New Zealand’s Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) for overseas workers

How the AEWV works

The Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) is for people with a job offer from an employer accredited to hire migrants. The employer sends you a link to the online application form; you cannot start one on your own.

Behind that link sit the employer’s accreditation and an approved job check for your role. The employer process explains both.

The offer and the person

INZ requires an offer of full-time work, at least 30 hours a week, from an accredited employer with an approved job check. Make sure the offer states the duties, location, pay and any registration the job needs.

You then have to meet the skill level and qualification requirements for the job, plus English, health and character rules. The visa page has the complete list. Browse current jobs in New Zealand.

Proving your skills and experience

Each job is classified by skill level, and you need to show you meet the qualifications or experience for that level. A CV on its own is not enough; back it with signed references, contracts, payslips or tax records.

Jobs in regulated occupations, such as many health roles and electrical work, also need New Zealand registration. Start that early, because it can take longer than the visa.

Pay and the employment agreement

Read the wage rules for work visas that apply to your role and compare them with the NZD figure, hours, allowances and deductions in your written agreement.

When comparing an offer with Australia or your home country, include rent, tax and transport. You should never be asked to pay for the job itself.

English for skill level 3 to 5 jobs

INZ requires AEWV applicants in ANZSCO or NOL skill level 4 or 5 jobs to show they can speak and understand English. From 1 June 2026 this extends to skill level 3 roles; see the INZ announcement.

INZ says you can meet the requirement through citizenship, through work and study, or with an English test. Check what evidence the AEWV accepts in your case. Registration bodies may set their own English standard on top.

Medical checks, police certificates and translations

Depending on your circumstances, INZ may ask for medical examinations and police certificates. Applicants aged 17 and over may need certificates as evidence of good character; use the country-by-country instructions.

A police certificate must be less than 6 months old when you apply. Police and medical certificates not in English need certified translations under INZ’s rules.

From offer to arrival

1. Find a role that fits your experience.
2. Apply with your CV and evidence, then interview.
3. Check the written offer, the accreditation and the job check.
4. Receive the application link from the employer.
5. Gather qualification, work, English, police and medical documents.
6. Submit the application and pay the fee.
7. Read your visa conditions before you travel and start work.

Fees, length of stay and changing employer

Fees and processing information are on the AEWV page. Allow time for recruitment and the employer’s job check as well, and budget for documents, flights, insurance and your first weeks’ rent.

The total time you can stay depends on the job and other factors; see how long you can stay. Moving to another employer, role or region usually needs a variation of conditions or a new visa, so read the rules on changing jobs first.

Partners and children

Your AEWV covers you only. Your partner and children apply for their own visas, and what they can get depends on your job and pay. See bringing family on an AEWV.

Do not count on a second income until you know whether your partner’s visa allows work.

Residence is a separate step

Holding an AEWV does not make you a resident. Pathways such as the Green List and the Skilled Migrant Category have their own criteria for occupation, qualifications, registration, pay and age.

Read the current skilled residence options before relying on any of them.

Paperwork to gather wherever you live now

Whatever your nationality, an overseas application rests on documents that line up with each other. Your name should appear the same way on every record, or you should be able to show why it changed. Start collecting early, because some offices in some countries are slow.

• Passport: confirm how long it remains valid and which nationality it shows. Visa options follow the passport you hold, not the country you live or work in today.
• Proof of your trade or profession: certificates, transcripts and, for trades, apprenticeship or logbook records under the names the issuing body uses. Many occupations need a formal skills assessment from the assessing authority named for that occupation.
• Licences and registration: regulated work such as nursing, medicine or electrical work needs Australian registration or a licence from the relevant authority, usually for the state or territory where the job is. Holding a licence at home does not transfer it.
• Work history: signed reference letters on letterhead that give your dates, weekly hours, duties and tools or systems used, backed by payslips, contracts or tax records where you have them. Ask referees before passing on their details.
• Police certificates: these can be needed from more than one country, covering each place you have lived for a significant time. Request them when the authority asks, so they are still current when assessed.
• English: a recent test result, or the documents that prove a specific exemption.
• Translations: anything not in English needs an English translation that meets the receiving authority’s rules. Keep the originals with the translations.

Alongside the paperwork, sort out your notice period, savings for the first weeks, health cover and somewhere to stay on arrival.

For New Zealand, INZ may ask anyone aged 17 and over for police certificates, which must be less than 6 months old when you apply. Use the police certificate finder to see how to request one from each country. Police and medical certificates that are not in English need a certified translation; follow INZ’s translation requirements on who may translate them.

Paid job offers and unlicensed advice

INZ is clear that a job offer must not be bought. It declines AEWV applications where the applicant or their agent has offered or promised money to an employer for a job.

• Confirm that the business really is accredited and that the role has an approved job check.
• Keep copies of the employment agreement, messages and any receipts.
• Check that the person advising you is licensed or exempt, using INZ’s immigration advice page.
• Apply only through the link the employer sends from the official system, never through a payment link from a stranger.

INZ lists common tricks on its immigration scams page.

Frequently asked questions

Can I apply for the AEWV without a job offer?

No. You need a job offer from an accredited employer with an approved job check, and the employer sends you the application link.

How many hours must the job offer?

INZ requires an offer of full-time work of at least 30 hours a week.

Will I need to prove my English?

For jobs at skill level 4 or 5, yes, and from 1 June 2026 also at skill level 3. INZ accepts evidence from citizenship, work and study, or a test.

How recent must my police certificate be?

INZ asks for certificates that are less than 6 months old when you submit the application.

Can my family come with me?

Each family member applies for their own visa. Whether your partner can work depends on your job, your pay and their visa.

Can an employer charge me for the job?

No. INZ declines applications where money was offered or promised to an employer in exchange for a job offer.