Check if a migrant is suitably qualified for an AEWV
Before you ask a migrant to apply for an Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) you must make sure they are suitably qualified and meet your requirements for the job.
Recruiting and supporting a migrant to apply for an AEWV: process steps
Follow these process steps to ask a migrant to apply for an Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) and support them in that process.
Employer accreditation for the AEWV
- AEWV employer accreditation and job check process
- Applying for AEWV employer accreditation: process steps
- Applying for a job check: process steps
- Recruiting and supporting a migrant to apply for an AEWV: process steps
- Check if a migrant is suitably qualified for an AEWV
- Accredited employer requirements to help AEWV workers settle in New Zealand
- Reusing or resending job tokens and transferring AEWV workers
- Meeting your AEWV accredited employer obligations
- AEWV resources
Alert
The Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) requirements have changed. Changes include removing the median wage requirement, reducing work experience requirements and redesigning the job check stage.
For more information about the announcement, including a list of key changes:
Changes to the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) and median wage
Check you have employer accreditation and a job check
If we have approved your applications for AEWV employer accreditation and a job check, we send you a job token (also called a unique link).
Recruit a migrant
To recruit a migrant, you must advertise the job that was in your approved job check application.
Find information about how to recruit a migrant on our website.
You must pay all recruitment costs
If you use a recruiter, you are responsible for paying all recruitment costs in and outside New Zealand. You must not pass these costs on to any migrants that you hire.
This includes:
- advertising costs
- recruitment agency fees
- employer accreditation fees and job check application fees
- trade testing
- equipment, where the tools belong to you, and
- training and induction costs.
You must not charge fees outside New Zealand that would be illegal if charged in New Zealand, including:
- payment to secure a job
- bonding agreements illegally binding workers to a business
- deductions that are unreasonable or not agreed in writing.
Check the migrant is suitably qualified
Before you ask a migrant to apply for an AEWV, you must check they:
- meet the AEWV skill requirements
- have the skills and experience you listed in the job advertisement.
Check if a migrant worker is suitably qualified
Advertising the job before you apply for a job check
If you use a third party to recruit, you must check they are confirming each applicant is suitably qualified and meets the AEWV skill requirements.
You must keep records of the steps you or the third party took to check each applicant.
Support the migrant's visa application
How you ask a migrant to apply depends on if they:
- are applying for a new AEWV, or
- already have an AEWV and need to update their visa conditions.
If they are applying for a new AEWV
You need to support the migrant's visa application.
A migrant must apply for their AEWV while your job check approval is valid – it will expire 6 months from the date it was approved.
Reusing or resending AEWV job tokens and transferring AEWV workers
Note
You must give the visa applicant a copy of their employment agreement and a copy of the signed employment offer before they begin their application.
To ask a migrant to apply for an AEWV, follow these steps.
1. Log into Immigration Online using RealMe®.
2. Go to your 'Approved jobs' — these are listed in the 'Approved jobs' section on the 'Accredited organisation', 'Employer accreditation certificate', and 'Job check' summary pages.
3. In the table, go to the line listing the migrant you want to support.
4. In the Options drop-down list, choose 'Send request'.
5. Enter the migrant's full name and email address.
6. Submit the request.
7. The migrant will receive an email with a job token — this is a unique link. They must open the link and accept the request.
8. The migrant can log in to Immigration Online and apply for an AEWV. Their application will include information about the job that you provided for the job check.
9. We process the migrant's AEWV application — we contact them if we need more information.
10. We email the migrant with our decision.
Note
Check our wait times page to find up to date information on how long we are taking to process applications.
If their application is declined
If we decline the migrant's AEWV application but they are eligible to have their application reconsidered and apply to do so, you cannot resend the offer to another migrant until:
- we have reconsidered the application and made a decision, or
- you tell us you have withdrawn your offer of employment from the applicant.
If they already have an AEWV
The AEWV worker must apply for a Job Change (variation of conditions) to update the employer listed in their visa conditions. You do not need to invite them to apply using Immigration Online.
Changing the conditions of a work visa or applying for a Job Change
You must give the AEWV worker your job check approval number. This is a 10-character number that begins with JC. It can be found at the top of your job check approval letter next to the application number. We will use this number to check you have a valid job check for this job.
The AEWV worker will need to upload evidence of their job offer when they apply for a Job Change.
Support AEWV workers to settle
You must commit to giving your AEWV workers specific information about working and living in New Zealand. This includes community services in their local area.
You need to complete these settlement activities within 1 month from the day the AEWV worker starts their employment contract.
If you have triangular employer accreditation and you are placing migrants with a controlling third party there are extra requirements you must meet.
Accredited employer requirements to help AEWV workers settle in New Zealand
If things change
You must notify Immigration New Zealand if:
- an AEWV worker stops working for you
- the key people in your organisation change
- your business is going through a restructure, liquidation or bankruptcy.
If things change for AEWV accredited employers
Meeting your requirements
We check that you have met your obligations when you renew your accreditation. We may also carry out checks during your accreditation.
Meeting your AEWV accredited employer obligations
When an AEWV worker's visa is nearing expiry
There is a limit to how long an AEWV worker can spend in New Zealand.
The total amount of time someone can stay in New Zealand (also called maximum continuous stay) on 1 or more AEWVs can be from 3 to 5 years and depends on:
- when the AEWV worker applied for their first AEWV
- the skill level of their job on the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) list, and
- how much they are paid.
If your AEWV worker has reached the total time they can stay in New Zealand, they cannot apply for another AEWV until they have spent at least 12 months outside New Zealand. They may be able to apply for another type of visa, such as a resident visa, if they meet all the requirements.
How long you can stay on an AEWV
New Zealand skilled residence pathways
If they have not reached the total time they can stay in New Zealand, you may be able to support them to apply for another AEWV.
You may need to apply for another job check, including advertising for suitable New Zealand workers first. You can reuse a job check number to support an application for an AEWV where:
- the applicant already holds an AEWV
- the application for their current AEWV was submitted on or before 9 March 2025
- the applicant is applying for another AEWV to continue working in the same job as shown on their current AEWV (the job that was listed in the previous job check), and
- they meet all the requirements.
Reusing or resending AEWV job tokens and transferring AEWV workers
Help for employers
Our employer helpline is open between 08:00 and 18:00, Monday to Friday.
Freephone from NZ landlines: 0508 967 569
Accredited employer requirements to help AEWV workers settle in New Zealand
Giving your workers information about working and living in New Zealand is a requirement of being an Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) accredited employer.
Reusing or resending job tokens and transferring AEWV workers
Find out if you can support an Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) worker to apply for another AEWV, resend an unused job token to another migrant, or transfer an AEWV worker due to business sale or restructure.