Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV)
Overview
The Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) is designed for skilled individuals who have job offers from accredited employers in New Zealand. It is a three-stage process. Each stage requires an application to be lodged with Immigration New Zealand.
- Stage 1 – Employer Accreditation: employers must hold valid accreditation to hire migrant workers on AEWVs.
- Stage 2 – Job Check: once employers hold accreditation, they must apply for a job check for the role offered.
- Stage 3 – AEWV: Once the job check is approved, the employer can invite their preferred candidate to apply for their AEWV.
Employer Accreditation
.Employers must hold valid accreditation to support migrant workers on AEWVs. There are two types of accreditation:
Standard employer accreditation: allowing employers to employ up to 5 migrants on AEWVs at any one time.
High-volume accreditation: allowing employers to employ 6 or more migrants on AEWVs at any one time.
Employers may apply to upgrade from standard to high volume accreditation at any time. Once granted, the initial employer accreditation is valid for 12 months. Accreditation renewals are granted for 12 months. Employers will need to provide evidence to show the business is viable and genuinely operating.
You should apply / renew employer accreditation if you want to:
- Employ new workers on an Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV).
- Change accreditation types, for example from high-volume to standard.
- Support an AEWV holder to apply for their AEWV balance.
- Support a migrant worker to apply for a different visa that requires you to be accredited, such as a Work to Residence Visa, Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa, Green List Straight to Residence Visa etc.
Job Check
This is usually the second step after an employer becomes accredited. Before a migrant candidate can apply for a work visa, the employer must first lodge a Job Check for the vacancy. The purpose of this process is to ensure employers have met the Labour Market Test prior to offering a job to a migrant worker rather than New Zealand citizens or residents.
Unless the role is exempt from advertising, before applying for a job check, an employer must have advertised the job on a general, national job listing website, for example Seek or TradeMe. The Job Check then must be applied within 90 days of the job listing closing. Once the job listing is closed, we would then apply for Job Check for the employer’s preferred candidate.
Once the Job Check is approved, the company can invite their suitable candidate to apply for their AEWVs.
How long can I stay?
How long you can stay on an AEWV depends on your ANZSCO skill level, how much you are paid and in some cases, when you applied for your first AEWV:
- For skill level 1-3 roles:, the maximum stay is 5 years.
- For skill level 4-5 roles, , the maximum stay is 5 years if the application was lodged between 23 June 2023 and 6 April 2024, otherwise the maximum stay is 3 years.
- For skill level 4-5 roles (you are paid at least NZD $47.41 an hour) or if working on a Greenlist role the maximum stay is 5 years.
Otherwise
- For skill level 4-5 roles the maximum stay is 3 years
From 10 march 20025 under the AEWV and Specific Purpose Work Visa for new visas employers do not need to pay the median wage. Instead, they must pay at least the New Zealand minimum wage, which is $23.50 per hour as of April 1, 2025, and ensure wages align with the “market rate” for the role. AEWV migrants will need to earn at least NZ$55,844 a year to bring children, along with meeting other criteria
Extend or vary you visa
Support your partner and children
You may be able to support your partner and children on visas in line with your own work visa. If your role is ANZSCO skill level 1, 2, 3 and earn at least $25.29 per hour, you can support a Partner of a Worker Work Visa. Open work rights are available to partners. If you earn less than $25.29 per hour, you can only support a Partner of a Worker Visitor Visa.
If you earn at least NZD $43,322.76 a year, you can support a Dependent Child Student Visa and/or a Child of Worker Visitor Visa.
If your role is ANZSCO level 4 or 5, you are not eligible to support work, student or visitor visas for your dependent family members, with some limited exceptions.
How Pacific Legal can help
If you are an employer looking to support your migrant workers on AEWVs, or if you have a job offer from an accredited employer, contact us today for an assessment against the current criteria. Our experienced immigration team will:
- Assess your eligibility for an Accredited Employer Work Visa.
- Provide advice on the requirements at each stage to ensure you, as an employer can meet your staffing needs in the most efficient way.
- Provide comprehensive application support.
- Expedite the process to minimise disruption to your employment.
NB:
Immigration instructions and rules regularly change and applied differently in every case. The above general information was up to date as it February 2025: contact our office for most up-to-date information.
Make a start to the process by contacting us
