How to Apply for an Accredited Employer Work Visa, Step by Step
You cannot start an AEWV application until your employer has been accredited and has an approved Job Check for your role. After that, the application is made online through Enhanced Immigration Online, costs NZ$1,540, and is decided for 80% of applicants within eight weeks.
Quick Facts
| Where you apply | Online, through Enhanced Immigration Online |
| What must exist first | The employer's accreditation and an approved Job Check for the role |
| Cost | NZ$1,540 — NZ$480 application fee + NZ$1,060 immigration levy |
| When you pay | At submission |
| Processing | Average 4 weeks · 80% within 8 weeks (as published 20 August 2026) |
| Police certificate | Required for stays of 24 months or longer, less than 6 months old |
| Chest x-ray | Required for applicants from high-TB-incidence countries staying more than 6 months |
| Job Check validity | 6 months — your application window |
| Visa type | You may only apply for the AEWV type the Job Check was approved for |
| Refunds | None if the application is declined |
Before you start: the two things that are not yours to do
The AEWV runs on a three-check model, and the first two checks belong to your employer.
- Employer accreditation — a check on the business. From NZ$775, decided for 80% of employers within 1.5 weeks.
- The Job Check — a check on the specific role, its pay, its hours and its location. NZ$735, decided for 80% within two weeks, or within four days for Green List roles.
Neither fee is yours. If someone tells you that you must pay the NZ$775 or the NZ$735, that is wrong, and accredited employers are prohibited from passing recruitment costs to workers. See the AEWV three-step process.
The Job Check also creates your deadline. An approved Job Check is valid for six months, or until the employer's accreditation lapses, whichever comes first. That is the window inside which your application has to be lodged.
Step 1: Confirm the employer is accredited and the Job Check is approved
Ask the employer for confirmation, and check the accredited employer list yourself. Both matter: accreditation can lapse, and an employer can be accredited without holding a Job Check for the job you have been offered.
Check also which AEWV type the Job Check covers. There are three, and they are not interchangeable:
| Job Check approved for | You apply for |
|---|---|
| Regular AEWV | Accredited Employer Work Visa |
| PSV | Peak Seasonal Visa |
| GWSV | Global Workforce Seasonal Visa |
Applying for the wrong one wastes NZ$1,540. See how to check if an employer is accredited.
Step 2: Get the employment agreement right before anything else
The employment agreement is the document the application is built on, and most of the visa requirements are tested against it. Before you sign, check that it states:
- The job title and duties matching the role approved in the Job Check.
- At least 30 guaranteed hours a week. Not "up to 30", not "as required".
- The pay rate, which must match what was advertised and must be at or above the adult minimum wage of NZ$23.50 an hour.
- The work location or locations, since your visa will be tied to them.
Any bonus, commission or piece rate must sit on top of a guaranteed hourly rate. See AEWV pay and wage requirements.
Step 3: Assemble the skills evidence
You must evidence two years of relevant work experience or a qualification at NZQCF Level 4 or higher. The two years may be non-consecutive and part-time, but must total two years full-time equivalent — and must be evidenced in hours.
That usually means:
- Employment agreements and payslips
- Tax records
- Employer letters that state hours, dates and duties
- Certificates and transcripts for qualifications, plus an NZQA assessment where the framework level is not obvious
Non-English documents need a translation and the original. See AEWV work experience and qualification requirements and document translation requirements.
Step 4: Sit an English test, if your job is skill level 3 to 5
English evidence is required if the job is at skill level 3, 4 or 5, at IELTS 4.0 or an accepted equivalent. Skill level 1 and 2 jobs need none.
You are exempt if you already demonstrated English on a previous AEWV application, or if you hold an AEWV expiring on or before 1 December 2026 and are renewing into a skill level 3 role.
Book early. Test availability, not the test, is what usually delays this stage. See English language requirements for work visas.
Step 5: Arrange police certificates and medicals
Police certificates are required if you plan to stay 24 months or longer. They must be less than six months old when you submit, and applications that should carry one and do not may be declined without INZ contacting you first. Citizens of Fiji, Hong Kong and Israel are exempt from the upfront requirement.
Health evidence depends on your country and the length of your stay. What is published specifically for this visa is that applicants from high-TB-incidence countries staying more than six months require a chest x-ray. INZ does not publish a general table of which test applies to which visa length, so confirm your own requirement on INZ rather than working from a third-party chart.
These are the two steps that most often run in the background for weeks. Starting them before the online form is opened is the single biggest time saving available in this process. See police certificates for NZ visa applications and the NZ visa medical examination guide.
Step 6: Create your account and open the application
The AEWV is processed through Enhanced Immigration Online, INZ's upgraded application platform. It uses smart forms that only ask questions relevant to your answers and visa type, gives real-time status tracking, and lets you share the application with a family member or a licensed adviser.
You will need an online account before you can start. See the Immigration Online account guide and the RealMe account for Immigration Online.
An employer or a licensed adviser can complete an application on your behalf. An employer doing so may only record information you have given them, and may not give immigration advice — that is a licensed activity in New Zealand. See what counts as immigration advice.
Step 7: Complete the form and upload your evidence
Work through the form and attach the documents. The categories that carry the most weight:
| Category | Typical evidence |
|---|---|
| Identity | Passport, and any previous passports where relevant |
| The job | Employment agreement, job offer, employer details |
| Skills | Experience evidence in hours, or qualifications |
| English | Test result, where required |
| Health | Chest x-ray or medical, where required |
| Character | Police certificates, where required |
The goal is a decision-ready application — one an immigration officer can decide without writing to you. Every request for further information adds weeks. See uploading evidence to your visa application.
Step 8: Pay NZ$1,540 and submit
The fee is paid at submission:
| Component | Amount |
|---|---|
| Application fee | NZ$480 |
| Immigration levy | NZ$1,060 |
| Total | NZ$1,540 |
There is no International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy on this visa. The immigration levy is charged per application, not per person.
Fees are not refunded if the application is declined. See how much an AEWV costs and NZ visa fee refunds explained.
Step 9: Wait, and respond to anything INZ asks
Published times, as at 20 August 2026: average 4 weeks, 80% within 8 weeks. Green List roles run at 2 weeks and 6 weeks; health sector roles at 2 weeks and 4 weeks. These are percentiles across all applications, not a promise about yours.
While you wait:
- INZ contacts you by phone, email or through your online account. You do not need to do anything else unless asked.
- If INZ needs more, it sends a request for further information. Answer it completely and on time. See request for further information explained.
- If INZ has concerns that could lead to a decline, it may send a potentially prejudicial information letter, giving you a chance to comment first. See the PPI letter from Immigration New Zealand.
- If you are already in New Zealand on a visa that expires during processing, an interim visa is normally granted so you remain lawful.
There is no priority or expedited service in New Zealand. No fee, agent or "premium channel" buys a faster decision. Anyone selling one is describing a service that does not exist. See paid priority visa processing in New Zealand.
If the application is declined
Temporary visa declines have no right of appeal to a tribunal. The only internal route is reconsideration, and it is narrow:
- You must have applied while in New Zealand, still be in New Zealand, and hold a valid visa, including an interim visa.
- INZ must receive the request no more than 14 calendar days after you received the decision — calendar days, not working days, running from receipt.
- It costs NZ$220, is decided by a different immigration officer, and you get one only.
Confirm your own deadline from your decision letter, because it is unforgiving and it is measured from the date you received the decision. See reconsideration of a declined temporary visa and work visa declined in New Zealand.
A realistic view of the whole timeline
Counting only your own application understates the real elapsed time, often by a month or more. As published on 20 August 2026:
| Stage | Whose | 80% completed within |
|---|---|---|
| Advertising the job | Employer | 14 days at skill levels 1–3, or 21 days at levels 4–5 |
| Employer accreditation | Employer | 1.5 weeks |
| Job Check | Employer | 2 weeks — or 4 days for Green List roles |
| Your AEWV application | You | 8 weeks — 6 weeks for Green List roles, 4 weeks for health sector roles |
Running alongside all of that, and entirely on your own clock: an English test where the job is skill level 3 to 5, police certificates from every relevant country, a chest x-ray or medical where required, and translations. These are the items that most often decide whether an application is lodged in week two or week ten. See AEWV processing time.
Where an employer is already accredited and already holds an approved Job Check covering your role, only the last row applies to you.
The mistakes that cost the most
Each of these is avoidable, and each is expensive because the NZ$1,540 is not refunded:
- Applying for the wrong AEWV type. The Job Check specifies regular AEWV, PSV or GWSV, and you may only apply for the one it approved.
- Missing the Job Check window. It is valid for six months, or until the accreditation lapses.
- Submitting without a police certificate where the stay is 24 months or longer. Since 2026 that can lead to a decline without INZ contacting you first.
- Experience evidenced in dates, not hours. The two years must total two years full-time equivalent, with the hours documented.
- Claiming the wrong skill level. Applying at level 1–3 for a job INZ assesses at level 4–5 can lead to decline and re-application.
- A pay rate that does not match the advertisement. The advertisement sits in the application record, so the mismatch is visible.
- Paying anyone for the job offer. INZ declines the application outright where money was offered or promised to the employer.
See AEWV declined: common reasons and common New Zealand visa application mistakes.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I apply for an AEWV?
Your employer gets accredited and passes a Job Check for the role. You then apply online through Enhanced Immigration Online within the Job Check's six-month validity, upload evidence of your job offer, skills, English if required, health and character, and pay NZ$1,540 at submission.
What documents are required for an AEWV?
A passport, the employment agreement, evidence of two years of relevant experience in hours or a qualification at NZQCF Level 4 or higher, an English test result if the job is skill level 3 to 5, a police certificate for stays of 24 months or longer, and health evidence where required.
Can I apply for an AEWV without a job offer?
No. The visa is built on a job offer from an accredited employer for a role covered by an approved Job Check. See working in New Zealand without a job offer.
Do I have to leave New Zealand to apply for a work visa?
Not for this visa. It can be applied for from inside or outside New Zealand. What matters if you are already here is the visa you currently hold and its conditions.
How long does an AEWV application take?
Half of applications are decided in about four weeks and 80% within eight weeks, as published on 20 August 2026. Green List roles run faster, at 80% within six weeks, and health sector roles at 80% within four weeks.
Can my employer or an agent apply for me?
An employer, education agent or licensed adviser can complete an application on your behalf. Employers may only record the information you give them and may not provide immigration advice, which requires a licence in New Zealand.
Do I need a medical for an AEWV?
It depends on your country and the length of your stay. What is published for this visa is that applicants from high-TB-incidence countries staying more than six months need a chest x-ray. Confirm your own requirement on INZ before booking anything.
What happens after I submit?
INZ assesses the application and contacts you by phone, email or your online account if it needs more. You can track progress in the account. If your current visa expires while a decision is pending and you are in New Zealand, an interim visa is normally granted.
Is the AEWV fee refundable if I am declined?
No. INZ does not refund the application fee or the levy on a declined application. That is why a decision-ready application, with the evidence assembled before submission, matters more than speed.
This page is general information, not immigration advice. New Zealand regulates immigration advice under the Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007, and we do not assess anyone's individual circumstances. For advice about your own case, use a licensed immigration adviser or a New Zealand lawyer, and check the licence on the Immigration Advisers Authority register.
