New Zealand AEWV: Accredited Employer Work Visa Rules for 2026

The Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) is New Zealand's main temporary work visa. If you want to work there and don't yet have residence, this is usually the visa you will be on. It is employer-led: no accredited employer and approved job, no visa.

The rules changed a lot in 2025 and again in 2026. This guide covers how it works now.

How the AEWV works: three checks

Every AEWV goes through three stages, and two of them are the employer's job.

1. Employer accreditation. The business applies to Immigration New Zealand (INZ) to become an accredited employer. This shows it is a genuine, compliant business.
2. Job check. The employer proves the role is real, pays the market rate, and that it tried to hire New Zealanders first. For lower-skilled roles (skill level 4 and 5), the employer must also declare that it advertised with the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) and interviewed suitable candidates.
3. Migrant check. Once the job check is approved, you apply for the visa yourself, showing you have the skills, health, character and (for some roles) English the job needs.

You can only start stage 3 after the employer has finished stages 1 and 2. If an employer says they are "about to get accredited", you cannot apply yet.

Who qualifies

INZ's current requirements for the worker are:

• A full-time job offer (at least 30 hours a week) from an accredited employer with an approved job check
• Skills for the job: at least 2 years of relevant work experience, or a relevant qualification at New Zealand level 4 or higher (the experience requirement dropped from 3 years to 2 in March 2025)
• Occupational registration, if the job legally needs it (nurses, doctors, electricians, teachers and others)
• Any extra skills or experience the employer's job check specified
• Good health and character, and a genuine intention to work in New Zealand

For Nigerians, the character check means police certificates. Get a Nigeria Police Force clearance early, along with certificates from any country you have lived in for a long time. Make sure your passport has plenty of validity left.

Pay rules after the 2025 changes

This is where most online advice is out of date.

Until March 2025, most AEWV jobs had to pay at least the median wage. From 10 March 2025 that floor was removed. INZ's rule now is that the job must:

• pay the market rate for that job (what a New Zealander doing the same work would get), and
• pay at least the New Zealand minimum wage, which Employment New Zealand lists as NZD 23.95 an hour from 1 April 2026 (before tax).

The minimum wage is reviewed every year. Any job offer in an application lodged after a rise has to meet the new rate.

Median-wage figures still matter elsewhere. The SMC wage threshold (INZ's median wage figure) is NZD 35.00 an hour from 9 March 2026. Your pay affects whether your family can join you on certain visas and whether you can later get residence through the Skilled Migrant Category. A job that only just meets the minimum wage may give you a work visa but no path to staying.

Skill levels, ANZSCO and the new NOL

Every AEWV job is linked to an occupation code. INZ has used ANZSCO, the Australian and New Zealand occupation classification, which ranks jobs from skill level 1 (highest, e.g. engineers, doctors) to 5 (e.g. labourers, some hospitality roles).

INZ is moving the AEWV onto a new National Occupation List (NOL). Its AEWV page says NOL occupations are not yet recognised for other visas, so if you plan to use the same job for residence later you should check the ANZSCO level as well.

The skill level sets your visa length and whether you need to prove English.

The visa length depends on your job offer, so a 2-year contract may get a shorter visa. Skill level 4 and 5 visas were extended to 3 years in March 2025, which is also the maximum continuous stay for those roles.

The English requirement (expanded in June 2026)

From 1 June 2026, the minimum English standard was extended from skill level 4 and 5 jobs to skill level 3 as well. This affects many trade and supervisor roles.

INZ accepts these test results for the AEWV. The test must be sat in person at a test centre and be no more than 2 years old when you apply:

You can also meet the requirement without a test if you are a citizen of Canada, Ireland, the UK or the US with 5 years of work or study in an English-speaking country on INZ's list. A degree from one of those listed countries also counts.

Nigerian angle: Nigeria is not on INZ's list, so a Nigerian degree or Nigerian citizenship does not exempt you, even though you studied in English. Book a test early. The AEWV score is modest, but test dates in Lagos and Abuja can fill up.

Exemptions include Job Change applications and the seasonal AEWV streams. INZ also says some current AEWV holders whose visas expire on or before 1 December 2026 are exempt. If that might be you, check the INZ announcement.

Step by step: from job offer to visa

1. Find a role with an accredited employer. Ask the employer to confirm they are accredited. INZ publishes a list of accredited employers you can search.
2. Check your skills match. Gather proof of 2 or more years of relevant experience (reference letters on letterhead, with dates, duties and hours) or your level 4+ qualification.
3. Get registration if your job needs it. Nurses, doctors and registered trades must start with the New Zealand registration body, which can take months.
4. Wait for the job check. Your employer gets a job check approval and gives you a job token to use in your application.
5. Book your English test if your role is skill level 3 to 5.
6. Get police certificates and medicals. INZ will tell you which medical and chest X-ray forms apply. Use an INZ panel physician.
7. Apply online and pay the fee. INZ lists the fee as from NZD 1,540, with 80% of applications decided within 5.5 weeks. Check both before you lodge.
8. Respond quickly to any INZ requests. Missing documents are the main cause of delays.

Bringing your partner and children

Your family cannot be included in your AEWV. Each person applies for their own visa, and your job and pay decide what they can get.

Partners. For a Partner of a Worker Work Visa, INZ currently says:

• If your job is skill level 1 to 3, you must earn at least NZD 28 an hour (80% of the median wage).
• If your job is skill level 4 or 5, you generally need NZD 52.50 an hour (150% of the median wage), or at least NZD 35 an hour in a Green List job. Care and transport sector roles have their own rule.

Children. Dependent children can get visitor or student visas, but there is a minimum income threshold. INZ raised it for first applications made after 10 March 2025, and it is reviewed regularly. Check the current figure before you budget.

In practice, a skill level 4 or 5 job at market rate often won't let you bring your family on dependent visas. If moving together matters, factor this in before you accept an offer.

Changing jobs and what comes next

Your AEWV is tied to one employer, job and location, and you cannot take a second job. To change, you apply to vary your conditions, make a Job Change application or apply for a new visa.

The AEWV is not residence. Many holders later move to residence through:

• the Skilled Migrant Category, which now has three pathways based on points, experience or trade qualifications
• the Green List straight-to-residence and work-to-residence routes, covered in our New Zealand hub guide

If you are comparing countries, see our guide to the UK Skilled Worker visa, which is also employer-sponsored.

Your AEWV document checklist

• Passport valid well beyond your intended stay
• Job token from your employer's approved job check
• Signed employment agreement showing hours (30+ per week), pay and job title
• Proof of 2+ years' relevant experience, or a level 4+ qualification
• NZQA assessment of your qualification, if INZ or your registration body asks for one
• New Zealand occupational registration, if your job requires it
• English test result (skill levels 3 to 5), sat in person, under 2 years old
• Nigeria Police Force clearance and police certificates from other countries you have lived in
• Medical and chest X-ray certificates from an INZ panel physician
• Fee payment by card, and copies of everything in clear scans

Rules and figures here were checked against Immigration New Zealand and Employment New Zealand pages in October 2026. They change often, so confirm on the official pages before you apply.