When You Do Not Need to Advertise Before a Job Check
Three exemptions remove the advertising requirement from a New Zealand Job Check: the job is on the Green List and meets Green List requirements, the job pays at least NZ$70.00 an hour, or the job is on the Global Workforce Seasonal Visa list and the hire is on that visa. The Job Check itself, and its NZ$735 fee, still apply.
Quick Facts
| Exemption 1 | Green List role meeting Green List requirements |
| Exemption 2 | Job pays at least NZ$70.00 an hour |
| Exemption 3 | Job on the Global Workforce Seasonal Visa (GWSV) list, hiring on a GWSV |
| What is removed | The advertising requirement only |
| What is not removed | Accreditation · the Job Check · the NZ$735 fee · every other Job Check test |
| GWSV extra | Also requires no Work and Income engagement |
| Peak Seasonal Visa | A Work and Income endorsement is allowed instead of standard engagement |
| Normal advertising | 14 days (skill level 1–3) or 21 days (skill level 4–5, plus MSD engagement) |
What an exemption actually does
It removes one step: the requirement to advertise the role and test the local labour market before lodging the Job Check.
It does not remove:
- Employer accreditation. The employer must still hold it — NZ$775 standard, NZ$1,280 high volume, NZ$4,060 triangular.
- The Job Check. Still required, still NZ$735, still assessed.
- The job requirements. At least 30 guaranteed hours a week, the market rate for the occupation, at least the adult minimum wage, a compliant employment agreement.
- The migrant's own visa application. From NZ$1,540, with its own skills, English, health and character requirements.
The saving is time, not money: 14 or 21 days of advertising, plus the risk of getting the advertising wrong — which is the most common way a Job Check fails.
For migrants: an exempt role is a faster role, not an easier one. If you are told your job is exempt from advertising, the sensible follow-up is "on which of the three grounds?" An employer who cannot answer that has probably not checked.
Exemption 1: Green List roles
No advertising is needed if the job is on the Green List and meets Green List requirements.
Both halves matter. Appearing on the Green List is not enough on its own — the role must also meet the requirements attached to that Green List entry, which commonly include qualifications, occupational registration and a pay floor.
The Green List has two tiers. Tier 1 roles carry a Straight to Residence pathway; Tier 2 roles carry a Work to Residence pathway requiring 24 months of New Zealand experience in the occupation first. See the Green List explained and Green List pay thresholds.
Green List roles also move faster through every stage. As published on 20 August 2026, a Green List Job Check took 2 days on average with 80% decided within 4 days, against 3 days and 2 weeks for other roles. The AEWV behind it is faster too.
One classification trap. The Green List is indexed by ANZSCO, while Job Checks use the National Occupation List for applications submitted on or after 3 November 2025. So an employer checks the NOL for the Job Check's skill level and ANZSCO for whether the role is on the Green List. They are different lists and a role does not necessarily sit at the same level on both. See Green List vs the National Occupation List.
The Green List has no fixed review cycle. Changes are ad-hoc ministerial announcements — ten trades were added to Tier 2 with effect from 18 August 2025 — so do not plan on an annual update. See Green List changes and review cycle.
Exemption 2: Jobs paying at least NZ$70.00 an hour
No advertising is needed if the job pays at least NZ$70.00 an hour.
The logic is that at that level of pay, the market has already been tested — an employer paying it is not plausibly displacing a New Zealander who would have taken the role for less.
The figure is not arbitrary. NZ$70.00 is exactly twice the immigration median wage of NZ$35.00, which took effect on 9 March 2026. It moves when the median wage moves, and the median wage is updated annually on a date that has drifted — February 2023, February 2024, August 2025, March 2026. Never assume a fixed month. See the immigration median wage history.
Two clarifications that stop this exemption being misread:
- This is a threshold for skipping advertising, not a wage requirement. The pay rule for the AEWV is the market rate for the occupation, with the adult minimum wage as the floor. Most accredited hires pay nothing like NZ$70.00 an hour and are perfectly compliant.
- The median wage figure is a residence-side number. It governs Green List pay floors, thresholds for supporting a partner or children, and the Skilled Migrant Category. It is not the pay an accredited employer must offer. See market rate pay for the AEWV.
Exemption 3: Global Workforce Seasonal Visa roles
No advertising is needed if the job is on the Global Workforce Seasonal Visa job list and you are hiring on a GWSV. GWSV Job Checks also require no Work and Income engagement.
This is the widest of the three exemptions, because it removes both limbs of the labour market test. It reflects what the GWSV is for: returning seasonal specialists — rural contracting, sheep scanning, winemaking, snow instruction — where the same workers come back to the same employers each season.
The GWSV runs up to 9 months in each year across a 3-year visa, with the worker required to spend at least 3 months overseas each year and to return in years two and three to the same employer. See the Global Workforce Seasonal Visa explained.
Both conditions must hold. A role on the GWSV list being filled on a regular AEWV is not exempt — the exemption attaches to the combination of the list and the visa type.
The Peak Seasonal Visa is different
The Peak Seasonal Visa (PSV) is often lumped in with the GWSV. On advertising it is not the same.
| GWSV | PSV | |
|---|---|---|
| Advertising | Not required | Normal rules apply |
| Work and Income | Not required | A Work and Income endorsement may be used instead of standard engagement |
| Job Check | Required | Required |
| Maximum stay per year | Up to 9 months, across 3 years | Up to 7 months |
The PSV gets a procedural substitution, not an exemption: a Work and Income endorsement in place of the standard engagement. See the Peak Seasonal Visa explained and seasonal work visas compared.
Remember too that the migrant may only apply for the visa type the Job Check was approved for. A GWSV Job Check does not support a regular AEWV application.
When no exemption applies
The ordinary rules return in full:
| Skill level | Advertising | Work and Income |
|---|---|---|
| 1, 2 or 3 (ANZSCO, or a qualifying NOL job) | 14 days | Not required |
| 4 or 5 | 21 days | Good-faith engagement required |
The Job Check must then be lodged within 90 days of the advertisement closing, and the advertisement must state duties, the minimum and maximum pay, the type of work and minimum guaranteed hours, and the minimum skills and qualifications. See advertising a job before a Job Check.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to advertise before a Job Check in New Zealand?
Usually yes — 14 days for skill level 1 to 3 roles, or 21 days plus Work and Income engagement for skill level 4 and 5 roles. Three exemptions remove it: Green List roles meeting Green List requirements, jobs paying at least NZ$70.00 an hour, and Global Workforce Seasonal Visa list jobs being filled on a GWSV.
What is the $70 an hour Job Check exemption?
A job paying at least NZ$70.00 an hour does not need to be advertised before the Job Check. That figure is exactly twice the immigration median wage of NZ$35.00, effective 9 March 2026, so it moves when the median wage is updated.
Are Green List jobs exempt from advertising?
Yes, where the job is on the Green List and meets the Green List requirements for that entry — which commonly include qualifications, occupational registration or a pay floor. Green List roles also process faster at both the Job Check and the visa stage.
Does an advertising exemption mean no Job Check is needed?
No. The Job Check is still required and still costs NZ$735. Only the advertising and, for GWSV roles, the Work and Income engagement are removed. Employer accreditation is still required as well.
Do seasonal work visas need advertising?
Global Workforce Seasonal Visa roles on the GWSV job list need neither advertising nor Work and Income engagement. Peak Seasonal Visa roles follow the normal advertising rules but may use a Work and Income endorsement instead of standard engagement.
Does an exemption make the visa cheaper?
No. Employer accreditation, the NZ$735 Job Check and the migrant's own visa from NZ$1,540 are unaffected. What an exemption saves is 14 or 21 days and the risk of an advertising error sinking the Job Check.
General information only. This page explains published Immigration New Zealand rules and does not assess whether any particular role qualifies for an exemption. It is not immigration advice under the Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007. Figures as published 20 August 2026.
