Employer Accreditation Types and Fees in New Zealand
New Zealand has three employer accreditation types: standard at NZ$775 for up to five migrant workers, high volume at NZ$1,280 for six or more, and triangular employment at NZ$4,060 with no limit on numbers. Franchisee accreditation closed on 16 June 2024. All three are employer fees, never worker fees.
Quick Facts
| Types available | Standard · High volume · Triangular employment |
| Standard | NZ$775, up to 5 migrant workers |
| High volume | NZ$1,280, 6 or more migrant workers |
| Triangular employment | NZ$4,060, no limit on numbers |
| Upgrade standard → high volume | NZ$505 |
| Reconsideration of a decline | NZ$250 |
| Closed type | Franchisee accreditation, closed 16 June 2024 |
| Who pays | The employer, in every case |
| Fee changes | No general INZ fee or levy increase in 2025 or 2026 |
The three types side by side
| Standard | High volume | Triangular employment | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fee | NZ$775 | NZ$1,280 | NZ$4,060 |
| Migrants covered | Up to 5 | 6 or more | No limit |
| Typical holder | A single business hiring its own staff | A larger employer, or one scaling quickly | Labour hire, recruitment and contracting firms |
| First term | 12 months | 12 months | 12 months |
| Renewal term | 24 months | 24 months | 12 months |
| Extra requirements | — | — | 12 months' history placing staff in NZ; at least 15% of placed staff must be NZ citizens or residents guaranteed 30+ hours a week |
| Upgrade path | To high volume for NZ$505 | — | — |
The number in the "migrants covered" column is the count of migrant workers the accreditation supports, not the size of the business. A 400-person company hiring three migrants needs standard accreditation. A five-person company hiring eight needs high volume.
Standard accreditation — NZ$775
The default. Covers hiring up to five migrant workers. Most New Zealand employers taking on migrant staff sit here, and this is the figure to use whenever someone asks what accreditation "costs".
High volume accreditation — NZ$1,280
For six or more migrant workers. An employer already holding standard accreditation who needs to go past five can upgrade for NZ$505 rather than applying afresh — so the total paid on that route is NZ$775 + NZ$505 = NZ$1,280, the same as applying for high volume from the start. The upgrade exists so an employer is not penalised for guessing low.
Triangular employment accreditation — NZ$4,060
For businesses that employ a worker but place them with a controlling third party — labour hire, recruitment agencies, contracting firms. The accredited business remains the named employer on the employment agreement and on the visa, while day-to-day direction comes from the host business.
The fee is more than five times standard accreditation because the compliance risk is higher and the obligations are heavier. Alongside the general requirements, a triangular applicant needs at least 12 months of history placing staff in New Zealand, and must keep at least 15% of placed staff as New Zealand citizens or residents guaranteed 30 or more hours a week. That domestic workforce threshold was cut from 35% to 15% for labour hire construction roles in January 2025.
Triangular accreditation also renews for 12 months, not 24. Full detail: triangular employment accreditation explained.
Franchisee accreditation — closed
Franchisee accreditation was a fourth type, aimed at franchise networks. It closed to new applications on 16 June 2024. Existing holders were allowed to run to expiry and then move to standard, high volume or triangular employment accreditation.
Two confirmations that this is settled rather than paused: there is no franchisee accreditation line in the May 2026 INZ 1028 fee schedule, and INZ's own accreditation pages now list three types.
Why this matters to a migrant: franchise businesses — fast food, retail chains, service franchises — are heavily represented in AEWV hiring, and a franchisee employer today holds ordinary standard or high volume accreditation like anyone else. If a recruiter describes an employer as "franchisee accredited", they are quoting a category that has not accepted a new application since June 2024. It is a reasonable prompt to ask more questions.
The complete employer fee schedule
Accreditation is one line in a wider set of employer applications. These are the published figures as at 20 August 2026:
| Employer application | Fee |
|---|---|
| Employer accreditation — standard | NZ$775 |
| Employer accreditation — high volume | NZ$1,280 |
| Employer accreditation — triangular employment | NZ$4,060 |
| Upgrade standard → high volume | NZ$505 |
| Reconsideration of an accreditation decision | NZ$250 |
| Job Check | NZ$735 |
| Reconsideration of a Job Check | NZ$250 |
| Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) status | NZ$1,040 |
| Agreement to Recruit under RSE instructions | NZ$280 |
| Entertainment Industry accreditation — first year | NZ$2,310 |
| Entertainment Industry accreditation — later years | NZ$650 |
| Approval in principle, foreign crew of fishing vessels | NZ$6,610 |
| Supplementary seasonal employment approval in principle | NZ$335 |
Two of these are separate employer products rather than accreditation types, and they are often confused with it:
- Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) status, NZ$1,040, is the horticulture and viticulture scheme that brings roughly 17,000 Pacific workers to New Zealand each year. It sits outside the AEWV three-step model entirely. A modernisation package was announced on 28 July 2026 but is not in force — it is staged from 2027 to 2029. See the RSE visa explained.
- Entertainment Industry accreditation, NZ$2,310 in year one and NZ$650 thereafter, covers screen and entertainment production employers.
Neither substitutes for AEWV accreditation.
What none of these fees include
The three accreditation fees buy the employer's approval to hire. They do not buy a job approval and they do not buy anyone a visa.
| Step | Cost | Paid by |
|---|---|---|
| Accreditation | NZ$775 / NZ$1,280 / NZ$4,060 | Employer |
| Job Check | NZ$735 per check | Employer |
| Accredited Employer Work Visa | From NZ$1,540 (NZ$480 + NZ$1,060 levy) | Migrant |
An employer hiring one migrant on standard accreditation therefore spends NZ$1,510 before the worker's own application even starts. That is the real cost of the sponsorship model, and it is one reason smaller employers hesitate.
Employers may not recover any of it from the worker. Not passing recruitment costs on to workers is an accreditation obligation. A demand for repayment of the accreditation or Job Check fee is a breach, and a request for money in exchange for the job offer is more serious again — INZ declines an AEWV where the applicant or their agent offered or promised money to the employer for the job offer.
Choosing between standard and high volume
For employers, the decision turns on one number: how many migrant workers you expect to hire during the accreditation term.
- Five or fewer → standard, NZ$775.
- Six or more → high volume, NZ$1,280.
- Not sure → standard, then upgrade for NZ$505 if needed. The two-step route costs the same in total as starting high volume, so there is no penalty for starting small.
The fee difference is not the only difference in practice. High volume accreditation carries heavier scrutiny of systems and processes, because INZ is approving a business to bring in migrant workers at scale.
For triangular employment, the choice is not really a choice. If you employ workers and place them with a controlling third party, that is the type that fits, whatever your volumes.
Does the type change what the migrant gets?
No. The visa is the same Accredited Employer Work Visa, at the same fee, with the same conditions, regardless of whether the employer holds standard, high volume or triangular employment accreditation.
What changes is the shape of the employment relationship. On a triangular arrangement, the named employer on the visa is the labour hire company, not the business where the work is done. Since an AEWV holder may only work in the job, for the employer, and at the location stated on their visa, that distinction decides who you may lawfully work for. See AEWV work conditions and restrictions.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does employer accreditation cost in NZ?
NZ$775 for standard accreditation covering up to five migrant workers, NZ$1,280 for high volume covering six or more, and NZ$4,060 for triangular employment with no limit on numbers. Upgrading from standard to high volume costs NZ$505, and reconsideration of a declined decision costs NZ$250.
What is the difference between standard and high volume accreditation?
The number of migrant workers covered. Standard covers up to five, high volume covers six or more. High volume costs NZ$505 more, and INZ looks harder at the employer's systems, because it is approving migrant hiring at scale.
Can an employer upgrade from standard to high volume accreditation?
Yes, for NZ$505. The combined cost of standard plus the upgrade equals the high volume fee, so an employer who starts standard and grows past five migrants is not financially penalised for the original choice.
Is franchisee accreditation still available in New Zealand?
No. It closed to new applications on 16 June 2024, existing holders ran to expiry, and there is no franchisee line in the May 2026 INZ fee schedule. Franchise businesses now hold standard, high volume or triangular employment accreditation like any other employer.
What is triangular employment accreditation for?
Businesses that employ migrant workers and place them with a controlling third party — labour hire, recruitment and contracting firms. It costs NZ$4,060, has no cap on worker numbers, requires 12 months of placement history in New Zealand, and requires at least 15% of placed staff to be New Zealand citizens or residents guaranteed 30 or more hours a week.
Do accreditation fees include the Job Check?
No. The Job Check is a separate application at NZ$735, and an employer needs one for each distinct role — although a single Job Check can cover several identical positions. See the Job Check explained.
Have New Zealand immigration fees gone up in 2026?
There has been no general INZ fee or levy increase in 2025 or 2026. INZ's fee page still reads as at 1 October 2024, and the May 2026 reissue of the fee schedule carries the same employer figures. Confirm the current amount before you pay: New Zealand visa fees.
General information only. Fees are as published by Immigration New Zealand on 20 August 2026 and can change without much notice. This page explains published rules and does not assess anyone's circumstances; it is not immigration advice under the Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007.
