Applying for Recognised Seasonal Employer status
Employers need to meet certain criteria and provide supporting evidence to be granted Recognised Seasonal Employer status.
Hire a candidate
- Check a candidate's visa status
- Support a candidate's visa application
-
Options for repeat/high-volume hiring
- Accredited Employer
- Essential Skills - Approval in Principle
- Recognised Seasonal Employer
- Labour Hire Employer Accreditation
- Entertainment Industry Accreditation
- Work Exchange Scheme
- Supplementary Seasonal Employment – Approval in Principle
- Foreign Crew on Fishing Vessels - Approval in Principle
- Samoan Quota & Pacific Access Category
- Hiring in Canterbury and Queenstown
- Finding and hiring workers overseas
- Hiring a migrant who is already in New Zealand
- Subscribe to updates and newsletters
Recognised Seasonal Employer
You should consider becoming a Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) if you are a horticulture or viticulture employer who cannot find New Zealand workers to plant, maintain, harvest and pack crops. If RSE status is granted, you can apply for an agreement to recruit workers from offshore to pack, maintain, harvest and pick crops.
Duration
- When you’re first granted Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) status, it’s valid for 2 years. If you apply again, it’ll be valid for 3 years.
- Agreements to recruit are valid for one season.
With this option you can
- Recruit overseas workers to plant, maintain, harvest or pack crops – you’ll need to apply for an Agreement to Recruit first.
A list of our Recognised Seasonal Employers
Things to note
- We usually grant Agreements to Recruit (ATR) to recruit workers from eligible Pacific nations. ATRs may be granted for other counties only if it’s not feasible to recruit from these nations.
- While your workers are working on your worksite, you’ll be responsible for their day-to-day work and supervision.
- It’s OK to use recruitment agencies to recruit overseas workers as long as the agency doesn’t charge the workers for finding them a job.
Apply for Agreement to Recruit
If you’re a Recognised Seasonal Employer and you don’t have enough workers to see you through the peak seasons, you can apply for an Agreement to Recruit so you can employ overseas workers to supplement your workforce.
Supporting your workers' visa applications
Overseas workers may be granted Limited Visas to allow them to work for a Recognised Seasonal Employer. They’ll need to provide a written employment agreement to support their visa application.
Maintaining your Recognised Seasonal Employer status
Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) status is valid for two years the first time it is granted. If you meet the requirements during those two years and apply again for RSE status, we may grant you recognised employer status for a further three years.