How to Apply for the AEWV Without an Immigration Adviser

The AEWV is a three-gate system. Every gate has a fee, a form, and a specific set of evidence requirements. If any gate is completed incorrectly, the gates after it fail. That is the core design of the Accredited Employer Work Visa — and it is the reason many people assume you need professional help to get through it.

You do not, provided your situation is standard. Standard means: you have a clean immigration history, your occupation has a clear ANZSCO classification, your employer has not yet made errors in Steps 1 or 2, and you do not have a criminal record or prior visa refusal.

This page is a practical walkthrough. It explains what needs to happen at each gate, in the order it needs to happen, and where the most common failures occur.

Before You Start: The Checks That Save You Later

Before any application begins, you need to verify three things. Skipping this step is the most common reason straightforward applications get complicated.

1. Confirm your ANZSCO code. ANZSCO (Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations) determines your skill level, wage requirements, advertising requirements, and residency eligibility. Search the ANZSCO database at abs.gov.au or the INZ occupation list. Your code must match the actual duties of your role — not just the job title. A chef is ANZSCO 351111 (Skill Level 2). A cook is ANZSCO 351411 (Skill Level 4). Different advertising rules apply to each, and using the wrong code is the single most common Job Check rejection reason in the hospitality sector.

2. Confirm the wage calculation. The median wage floor from March 9, 2026 is $35.00/hour for most AEWV roles. INZ calculates your hourly rate using the maximum contracted hours in your employment agreement — not the standard hours. If your employment agreement says "40–50 hours per week" at a $75,000 salary, your INZ rate is $28.85/hour (75,000 ÷ 50 weeks ÷ 52). This fails the wage test. Before signing an employment agreement, confirm that the salary divided by the maximum contracted hours clears the $35.00 threshold.

3. Confirm your residency pathway. The AEWV is a means to an end for most applicants. The end is New Zealand permanent residence. But not all AEWV roles lead there. Skill Level 4 and 5 roles not on the Green List or covered by a sector agreement give you three years in New Zealand and then a mandatory 12-month stand-down with no residency pathway. You need to know your residency status before you accept the job offer — not after you've moved your family.

Gate 1: Employer Accreditation

This gate belongs entirely to your employer. You cannot apply for Gate 1, and you cannot move to Gate 2 without it. What you can do is verify that your employer has completed it before you invest any further time in the process.

What accreditation involves. The employer applies online through Immigration New Zealand. They pay a government fee of $775 (standard accreditation) or $1,280 (high-volume, for employers hiring five or more migrants). They must demonstrate that the business is "genuinely operating" and has been for at least 12 months, that it meets employment law obligations, and that it can support the settlement of a migrant worker.

Common accreditation failures. The most frequent reasons accreditation is delayed or declined:

• Business has not been operating for 12 months — particularly relevant for recently restructured entities or businesses that changed their legal form
• Outstanding Inland Revenue debt or breaches of employment standards
• The employer cannot demonstrate the business is the entity named in the employment agreement (e.g., using a trading name that differs from the registered name)

How to verify. Ask your employer for the accreditation reference number and the expected decision date. If the employer is evasive about this, it is a warning sign. INZ publishes a list of accredited employers — you can search it at immigration.govt.nz to confirm your employer's status before proceeding.

Processing time. Employer accreditation typically takes 2–4 weeks from application to decision, provided the application is complete. Incomplete applications extend this significantly.

Gate 2: The Job Check

Once the employer has accreditation, they apply for a Job Check. This is where INZ assesses whether the role meets AEWV requirements and whether adequate labour market testing was done — i.e., whether the employer genuinely tried to find a New Zealand worker before turning to offshore talent.

The Job Check government fee is $735. The employer applies online through the INZ portal.

What the Job Check covers:

• ANZSCO code and skill level for the role
• Whether the salary meets the median wage threshold (using the maximum-hours calculation)
• Evidence of labour market testing — job advertisements on approved platforms (Seek, Trade Me, and similar), with the salary range and work location specified
• Whether any New Zealand applicants were rejected without a documented, reasonable explanation

The advertising requirements. Labour market testing is mandatory for most roles. The employer must advertise the position for a minimum of 14 days on a national platform for most roles. ANZSCO Skill Level 4 and 5 roles require 21 days of advertising plus engagement with the Ministry of Social Development. The ad must include the salary range. An ad that says "salary negotiable" or omits the specific work location is insufficient for INZ's purposes.

The rejection review. INZ will scrutinize any New Zealand applicants who were turned down. "Not suitable" is not an acceptable explanation. The employer needs documented evidence that declined applicants lacked specific, verifiable qualifications — not just a general assertion that they preferred the migrant worker. If this documentation is absent, INZ issues a Potentially Prejudicial Information (PPI) letter, which delays the Job Check and requires a formal response.

What you can do at Gate 2. As the worker, you cannot apply for the Job Check — but you can ensure your employer uses the correct ANZSCO code and structures the job description to match it precisely. A mismatch between the advertised role title and the duties listed is the most common Job Check failure. Before the employer submits, compare the job description against the ANZSCO definition for your code. If the duties don't match, the description needs to be revised before the ad runs.

What you receive at the end of Gate 2. An approved Job Check produces a Job Token. The token contains your name and expires in six months. You must submit your visa application within that window.

Gate 3: Your AEWV Visa Application

This is the gate you control directly. The worker visa application is submitted online through Immigration New Zealand's Visa Application system.

The government fee is $750+ (check the current INZ fee schedule for the exact amount at the time of your application, as fees are updated periodically).

The document set you need:

For most applicants, the standard document set is:

• Valid passport (with at least six months validity beyond your intended stay)
• Job Token from your employer (provided by the employer after Gate 2 is approved)
• Employment agreement (signed by both parties, showing wage above the median threshold using maximum-hours calculation)
• Work experience evidence — pay slips, tax records, or official employment letters from previous employers covering your claimed experience period. Reference letters alone are generally insufficient. INZ wants documentation that verifies dates, hours, and remuneration.
• Police certificate — the actual certificate, not just the receipt. This is a common submission error. INZ requires the certificate itself to be uploaded at the time of application.
• Medical examination results (if required for your role or ANZSCO level — check whether your occupation requires a medical)
• English language test results for Skill Level 4 and 5 roles, unless you are from an exempt country (including Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, the UK, and the US, among others)

Skill Level 4 and 5 English language requirements. If your role is classified at Skill Level 4 or 5 and your country of citizenship is not on the exempt list, you need an IELTS score of 5.0 in each band (or equivalent from an approved test). This needs to be arranged before you submit — test results are valid for two years from the test date.

The five-month grace period. The median wage threshold that applies to your application is locked in at the date your visa is granted — not the date you start work. If you begin skilled employment within five months of your visa being granted, the threshold from grant date applies, even if the median wage increased in the interim. This "grandfathering" protection is particularly relevant for applicants who applied near a wage threshold change date.

Processing time. INZ has significantly reduced AEWV processing times through 2025. Most straightforward applications are decided within 5–10 weeks of submission.

What to Do If You Receive a PPI

A Potentially Prejudicial Information letter (PPI) means INZ has identified an issue with your application before issuing a formal decision. It is not a decline — it is a request for a response. You have a fixed window (usually 14–28 days) to provide additional information or argument.

Common PPI triggers at the worker application stage:

• Work history that doesn't match the experience claimed
• A police certificate with an entry that requires explanation
• An employment agreement with terms that appear to violate AEWV worker protections

If you receive a PPI, read it carefully before responding. The letter will specify exactly what information INZ is concerned about. Your response needs to address those concerns directly. A partial response or one that doesn't engage with the stated issue will not resolve the problem. If the PPI involves a character or criminal history issue, this is the point at which professional legal advice is appropriate.

Who This Is For / Who This Is NOT For

This is for you if:

• Your employer has clear accreditation, has submitted a correct Job Check, and has issued you a Job Token
• Your occupation falls clearly within a defined ANZSCO code with no ambiguity about skill level
• You have a clean immigration history — no prior refusals or criminal record
• You want to understand the process well enough to complete it without paying LIA fees for standard form-filling

This is NOT for you if:

• You have received a PPI related to criminal history or character — this requires legal advice
• Your employer's Job Check was declined and you need to understand why before they reapply
• Your application involves a request for a visa condition waiver or health waiver
• You have a prior refusal on record that you need to disclose and explain

The New Zealand Accredited Employer Work Visa Guide walks through all three gates in operational sequence, with document checklists for each step, the wage calculation formulas INZ officers use, and occupation-specific residency pathway maps — including the August 2026 SMC changes.

See more New Zealand guides →