AEWV Visa Fee and Full Cost Breakdown: What Workers and Employers Pay in 2026

The government visa fee for the AEWV is NZD $1,540. Most applicants learn this number first and assume it is the total cost of migration. It is not. By the time you factor in the immigration levy, medical examination, police certificates, and — if required — an English language test and a qualification assessment, the actual out-of-pocket cost for a single worker typically lands between NZD $2,500 and NZD $3,500. For a family of three, total government fees alone can exceed NZD $4,000.

Understanding the full cost picture matters for two reasons: it affects your financial planning, and it determines what you can legally ask your employer to cover.

What the Worker Pays

Government visa application fee: NZD $1,540

This is the base fee for the AEWV application, paid to Immigration New Zealand at the time of submission. It is non-refundable if your application is declined.

Immigration Visa Application Levy (IVL): NZD $100

A mandatory levy paid by most visa applicants. Some applicants from certain categories are exempt — check the current INZ fee schedule to confirm.

Full medical examination: NZD $350 to $550

You must use an INZ-approved panel physician. Costs vary by clinic and city, and whether additional tests (such as cardiac assessments for certain age groups or medical histories) are requested. Budget toward the higher end if you are applying from a country with a high prevalence of tuberculosis, as chest X-ray analysis adds to the cost.

Police clearances: NZD $50 to $150 per country

New Zealand police certificates cost around NZD $10 directly from the NZ Police website. Overseas certificates vary considerably. The UK, India, South Africa, and the Philippines all have different fee structures and processing times — factor in both cost and the time to obtain them, since overseas police certificates can take four to eight weeks.

English language test: NZD $400 to $500

Required for workers in roles at NOL Levels 4 and 5 who are not from an exempt country. IELTS General or Academic is NZD $400 to $450. PTE Academic is similar. If you need to sit multiple attempts before reaching the minimum score (IELTS 4.0 overall, PTE 29), costs add up quickly.

NZQA qualification assessment: NZD $450 to $750

Required when your overseas qualifications need to be formally evaluated for a role that is not on a specific list of recognised qualifications. Processing typically takes 10 to 20 working days. This cost is sometimes negotiated with the employer, but it sits in a grey area legally — see below.

Estimated total per individual: NZD $2,500 to $3,500

This is the realistic range for a single worker including all likely costs. Workers from countries that require English testing and qualification assessment will land at the higher end.

What the Employer Pays (and Cannot Pass On)

The legal framework around cost allocation is clear on the employer side:

Standard accreditation: NZD $775 (or NZD $1,280 for high-volume, NZD $4,060 for triangular) The employer pays this directly to INZ. Passing this cost to the worker is illegal.

Job Check application: NZD $735 per role The employer pays this fee. It cannot be charged to the worker, directly or indirectly.

National job advertising: NZD $200 to $1,200 The cost of advertising the role on Seek, TradeMe Jobs, or other required platforms is an employer expense and cannot be passed to the worker.

Recruitment agency fees If the employer uses a recruitment agency to source the candidate, that fee is entirely the employer's responsibility. An employer or agent who charges a worker a "placement fee" or "matching fee" is committing a criminal offence under New Zealand immigration law.

Trade testing fees (offshore) If the employer requires the worker to complete a trade test or skills assessment offshore as part of the recruitment process, this is a mandatory employer expense.

Immigration adviser professional fees: NZD $2,500 to $5,000 If the employer engages a Licensed Immigration Adviser to manage the accreditation and Job Check process, those fees are borne by the employer.

The Grey Areas: Who Pays for What?

The cost allocation framework has clear rules, but there are items that create confusion:

Qualification assessments (IQA/NZQA) The law prohibits employers from charging workers for recruitment-related costs. Whether a qualification assessment counts as "recruitment" depends on when it is required and who initiated it. If the employer has made the IQA a condition of the job offer, there is a reasonable argument that the employer should bear the cost. In practice, many workers pay this themselves — but if an employer demands IQA results as a precondition for sponsorship and then requires the worker to pay, this warrants careful scrutiny.

Airfares to New Zealand Airfares are negotiable and not covered by the "employer pays" prohibition. Some employers — particularly in the care, healthcare, and construction sectors — offer relocation assistance or airfare reimbursement as a recruitment incentive. For standard AEWV applicants, airfares are usually the worker's responsibility unless the employer has specifically agreed otherwise.

Medicals and police checks These are worker costs in the standard framework. However, employers can choose to subsidise them as a retention and recruitment strategy. In competitive sectors like IT and nursing, some employers include medical reimbursement in their offer packages.

What "Job Selling" Looks Like and Why It Matters

"Job selling" — charging a migrant worker any fee in exchange for a job offer or access to the AEWV process — is illegal in New Zealand. It is not a regulatory grey area. It is a criminal offence.

In practice, it surfaces in several ways:

• An overseas recruiter charges a "placement fee" that is framed as a deposit or insurance
• An employer or agent requires the worker to pay for the Job Check application
• Salary deductions are made to recover the employer's accreditation costs
• Workers are told they must reimburse the employer for advertising costs

If any of these situations apply to you, the appropriate step is to contact Employment New Zealand. Workers who report exploitation may be eligible for the Migrant Exploitation Protection Work Visa (MEPV) — a free six-month open work visa that lets you leave the exploitative employer and work for anyone while the matter is investigated.

Family Cost Considerations

If you intend to bring a partner and dependent children to New Zealand, the cost calculation changes significantly.

A partner applying for a Partner of a Worker Work Visa pays their own visa fee and medical costs. Dependent children also have visa fees. For a family of three — principal applicant, partner, and one child — total government fees alone routinely exceed NZD $4,000 before medicals and police checks for each family member are included.

For the partner to be eligible for open work rights (able to work for any employer in any role), the principal applicant must earn at a specific level relative to the median wage. As of March 2026:

• NOL Level 1, 2, or 3 roles: Partner requires the principal to earn at least NZD $28.00/hour
• NOL Level 4 or 5 roles: Partner requires the principal to earn at least NZD $52.50/hour (1.5x the median wage)

This wage threshold for Level 4 and 5 roles is genuinely high. Many workers in these roles find that their partner's work rights are restricted unless they negotiate a pay increase with their employer or transition into a Level 1–3 classified role.

The New Zealand Accredited Employer Work Visa Guide includes a complete cost planning section with tables for individual and family applications, guidance on negotiating employer-covered costs, and a clear explanation of your legal rights if you are asked to pay costs that should fall on the employer.

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