Work visas for Filipinos in New Zealand

Contents

• How long are visas for Filipino workers valid for?
• Wait, there’s more you need to know about visas for Filipino workers
• Summary
• What our clients say about RecruitNZ
  

If you’re an employer looking to hire skilled migrants from the Philippines, you may be wondering what options there are for work visas for Filipinos in New Zealand.

From an NZ work visa point of view, hiring Filipino workers is the same as recruiting migrants from any other country, and the process involves:

1. Employer accreditation: Only accredited employers can bring in workers from overseas.
2. Job check: Once you’re accredited, you need to be able to prove that there are no New Zealanders available to fill the role you’re recruiting for.
3. Accredited Employer Work Visa: Once you’ve filled the above requirements and have found a migrant worker, they will need to apply for the Accredited Employer Work Visa. In most cases, this will be the only visa available to them, unless they come on a Working Holiday Visa, Partnership Based Visa, or Occupation Based Work Visa (for singers, performance artists, support crew, academics, athletes, coaches, referees, entrepreneurs, religious workers, visiting media, and other occupations). If you need any visa advice, please contact our partner company, VisaAide immigration consultants.

If that sounds complicated, relax – together with our partners at VisaAide and ConsultingHQ, we can help you with the whole process. Contact us if you’d like help with employer accreditation, jobs checks, or visas.

How long are visas for Filipino workers valid for?

Immigration NZ will determine the visa length at the time of application. It’s currently one year for lower skills, and up to three years for mid-skilled workers.

Note that immigration changes are coming to allow more workers to bring their families to New Zealand. It is important to consider the costs involved, as sometimes they will be living on one income.

Wait, there’s more you need to know about visas for Filipino workers

As well as the accreditation process required by New Zealand Immigration for New Zealand work visas, there are also special regulations set by the Philippines government that need to be followed in NZ.

When you’re recruiting Filipino workers, the whole process is regulated and monitored by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA). Read more about the benefits of hiring from the Philippines, and the process involved.

POEA rules demand a full settlement and support package, plus on-going pastoral care for Filipinos working in New Zealand. Because of this, there are additional costs to employers. Find out which costs need to be covered by employers when hiring Filipino workers.

Summary

When recruiting migrant workers from the Philippines and arranging work visas for Filipinos, you need to follow the standard employer accreditation process set by Immigration NZ. Additionally, there are stringent rules and procedures set by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration.

Despite all the extra steps involved, it’s well worth investing in skilled migrant workers who will help to grow your business. And together with our partner companies at People Inc, we can take care of the whole recruitment, accreditation, and visa process for you. We’ll even help provide pastoral care for your Filipino workers to help them settle into New Zealand life more quickly.

What our clients say about RecruitNZ

“The team at RecruitNZ has been working with us to bring immigrant construction workers to NZ. They have handled the recruitment process from initial screening to interviewing to liaising with various governments. Their consultants are invaluable to our business. Their local knowledge of the Filipino employment market and government processes is instrumental to ensuring a smooth, efficient recruitment process. They know exactly what we are looking for in an employee and deliver every time.”

Katie Geck - Proclad