supporting a longer-term visa or a residence application.
Business development manager Grant Coombes is finding the connection between skilled workers and employers is as critical as ever. Employers are connecting now with offshore skilled workers so they can act quickly when border restrictions are relaxed.
Complicating the situation is the looming November 1 deadline which introduces mandatory Immigration New Zealand accreditation for employers. This will impact more than 25,000 employers across the country.
The changes in legislation, coming during the pandemic-skewing of the labour supply, risks creating a bottleneck, says Crome.
“What’s more, skilled migrants currently working in New Zealand are increasingly asking their employers if they are accredited. Migrants are well aware of the changes taking place.
“We find the number one concern of migrant workers is asking the question ‘is my employer accredited?’” Crome says.
The changes have employers taking action now, says Coombes. New Zealand Shores is currently working with an increasing number of employers to ensure a smooth transition to accreditation.
“Getting accreditation done early,” says Coombes “must be the key strategy to be adopted by businesses to retain and attract a migrant work force.”
The coming changes in visa structure will see six types of employer-led work visas merge to a single accredited employer work visa.
“It is the biggest change in Immigration New Zealand policy in recent times,” notes Crome. “INZ will be assessing employers across a range of business practices before granting accreditation. Failure to gain accreditation could be catastrophic for businesses reliant on migrant labour as migrants, in most cases, can’t lodge visa applications unless their current or prospective employer has accreditation.”
As one of the country’s top immigration consultancies, New Zealand Shores is well placed, says Crome, to get businesses accredited and to facilitate connections with skilled labour both on and off shore.
Employers are welcome to give the team at New Zealand Shores a call for a no-obligation free accreditation assessment.
07 929 2280
employers@newzealandshores.com
www.newzealandshores.com
