New Zealand’s Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV): a planning guide

Understanding the AEWV

For skilled people from India and other countries, the Accredited Employer Work Visa is the primary mechanism a New Zealand employer uses to recruit you from offshore. This section explains how the three checks interlock and what you should prepare.

As New Zealand's main temporary work visa for overseas staff, the AEWV becomes available to you once an accredited employer has offered you a job; the employer then provides a link to the online application. The position must involve a minimum of 30 hours a week and pay at least the market rate for the job, together with any legal minimum, the New Zealand minimum wage being one.

The AEWV cannot be used for self-employment, for work as crew on foreign fishing vessels, or for planting, maintaining, harvesting or packing crops in horticulture or viticulture.

Employer, job and worker: how the checks interlock

1. Employer check: accreditation of the employer by Immigration New Zealand.
2. Job check: the employer's application for your specific post, evidencing compliant pay and conditions and, where the rules demand it, prior advertising to New Zealanders. Once approved, a job check stays valid for 6 months.
3. Worker check: using a unique link from the employer (the "job token"), you lodge the visa application and demonstrate that you meet the skills, English, health and character requirements.

Source: INZ, employer accreditation and job check process.

Skills and qualification criteria

• A job offer made by an accredited employer that has an approved job check.
• Skills evidence: relevant work experience totalling 2 years or more, or a qualification at level 4 or higher on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework (NZQCF). Bachelor's degrees and above are accepted in any field.
• Recognition of foreign qualifications: a qualification obtained overseas below bachelor's level, if you rely on it, must be the subject of an International Qualification Assessment (IQA) by NZQA.
• Exemptions from the skills evidence cover Green List roles, occupations that require registration, and roles paid NZD 67.12 an hour or more (as of October 2026, official page).

Open positions: New Zealand sponsored jobs.

When proof of English applies

Proof of English forms part of the application only for roles at ANZSCO (or NOL) skill level 3, 4 or 5; for roles at skill level 1 or 2 it is not required. Minimum scores (as of October 2026, official page):

Results older than 2 years are not accepted, and only tests sat in person count.

Health screening and police certificates

• Chest X-ray: needed when your stay will exceed 6 months and you hold citizenship of, or have recently spent time in, a country without a low incidence of tuberculosis. INZ must receive any X-ray or medical evidence while it is less than 3 months old.
• Police certificates: needed once you are 17 or above and your total time in New Zealand will be 24 months or longer. They must cover each country of which you are a citizen and every country where you have spent over 5 years since the age of 17, and must be less than 6 months old.

Source: INZ, Accredited Employer Work Visa.

The application sequence

1. Apply for a vacancy offered by an accredited employer.
2. Interview and receive the employer's offer.
3. Employer compliance: accreditation is mandatory for the employer, which also obtains approval of a job check for your post.
4. Job token issued: the link through which you lodge your visa application.
5. Assemble evidence: passport, proof of your experience or qualifications, English results where needed, police certificates and medical evidence, plus certified translations where applicable.
6. Lodge online and pay the fee.
7. Receive the decision, travel and take up the role.

Processing, fees and maximum stay

• Decision time: 80% of applications are decided inside 5.5 weeks (as of October 2026, official page). Allow additional lead time before lodging for the employer's accreditation and job check and for assembling your evidence.
• Fee: NZD 1,540 upwards (as of October 2026, official page). The amount payable depends on your country and is shown on the official page after you enter your details.
• Maximum stay: a cumulative 5 years for most roles, or 3 years for roles at ANZSCO skill level 4 or 5, subject to exceptions such as pay of NZD 52.50 an hour or more or a role on the Green List (how long you can stay). After reaching the maximum, 12 months must be spent outside New Zealand before a further AEWV is possible.
• While on the visa: your work is limited to the approved role with your employer, a second job is not permitted, and and study is possible for up to 3 months in any 12 months.
• Changing employer, role or location: this requires a variation or a Job Change, the latter involving a new accredited employer and a job check. A Job Change adds no time to your visa (changing your visa conditions).

Options for partners and children

Your AEWV application cannot include your partner or children. Each lodges a separate visa, and the type available depends on your salary and role. Key thresholds (as of October 2026, official page):

• NZD 52.50 an hour or above: you may support your partner's work visa and visas for dependent children.
• ANZSCO skill level 1 to 3 role at NZD 28.00 an hour or above: you may support a Partner of a Worker Work Visa.
• Below NZD 28.00 an hour: your partner is limited to a visitor visa.
• Children: an annual income of at least NZD 58,240 is needed to support a dependent child student visa or a child visitor visa; where both partners hold an AEWV, their incomes can be combined.

Additional detail and exceptions apply, Green List roles for example, so review the official page in light of your own situation.

Longer-term options: residence

The AEWV does not itself confer residence, but some holders later qualify to apply for it (as of October 2026, official page):

• Green List: Tier 1 occupations can apply for the Straight to Residence Visa; Tier 2 occupations can apply for the Work to Residence Visa once 24 months of full-time work in the role in New Zealand are complete (Green List pathway).
• Skilled Migrant Category (SMC): a resident visa for applicants no older than 55, offering three pathways: points-based, skilled work experience, and trades and technicians (SMC Resident Visa).

Residence policy is revised from time to time; check the official pages before building it into your career plan.

Getting ready to apply from India

This summary is based on general Immigration New Zealand requirements and cannot substitute for a review of your own case. For the authoritative version, consult the official AEWV page.

• Passport: validity has to extend at least 3 months past your intended date of departure from New Zealand.
• Police certificates: required where you are aged 17 or over and expect to spend 24 months or longer in New Zealand in total. Certificates are needed from each country of citizenship (for many readers, India) and from every country in which you have spent more than 5 years since the age of 17. Each must be less than 6 months old at the date of application, and a receipt is not an acceptable substitute for the certificate. INZ's country-by-country police certificate tool sets out the procedure.
• Experience evidence: documentation must originate from someone other than yourself, for instance certificates of employment, payslips, tax certificates or reference letters confirming your job title, employment dates and the employer's contact details. A CV will not be accepted as the only evidence.
• Qualifications: relying on an overseas qualification below bachelor's level requires an International Qualification Assessment (IQA) from NZQA.
• Medicals: chest X-rays and medicals, where required, must be less than 3 months old on receipt by INZ.
• Translations: provide certified English translations of all medical and police certificates, even a police certificate that records no convictions. Translations produced by you, a family member or your immigration adviser are not acceptable (translation rules).

As a final step, check with official government sources in India whether any rules apply to citizens taking up employment overseas.

Common pitfalls and scam warning signs

Immigration New Zealand warns that job offer scams are common in India and South Asia, so verify every offer carefully before you act on it.

• Charging for jobs is prohibited. A New Zealand employer or agent may not take a fee from you for a job, nor require you to meet its recruitment costs, either directly or through an intermediary.
• Paying for an offer means a declined AEWV. INZ declines the visa where it considers that you, or an agent on your behalf, offered or promised the employer money in return for a job offer.
• INZ's sole charge is the application fee, and it never requests visa fees via a deposit into a bank account.
• Advice must be licensed or exempt. Immigration advice may come only from an adviser holding a licence from the Immigration Advisers Authority, or from a person exempt from licensing (getting immigration advice). There is no obligation to use an adviser.
• Mistakes that undermine applications: substituting a CV for independent evidence of experience; police certificates past 6 months old; untranslated certificates; and taking a role from an employer lacking accreditation or an approved job check.

Further reading: protecting yourself from immigration scams (INZ).

Frequently asked questions

Is an AEWV possible without a job offer?

No. An offer is required from an accredited employer holding an approved job check, and it is the employer who provides your application link (the job token).

How much experience does the AEWV call for?

Typically 2 years or more of relevant experience, or a qualification at NZQCF level 4 or above. Exemptions exist for some roles, for example very highly paid positions and those on the Green List.

Do I need an IELTS score for the AEWV?

Only if the role sits at ANZSCO skill level 3, 4 or 5. In that case the minimum is IELTS 4.0 overall, or an equivalent score on another accepted test (as of October 2026), and the result must be less than 2 years old.

What is the AEWV processing time?

Immigration New Zealand reports that 80% of applications are decided inside 5.5 weeks (as of October 2026). For the current figure, see the official page.

How long can an AEWV last?

A total of up to 5 years for most roles, or 3 years for most roles at ANZSCO skill level 4 or 5. After hitting that maximum, 12 months outside New Zealand are required before another AEWV can be issued.

Can my partner hold a work visa too?

Possibly, depending on your role and pay. Earning NZD 52.50 an hour or above, or NZD 28.00 an hour in a role at ANZSCO skill level 1 to 3, are examples that may allow your partner to obtain a Partner of a Worker Work Visa.

Can employers or agents charge me a fee for the job?

No. Job fees and recruitment costs cannot be passed to you by New Zealand employers or agents, and INZ will decline a visa where a job offer was paid for.

Official sources

• The Accredited Employer Work Visa
• Accreditation and job checks for employers
• Pay rates required for work visas
• Time limits on the AEWV
• Family members of AEWV holders
• Checking or changing work visa conditions
• Residence pathways for skilled workers
• Green List residence pathway
• Skilled Migrant Category resident visa
• Translating supporting documents
• Obtaining a police certificate
• Finding immigration advice
• Guarding against immigration scams