At the time of writing this, construction, engineering, and trades industries are currently experiencing both immediate and long term skills shortages, as well as a critical shortage for the Canterbury region. With building industry leaders stating that, “the acute skills shortage in many trades will only get worse as the unpredictable building boom continues”, it’s clear that employers need to find alternative ways to bolster their labour force.
When a shortage of suitable candidates could damage the construction industry, looking at overseas talent markets is an excellent way to relieve this pressure. At the same time, hiring international workers can also provide firms with an edge over their competitors.
That said, employing an international candidate is not a straightforward process and if done incorrectly, can lead to legal risks and fines. If you’re considering hiring an overseas worker to help fill these crucial skill gaps, here’s everything you need to know.
How to Check Your Candidate Has the Correct Visa
Any employee who is not a New Zealand citizen must have the right to work here before starting any employment. Whilst it’s the person’s responsibility to arrange this, you as the employer need to check that they have a right to work before they start. You can’t directly ask a candidate about their personal history or country of origin during an interview, however you can ask to see evidence of their right to work in New Zealand before hiring them. This evidence can be any of the following:
- A New Zealand passport
- A New Zealand citizenship certificate
- A New Zealand residence visa
- A New Zealand work visa
- An Australian passport, citizenship certificate or permanent residence visa
Check out Immigration New Zealand’s website to find out how to check whether a candidate holds a valid visa, the conditions of that visa, and it’s expiry date.
What to Do If Your Ideal Candidate Doesn’t Have a Visa
Even if your candidate doesn’t have a work or residency visa yet, you can still offer them a job subject to them securing legal entitlement to work. In fact, many New Zealand visa categories require migrants to have a job offer from an employer before their application can be accepted.
In some scenarios, you may be asked to provide information that will support your candidate’s visa application, such as an Employer Supplementary Form and evidence showing that there are no New Zealand candidates available to do the work instead.
If you’re considering hiring an overseas candidate and supporting their visa, Immigration New Zealand’s website has information sheets that can help you and your applicant come to a decision.
Helping Your Overseas Candidate Settle In
From a candidate’s perspective, moving to a whole new country can be daunting experience. Even with noble intentions, if you’re planning on helping someone move to New Zealand, you must be very careful not to breach the Immigration Advisers Licensing Act. It’s not an offense to provide information that is already publicly available, but only licensed advisors, or someone specifically exempt from licensing requirements, can provide immigration advice to potential migrants. That said, you can provide your new hire with helpful advice on housing and places of interest around their new location to help them settle in better. You can find additional information on immigration advice on the Immigration Advisers Authority’s website.
What you can do to help your new overseas employee settle in however, is to ensure they feel safe, happy, and welcome in their new work environment. Read our guide on how to create a positive work environment for all your employees, without having to spend lots of money.
Hiring Overseas Construction Workers in Canterbury
For labour hire companies to support visa applications for international construction workers in the Canterbury region, they must be a Labour Hire Accredited Employer. With this accreditation, employers can support Essential Skills Work visa applications for overseas workers for up to three years. Additionally, being accredited also allows the employer to outsource their labour force to third parties they have a contractual relationship with.
Our Christchurch branch is the longest operating office within the OneStaff Group and a Labour Hire Accredited Employer. We’re also proud to be a member of the Canterbury Rebuild Safety Charter, and to be recognised for our safety leadership and collaborative efforts as part of the Canterbury Labour Hire Forum which won two SEEK SARA Awards for ‘Most Innovative Agency of the Year’ and ‘Recruitment Leader of the Year’.
Summary
When you can’t find the local talent to fill crucial skill gaps in your labour force, international talent markets can provide an excellent solution to this problem. However, hiring overseas workers should be done with extreme care, and you should always seek professional advice from Immigration New Zealand if you’re ever in doubt.
Relying on permanent and international hiring can often be costly and time-consuming, especially as labour demands continue to grow. If you’re struggling to find a quick and effective way to boost your workforce and need a contingency plan, temporary staffing is a fantastic solution. Get in touch with us and find out how engaging a temporary workforce could close those skill gaps and help your business move forward.
