The Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV)

The Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) is a work visa for applicants holding a job offer from employers accredited specifically for this programme.

Apply for this visa where the applicant has a job offer from an accredited employer under the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV).

An overview of the AEWV

• Period of stay:Up to 5 years depending on the job offered
• Cost: from$1.540 NZD
• Processing time:80% within 6 weeks
• Route to permanent residence:May lead to a residence visa

The period of stay

The total time allowed in New Zealand (also known as themaximum continuous stay) on one or more AEWV visas depends on:

• When the first AEWV application was filed
• The skill level of the job under theAustralian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO)orThe National Occupation List (NOL),
• The rate of pay.

The total time allowed in New Zealand may be 5 years for most jobs, or 3 years where the job is at ANZSCO skill level 4 or 5. Check thepay requirements for the visa.

Where the visa’s term is shorter than the total time allowed in New Zealand (the maximum continuous stay), the applicant may apply for a further AEWV in order to stay for that maximum period. Find out how toapply for another AEWV.

Once the permitted time has been used in full, the applicant must leave the country for a period before they can return to New Zealand on another AEWV.

Requirements for applicants

To apply for this visa, the applicant must:

• Hold a full-time job offer from an accredited employer
• Meet the skills requirements
• Meet the ANZSCO or NOL skill level and qualification requirements for the job
• Have the skills and experience the employer requires
• Hold occupational registration where the job requires it in order to work in New Zealand
• Have been outside New Zealand for the prescribed period where applying for a further AEWV after having used the maximum stay on previous AEWVs
• Speak and understand English where the job is at ANZSCO skill level 4 or 5 and no exemption applies
• Not include a de facto partner and dependent children in the application
• Be in good health
• Be of good character
• Have a genuine reason for coming to New Zealand.

A job offer in New Zealand

The applicant must hold a full-time job offer from an accredited employer. The job offer must:

• Be valid at the time the visa application is filed
• Be for at least 30 hours of work a week
• Be from an employer accredited to recruit migrant workers for the AEWV and holding an approved job check for that job
• Pay at least the market rate for that job.

With the visa application, the applicant must submit:

• A copy of the employment agreement and the job description
• The signed job offer.

The employment agreement must include:

• The employer’s name, address and telephone number
• The applicant’s name and address
• The job title
• The address of the workplace
• The type of work and the responsibilities
• Details of the qualifications or experience required
• Information on whether New Zealand registration is needed to do the job
• The hours of work and the term of the job
• The time within which the applicant must accept the job offer
• Pay and working conditions complying with New Zealand employment law.

The employment agreement must not contain:

• Clauses that do not comply with employment law
• Unlawful deductions
• A trial period
• Unacceptable bonding clauses — requiring the applicant to pay the employer where they leave the job within a certain period.

Where a work visa application, or an application to vary the conditions of a work visa, is made on the basis of a new job offer whose employment agreement does not meet these requirements, the application may be refused.

The applicant’s employment agreement must be with an accredited employer having a history of compliance with immigration and employment law.

Check the list of accredited employers on the government website athere.

The job offer must not be for:

• Planting, maintaining, harvesting or packing crops in the agriculture or viticulture industries
• Foreign crew of fishing vessels, or
• Self-employment.

The applicant must apply for a different work visa for these types of work.

The AEWV minimum skills requirements

The applicant must demonstrate that they meet the AEWV job skills requirements set by the government. The applicant must have 1 of the 2

• At least 2 years of relevant work experience, or
• A qualification at level 4 or above on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework (NZQCF).

The qualification or work experience must be in the same field or industry as the job offered. Where the applicant holds a bachelor’s degree or above, the qualification may be in any field.

Evidence of work experience

The applicant must provide evidence of work experience — evidence of having done that job previously. The evidence must come from someone else, and may include:

• A reference letter from a former employer
• An employment certificate
• Payslips
• A tax certificate.

Providing only a résumé or CV is not enough. An employment certificate must be on the employer’s official letterhead, complete and independently verifiable.

The 2 years of work experience need not be continuous and need not be full-time. In total it must be equivalent to 2 years of full-time work. The applicant must provide evidence of the hours worked.

Evidence of qualifications

The applicant must provide a copy of their qualification. The applicant must also provide an International Qualifications Assessment (IQA) from the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) where the qualification is:

• Below bachelor’s degree level
• From outside New Zealand

This is to check whether the applicant’s qualification is equivalent to a New Zealand level 4 qualification or above. Have a qualification assessed athere.

When evidence is not needed

The applicant need not provide additional evidence to meet the minimum skills requirements where:

• The job is on the Green List of jobs in demand in New Zealand and the applicant provides evidence of meeting the Green List requirements
• The applicant holds occupational registration requiring evidence of experience or qualifications and provides this evidence
• The applicant is paid at least NZD 67.12 an hour (twice the 2024 median wage),
• The applicant has already provided evidence of a level 4 or higher qualification, or of having done a similar job for at least 2 years, in a previous visa application.

The skill level and qualifications of the job

The Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) list and the National Occupation List (NOL) classify jobs by skill level from 1 to 5, 1 being the highest and 5 the lowest.

Where the job is at ANZSCO level 4 or 5:

• The applicant must demonstrate the ability to speak and understand English
• The maximum period of stay may be only 3 years instead of 5 years.

The employer’s skills and experience requirements

The applicant must demonstrate that they have the job skills and experience the employer requires. These requirements may include evidence of:

• work experience
• skills
• qualifications
• occupational registration (where the job requires it).

Where the applicant has already provided this evidence for other Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) criteria, the applicant need not submit it again.
However, the employer may require further evidence such as:

• additional qualifications specific to the position, or
• certificates specific to the position.

Occupational registration

In New Zealand, some jobs require registration before the work may be done — this is called occupational registration. Where the applicant’s job requires occupational registration, the applicant must provide one of the following two documents:

• A certified copy of full or provisional New Zealand registration
• Confirmation from the appropriate registration body that the applicant’s job is eligible for registration in New Zealand.

The period that must be spent outside New Zealand

Where the applicant has stayed in New Zealand for the maximum period allowed on one or more Accredited Employer Work Visas (AEWV), the applicant must leave New Zealand for a required period — usually 12 continuous months — before becoming eligible to apply for another AEWV.

The total time allowed in New Zealand (also known as the maximum continuous stay) may be:

• 3 years where the job is at level 4 or 5 on the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) list
• 5 years in most cases, where the job is at level 1, 2 or 3 on the ANZSCO list.

Where the current AEWV has a term shorter than the maximum continuous stay allowed in New Zealand, the applicant may apply for another AEWV before the current visa expires without having to leave New Zealand for 12 months.

Language requirements

Where the applicant’s job skill level is 4 or 5, the applicant must demonstrate the ability to speak and understand English.
There are 2 ways to demonstrate the ability to speak and understand English:

• Through nationality, where the applicant studied and the qualification obtained,
• An English language test.

An English language test result must:

• Achieve the minimum score the government prescribes,
• Be no more than 2 years old at the time of application.

Where the job skill level is 1 to 3 under ANZSCO or the NOL, the applicant need not demonstrate the ability to speak or understand English. Where the job is recognised at ANZSCO skill level 3, the applicant does not have to demonstrate the ability to speak and understand English.

Partners and dependent children

The applicant cannot include a partner and dependent children in the same Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) application.

However, where the applicant already holds an AEWV, the applicant may support family members as follows:

• A visitor visa for a partner
• A work visa for a partner
• A visitor visa for children
• A student visa for children

Whether they can be supported and which type of visa is granted willdepend on:

• The applicant’s rate of pay
• The applicant’s job skill level (ANZSCO skill level)

Find out more aboutbringing family where holding an AEWV.

Health

To be granted an Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV), the applicant needs to be in good health. After the application is filed, the government will check any medical information the applicant has submitted and will make contact where new medical information is needed.

Where the applicant will be in New Zealand for more than 6 months, the applicant must have a chest X-ray where they:

• Are a citizen of a country that does not have a low rate of tuberculosis,
• Have spent more than 3 months in the past 5 years in a country that does not have a low rate of tuberculosis.

The applicant must provide a new chest X-ray certificate, even where one has been provided to the government previously, where they:

• Have spent 6 continuous months in a country that does not have a low rate of tuberculosis since the date of the last X-ray certificate, and
• Are now coming to New Zealand for more than 6 months — where already in New Zealand, this includes time already spent in New Zealand.

Police certificates

The applicant may have to provide a police certificate to show that they are of good character. Where the applicant has a criminal record or is regarded as a security risk to New Zealand, the government may not grant the visa. Check the police certificate requirements for New Zealand visas athere.

The applicant must submit a police certificate less than 6 months old at the time of application where they:

• Are 17 or older,
• Will be in New Zealand for a total of 24 months or more (including time already spent in New Zealand on other visas).

Police certificates must be issued by:

• The countries of which the applicant is a citizen,
• The countries in which the applicant has spent more than 5 years since turning 17.

The applicant need not submit one again where it was submitted with a previous visa application and that certificate was issued within the past 24 months. Where the government requests a new police certificate during processing, the applicant must send a new one.

Where the police certificate is not in English, the applicant must submit a certified English translation with it (even where the certificate states “no criminal convictions”).

Genuine intentions

The applicant must genuinely intend to comply with all the conditions of the visa.

In assessing whether the applicant’s intentions are genuine, the government will consider all of the following:

• What the applicant provides in support of the visa application
• The information the government already holds about the applicant’s personal circumstances
• The information the applicant has previously provided to the government

Where the government doubts that the applicant genuinely intends to comply with the visa conditions (for example: applying for a work visa only as a way of staying in New Zealand long term without working as undertaken), the applicant’s application may be refused even where all the other criteria are met.

Documents required

When applying

When applying for an AEWV, the applicant needs to prepare and submit the following documents:

• The signed New Zealand job offer
• A copy of the employment agreement and the job description
• A scan of the passport or identity document
• 1 photograph meeting New Zealand visa standards
• Evidence of work experience, skills and qualifications
• Evidence of occupational registration – where the job requires it
• Evidence of English language ability – where the job is at skill level 4 or 5
• A police certificate – where required (see the Character section)
• A chest X-ray certificate – where required (see the Health section)
• A general medical examination – where requested
• Certified English translations of all documents not in English

The passport or identity document must be valid for at least 3 months beyond the intended date of departure from New Zealand.

After filing the application

After filing, the government may make contact to request further:

• The original passport or original identity document
• New medical examination or chest X-ray results
• Additional police certificates
• Additional evidence of English language ability (a re-sit and the result may be required)

On entering New Zealand

On arrival, the applicant may be asked to produce evidence of the job offer.

The AEWV application process

Step 1: Receive a full-time job offer in New Zealand

An accredited employer approved to recruit migrant workers will send an email inviting you to apply for an AEWV. They must provide you with:

• The job offer
• The job description
• The employment agreement
• A unique link (job token) to access the online application form

Step 2: Prepare the application

Read the “Who can apply” section carefully for the requirements and the evidence needed.

• Translation: police certificates and medical documents not in English must have a certified English translation.
• File format: submit scans of the original documents plus the translations (where applicable).
• Photograph: make sure the photograph meets New Zealand visa standards.
• Passport: valid for at least 3 months beyond the intended date of departure from New Zealand, with information matching 100%.
• Medical examination & chest X-ray: where needed, the documents must be less than 3 months old when we receive them.
• Police certificates
• Evidence of the job offer: the signed job offer, employment agreement and job description.
• Evidence of experience, skills, qualifications and occupational registration (where applicable).
• Evidence of English language ability (where the job is at level 4-5).

Step 3: Apply online and pay the fee

• Open the link (job token) the employer sends → accept the request → begin the application.
• Upload all the documents → pay the fee (see the current fees section).
• You may save and return to complete the application later.

Step 4: Await a decision

• We will make contact where further documents are needed.
• Where you are in New Zealand and your temporary visa is about to expire, you will usually be granted an interim visa to stay lawfully while awaiting a decision.

Step 5: Check the status of the application

• Log in to your account to follow progress.
• When there is a result, the government will send an email. Where approved, the applicant will receive an eVisa.

On receiving the visa

The applicant’s visa takes effect from:

• The date the applicant enters New Zealand (where currently outside New Zealand),
• The date the visa is granted (where the applicant is already in New Zealand).

The applicant must leave New Zealand before the visa expires. Where they do not leave on time, the applicant will be in breach of immigration law and may be barred from entering in the future.

Entering New Zealand

Everyone must completethe New Zealand Traveller Declaration (NZTD). This is a form collecting immigration, customs and biosecurity information.

When to submit the NZTD

• By air: may be submitted from 24 hours before the flight departs.
• By sea: may be submitted from 24 hours before the ship leaves the last foreign port for New Zealand.

Where the applicant holds an NZeTA, you may indicate in the NZTD that you are applying for a visa on arrival. Paper forms are available for passengers unable to submit online.

While in New Zealand

The visa conditions are set out in youreVisaof yours.

Travel

Where you wish to enter and leave more than once, the visa must have a valid multiple-entry condition. Find out how tocheck or change the status of a work visa.

Working

• The employer must ensure you work at least 30 hours a week.
• You may only do the job, for the employer and at the location stated on the visa.
• Where you wish to change job, employer or place of work, the applicant must apply
• You may not take on any second job while holding an AEWV.

On being accredited, the employer undertook to:

• Provide information and settlement support relating to the job
• Pass no recruitment, accreditation or operating costs on to you
• Comply with New Zealand employment and immigration law
• Continue to pay exactly the rate stated in the job offer (this rate is also recorded in the visa conditions).

Studying

• You may study for up to 3 months in any 12-month period.
• To study for longer, an application to change employment or to vary the work conditions must be made where a work visa is held.
• You may take compulsory training courses the employer requires (and the employer must pay all the costs).

Staying longer

• Extending an AEWV (staying for the full maximum period) Where the current visa’s term is shorter than the maximum continuous stay allowed (3 or 5 years depending on the job level), you may apply for a new AEWV to continue staying for that maximum period without having to leave New Zealand for 12 months.
• Moving to permanent residence (a Resident Visa) Depending on the job and the route, you may be eligible to apply for a resident visa to live in New Zealand indefinitely.