29 guides
Work Visas
Almost every work visa in New Zealand now runs through the Accredited Employer Work Visa, which starts with your employer rather than with you. These guides explain the AEWV end to end, the pay rules that replaced the old median-wage requirement, and the specialist work visas that sit outside the main pathway.
13 min read
The New Zealand Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV), Explained
The Accredited Employer Work Visa explained: who qualifies, what it costs, how long it takes, how long you can stay, and how NZ's three-step model works.
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11 min read
AEWV Pay and Wage Requirements in New Zealand
What an AEWV job must pay in NZ: the market rate test, the minimum wage floor, guaranteed hours, and why the median wage no longer sets the AEWV pay threshold.
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13 min read
Work Visa Options in New Zealand: Every Route Compared
Every New Zealand work visa in one place: AEWV, seasonal, partner, specific purpose and post-study. Compare cost, length, work rights and NZ residence pathways.
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8 min read
How Much an Accredited Employer Work Visa Costs
The AEWV costs NZD $1,540: a $480 application fee plus a $1,060 immigration levy. Plus employer costs, family costs, and what is never refunded.
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9 min read
Why AEWV Applications Get Declined in New Zealand
Why INZ declines an AEWV: skill level miscoding, thin experience evidence, pay that does not match the advert, health and character. Plus next steps.
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9 min read
AEWV Eligibility: Who Can Get an Accredited Employer Work Visa
Check whether you qualify for a New Zealand AEWV: job offer, skill level, experience, English, health and character. Every gate INZ applies, in plain language.
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7 min read
AEWV Maximum Continuous Stay: 3 Years or 5 Years
How long you can stay in NZ on an AEWV: 5 years at skill levels 1 to 3, 3 years at levels 4 and 5, and what happens when the balance runs out.
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9 min read
The AEWV Median Wage Requirement Was Removed: What Applies Now
Most NZ guides still say the AEWV needs the median wage. It does not. What changed on 10 March 2025, and where the median wage still applies.
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7 min read
AEWV Processing Time: How Long an Accredited Employer Work Visa Takes
INZ decides 80% of AEWV applications within 8 weeks. What the percentile actually means, what slows an NZ application down, and how the employer steps add time.
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8 min read
Renewing an Accredited Employer Work Visa in New Zealand
How AEWV renewal works in NZ: a fresh Job Check, a new application and a full fee, plus the English rule that catches skill level 3 renewals.
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9 min read
AEWV Skill Levels 1 to 5 and Why They Matter
Your AEWV skill level sets your visa length, whether you need English, and whether family can join you. How NZ skill levels 1 to 5 work.
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8 min read
The AEWV Stand-Down Period: 12 Months, Not 3 Years
The AEWV stand-down is normally 12 months outside New Zealand, not 3 years. Where the myth started, and how NZ migrants avoid triggering it.
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10 min read
From AEWV to Residence: The Pathways That Actually Work
The AEWV is temporary, but it feeds four NZ residence routes: both Green List tiers, the Skilled Migrant Category, and Care and Transport pathways.
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7 min read
AEWV Conditions: What You Can and Cannot Do in New Zealand
What an AEWV lets you do: one employer, one job, one location, no second job, no self-employment, and 3 months of study in any 12 months in NZ.
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8 min read
AEWV Work Experience and Qualification Requirements
The AEWV minimum skills test in NZ: 2 years of relevant experience or an NZQCF Level 4 qualification, plus the four exemptions that skip it.
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10 min read
Bringing Your Family to New Zealand on a Work Visa
The income thresholds for supporting family on an NZ work visa: NZ$28.00 and NZ$52.50 an hour for a partner, NZ$58,240 a year for a child.
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8 min read
Changing Employers on an Accredited Employer Work Visa
Your AEWV names one employer, one job and one location. How to change any of them in NZ, and when you can lawfully start the new role.
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8 min read
Bringing Dependent Children on a New Zealand Work Visa
The two visas for children of NZ work visa holders, the NZ$58,240 income threshold, domestic school fees, and the funds you have to show.
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9 min read
English Language Requirements for New Zealand Work Visas
From 1 June 2026 AEWV skill level 3 roles need English. What IELTS 4.0 means, who is exempt, and the NZ carve-out for visas ending by 1 Dec 2026.
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8 min read
The Global Workforce Seasonal Visa (GWSV), Explained
The GWSV lets experienced seasonal workers return to NZ for up to 9 months a year across a 3-year visa. No advertising, no labour market test.
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11 min read
How to Apply for an Accredited Employer Work Visa, Step by Step
A step-by-step AEWV application walkthrough: what your employer does first, what you upload, medicals and police certificates, and how to apply online in NZ.
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8 min read
Losing Your Job on a New Zealand Work Visa
Redundancy or dismissal on an AEWV: what your visa conditions mean, how long you have, what to apply for next, and the NZ exploitation route.
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8 min read
Open Work Visas in New Zealand: What They Actually Allow
Which NZ visas give open work rights, what open really means, and the 20 April 2026 rule stopping holders from sole trading or hiring staff.
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9 min read
The Partner of a Worker Work Visa, Explained
Open work rights for the partner of an NZ work visa holder: who qualifies, what the supporting partner must earn, and the cost from NZ$1,630.
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7 min read
The Peak Seasonal Visa (PSV), Explained
The Peak Seasonal Visa covers NZ seasonal peaks in meat and seafood processing, calf rearing and wool handling: up to 7 months, one prior season, from NZ$1,540.
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8 min read
The Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) Limited Visa, Explained
The RSE scheme brings Pacific workers to NZ horticulture and viticulture: 13 eligible countries, a 20,750 annual cap, 7 months in 11, and a visa from NZ$325.
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8 min read
Seasonal Work Visas in New Zealand, Compared
RSE, GWSV and Peak Seasonal Visa side by side: who each is for, how long you can stay, what they cost, and which seasonal NZ route your industry actually uses.
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7 min read
The Specific Purpose Work Visa, Explained
The Specific Purpose Work Visa covers secondments, events and defined projects in NZ. From NZ$1,455, decided in 3 weeks, no accreditation needed.
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9 min read
Can You Get a New Zealand Work Visa Without a Job Offer?
Almost every NZ work visa needs a job offer first. The genuine exceptions, why there is no job seeker visa, and what you can do while job hunting.
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