Verification Services
The PVL service is an incremental process. It consists of increasing levels of enquiry which build upon one another to give the fullest possible picture of an applicant’s veracity.
All our reports include a written assessment of the information collected.
We have put together the following packages, but you can also pick and choose what checks you require, and pay only for those:
- New Zealand Criminal and Driving convictions enquiry
- New Zealand Criminal /Driving convictions enquiry and financial report
- The on-line Integrity Test saves you time by quickly screening out unsuitable candidates right from the start, before you even consider their application for employment.
- The Critical Enquiry reviews a candidate’s past and is essential.
- The Integrity Enquiry includes both the on-line Integrity Test and the Critical Enquiry.
- The Professional Enquiry is necessary if any kind of educational qualifications are required of the candidate, and crucial for applicants who have lived or worked overseas.
- The Personal Enquiry is designed for those aspiring to positions in management and beyond.
- Overseas enquiries - never a problem for us. Call for a quote.
New for 2017 - One-stop multiple European criminal record checks for PVL clients
If you have a candidate who has lived in Europe we can undertake multiple criminal record checks in each European country they have lived in for longer than six months - all for the one price.
Our service covers 26 of the 28 EU member countries (Portugal and Hungary excluded) and the candidate need complete just one form for the whole process, regardless of the number of EU countries they have lived in.
For example, if you have a candidate you has lived in England, Poland and Ireland we will complete criminal record enquires with the CRB in England, the Department of Justice in Poland and the Garda Vetting Center in Ireland, all for the one price.
New Zealand employers considering recruiting European citizens, or hiring expat New Zealanders who have lived and worked in Europe for several years, will find this service invaluable. Contact us for more information - PVL is the only New Zealand employment screening company able to offer this unique service.
Expired Driver Licences (4 February 2013)
The New Zealand Transport Agency has disclosed that 488,781 drivers' licences have expired. It is illegal to drive with an expired licence and those who do so risk a $400 fine and are banned from driving until they renew their licence.
If an employee with an expired licence is stopped by the Police whilst driving your company vehicle it will be towed and impounded for 28 days (with associated towing and storage fees payable before it is released).
If your employee is driving with an expired licence and is involved in an accident your insurance company has no obligation to repair your vehicle.
The best way to protect yourself from having employees without current licences drive your company vehicles is to have us monitor the status of their driving licence 24 hours a day. For a small annual fee we can alert you immediately when there is a change in their eligibility to drive – either through their licence expiring, or their becoming disqualified.
Disqualified drivers (10 May 2011 )
Parliament has amended the Land Transport Act.
From today, anyone who has been disqualified by the Courts or suspended for any reason (other than a 28-day roadside suspension) will need to apply for, and pay a $66 fee, to the NZ Transport Agency to have their licence reinstated before they can legally return to driving.
Previously offenders who had been suspended or disqualified for less than 12 months, and whose licence had not expired, could simply return to driving once their suspension or disqualification period ended.
And if an individual was disqualified from driving for 12 months or longer, they must also re sit and pass their driver licence test again, before being lawfully allowed to drive once more.
If you are considering hiring a candidate who has previously been disqualified from driving and their duties will involve driving a company vehicle then it is essential you verify that their Driver Licence has in fact been reinstated, and that you do not simply accept that because the disqualification period has now passed that the candidate is legally entitled to drive again.
Sighting a candidate’s Driver Licence is not proof they are entitled to drive. A period of suspension or disqualification will permanently cancel their New Zealand driver licence card, whether it has been surrendered, or not. (some offenders do not surrender their driver licence when disqualified, ofen claiming they have mis-placed it, so they can keep using it as ID).
If a disqualified/unlicensed driver is found driving your company vehicle it will be impounded on the spot, towed and held for storage at your expense, for 28 days.
We will verify that your job applicant really is legally entitled to drive. This overnight check could save you thousands of dollars in towing and month-long storage fees. If you select any of our background screening packages (see top of page) we will include this verification at no extra cost.
On a related matter, we can also monitor the status of all your employees Driver Licences’ and alert you if any of them become disqualified from driving. (Employee consent is required for this full-time monitoring). Contact us to learn how we can protect your company vehicle fleet.
Employing foreign-born staff (29 November 2010 )
Immigration law changes from today require every employer to verify the eligibility of non-New Zealand born job applicants to work in New Zealand. Sighting an IRD tax certificate is no longer a defence for employing someone not entitled to work in New Zealand. Substantial fines now exist for failing to verify right to work.
All our screening packages include checking “right to work” for you with the Immigration Service.
Criminal records checks (16 November 2009)
To reduce the strain of criminal cases on the Court system, the Police now have the discretion to instead issue a formal warning or caution to persons arrested for offences where the penalty is no more than two years imprisonment.
In a recent Auckland trial of the scheme where the threshold was six months imprisonment, 10% of all people arrested between July and September 2009 were formally warned, instead of being charged and appearing in Court.
A criminal records check will not reveal this offending and there is no limit on the number of warnings an offender can receive. The two-year prison threshold will mean more offenders will avoid a criminal conviction being recorded against their name.
The risk for employers now is that a criminal records check will not necessarily uncover the fact that your job applicant has previously committed offences such as theft, dishonesty, drug and alcohol or property damage.
However, you can reduce your exposure to the risk of employing individuals with a propensity for dishonesty and substance abuse by requesting PVL’s quick and accurate 20 minute Integrity Test.
Fake degrees (12 January 2009)
The New Zealand Qualifications Authority disclosed today that it had identified 211 foreigners attempting to use forged qualifications in New Zealand since 2002.
If you are considering employing someone who claims to have a foreign tertiary qualification it is essential you protect your business by having your applicant’s qualifications and background professionally verified. Please contact us for more information.