Accredited Employer Work Visa New Zealand: How the Three-Step System Works

Most people who apply for the New Zealand Accredited Employer Work Visa spend weeks trying to figure out why they cannot submit their application yet. The answer is nearly always the same: their employer has not completed the steps that must happen before the migrant can touch the form. The AEWV is not a standard work visa — it is a three-gate system where each gate must open in sequence, and the first two gates belong entirely to the employer.

Since its launch in July 2022, the AEWV has approved nearly 200,000 visas. The headline approval rate sits at around 91%, which looks reassuring until you understand that most rejections happen earlier, during employer accreditation and the Job Check, before any individual visa application is even lodged.

What Makes the AEWV Different from Previous Work Visas

The AEWV replaced six legacy visa categories — including the Essential Skills, Specific Purpose, and Talent visas — and fundamentally shifted who bears responsibility for proving that a hire is justified.

Under the old Essential Skills system, the migrant worker often had to show that no New Zealander could fill the role. Under the AEWV, that burden moves to the employer. The business must first prove it is legitimate and compliant, then prove the role cannot be filled locally, and only after both of those gates are cleared can the migrant submit their individual application.

This design protects the New Zealand labour market from low-wage substitution and from exploitation of workers who arrive without understanding their rights. It also means that a mistake made by your employer in Step 1 or Step 2 will block your application in Step 3 — which is why understanding the full sequence matters even if you are applying as an individual worker.

The Three Steps Explained

Step 1: Employer Accreditation

Before an employer can sponsor any migrant worker under the AEWV, they must be accredited by Immigration New Zealand. Accreditation is essentially a licence to recruit — it confirms that the business is genuinely operating, financially viable, and compliant with employment law.

There are four accreditation types:

• Standard accreditation: For businesses employing up to five migrant workers at any time. The most common category for small and medium businesses. Fee: NZD $775.
• High-volume accreditation: Required when employing six or more migrant workers simultaneously. Fee: NZD $1,280.
• Triangular employment accreditation: For labour hire firms that place workers with third-party clients while remaining the employer of record. Fee: NZD $4,060.
• Franchisee accreditation: Closed to new applicants since June 2024. Franchise businesses now apply under Standard or High-Volume tiers.

Accreditation processing takes roughly two weeks for 80% of applications, though well-documented low-risk applications are often cleared in three days. Approval is not guaranteed — INZ assesses whether the business has been genuinely operating (typically for at least 12 months), whether its finances show no loss over two years or positive cash flow for six months, and whether key personnel have clean records under employment and health and safety law.

A critical 2025 change: accredited employers must now notify INZ within 10 working days if an AEWV holder leaves their employment for any reason. Missing this notification is a breach of accreditation conditions and can trigger suspension or placement on the public stand-down list.

Step 2: The Job Check

Once accredited, the employer applies for a Job Check for the specific role they want to fill. The Job Check verifies two things: that the proposed pay meets the market rate for the role in that region, and that the employer has genuinely tested whether a New Zealand worker could fill the position.

A successful Job Check produces a Job Token, which the migrant worker then uses to begin their visa application. The Job Check fee is NZD $735 per role, and tokens are valid for 90 days.

Most roles require labour market testing — advertising the position nationally for 14 days (for ANZSCO skill levels 1–3) or 21 days (for levels 4–5) before applying. Roles that pay at least twice the current median wage (NZD $70.00 per hour as of March 2026) and roles on the Green List are exempt from this requirement.

The shift from a median wage floor to a "market rate" standard in March 2025 gave employers more flexibility, but it is not a licence to pay below what New Zealand workers expect. INZ cross-references proposed pay against the Seek Salary Guide and TradeMe Jobs data. Offering materially below the lower quartile for a role in that region will produce a Potentially Prejudicial Information (PPI) letter asking the employer to justify the rate.

Step 3: The Migrant Visa Application

With the Job Token in hand, the migrant can apply for the AEWV. The individual application assesses whether the worker is suitably qualified for the approved role. The government visa fee is NZD $1,540 (plus a NZD $100 immigration levy for most applicants).

Requirements include:

• A qualification at NZQCF Level 4 or higher, or at least two years of relevant full-time work experience (reduced from three years in the March 2025 reforms)
• Health checks, including a chest X-ray for applicants from countries not on the low-incidence tuberculosis list
• Police certificates from every country where you have lived for more than five years since age 17 (required for stays over 24 months)
• English language evidence for roles at NOL Levels 4 and 5 (minimum IELTS 4.0 overall, PTE 29, or TOEFL iBT 31)

For roles at Levels 1–3, English language testing is generally not required, though INZ can request evidence if concerns arise during assessment.

How Long Can You Stay?

The visa duration depends on the skill level of your role and your hourly pay:

• NOL Levels 1–3: Eligible for a five-year visa
• NOL Levels 4–5: Limited to a three-year visa
• Any level paying at least 1.5x the median wage (NZD $52.50 per hour as of March 2026): Eligible for a five-year visa regardless of skill level

When you reach your maximum continuous stay, you must leave New Zealand for 12 consecutive months before you can apply for another AEWV. Early 2026 marks a pressure point for many workers who arrived on three-year visas in mid-2022 and are now approaching that limit.

Who Pays for What

Employers are legally prohibited from passing accreditation fees, Job Check fees, or recruitment advertising costs onto the migrant worker. The worker generally pays for their own visa application fee, medical examinations, police clearances, and any required English language tests.

Charging a worker for a job offer — sometimes called "job selling" — is a criminal offence in New Zealand.

Finding an Employer Before You Apply

The most efficient search strategy from offshore is to look for employers who have already secured a Job Check Token, because they have paid NZD $735 and have a 90-day window to hire. These employers are financially committed to the process in a way that general advertisers are not. Seek.co.nz and TradeMe Jobs are the primary platforms. For trades and construction roles, BuildNZ is often more targeted.

Before any interview, use the Accredited Employer List on the INZ website to confirm the business is currently accredited and that their accreditation has not been suspended.

If you are preparing to apply for the AEWV — or supporting an employer through the accreditation and Job Check steps — the New Zealand Accredited Employer Work Visa Guide covers the full process with step-by-step filing instructions, document checklists, and timeline planning for each of the three gates.

The 2026 Enforcement Shift

The AEWV has moved from an educational rollout phase into active enforcement. Under the Immigration (Enhanced Risk Management) Amendment Bill, immigration officers can now conduct unannounced workplace inspections and request identification from anyone on a business site if there is reasonable suspicion of a visa breach.

The leading causes of accreditation revocation in 2025–2026 have been business liquidation, underpayment of staff, and false information provided during the initial application. Re-accreditation is no longer routine — it now requires a full audit of recruitment records and payroll data.

For workers already in New Zealand on an AEWV, the Migrant Exploitation Protection Work Visa (MEPV) provides a safety net. If you experience serious exploitation — withheld pay, physical abuse, or being forced to work outside your visa conditions — you can report it to Employment New Zealand and apply for a free six-month open work visa that lets you work for any employer while the situation is investigated.

The AEWV is a complex system, but it is navigable. The employers and workers who succeed are those who understand that compliance is not a one-time event — it is an ongoing requirement from the day accreditation is granted through the full duration of the migrant's stay.

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