Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) — New Zealand

The Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) is New Zealand's main employer-supported temporary work visa. You need a genuine full-time offer from an accredited employer for a role covered by an approved Job Check. The employer sends you a unique link to complete the online application.

The visa is tied to the employer, occupation, and location stated in its conditions. It does not give unrestricted work rights and does not guarantee residence. Maximum stay depends on the role's skill level and current immigration instructions.

Start with three checks

1. Confirm the employer's accreditation is current.

2. Confirm the Job Check covers the offered role, hours, pay, and location.

3. Confirm you meet the role's experience, qualification, English, health, and character requirements.

The former Essential Skills Work Visa closed permanently on 4 July 2022. Current employer-supported applications use the AEWV system, not the old Essential Skills process.

AEWV employers are not personal sponsors. They must hold the correct INZ accreditation and complete an approved Job Check before inviting a worker to apply.

The employer provides a signed job offer and employment agreement that match the Job Check. The agreement must state the role, pay, guaranteed hours, location, and other employment conditions. The role must be genuine, generally provide at least 30 hours each week, and comply with New Zealand employment law and the current market-rate rules.

The worker then uses the employer-issued link to complete the online AEWV application. INZ 1015 is a student visa form, INZ 1017 is a visitor visa form, and INZ 1024 is a Parent Category sponsorship form; none is the standard AEWV application. Follow the document checklist shown in the linked online application instead.

The AEWV worker application currently costs from NZD $1,540. The employer pays its own accreditation and Job Check charges; those employer-side recruitment costs must not be passed to the worker.

When checked on 17 August 2026, INZ's dedicated all-roles table reported a 4 week average and 80% completed within 8 weeks for AEWV applications. Green List and construction roles had different figures. Employer accreditation and Job Checks also have separate timelines, so the full hiring sequence can be longer than the worker-application figure alone.

INZ's general work-visa table can show a different weekly snapshot. Use the dedicated processing-times guide and live INZ table rather than converting either figure into a guaranteed start date. Missing employment evidence, health or character checks, and requests for more information can extend an individual case.

An AEWV holder cannot add a partner or children to the AEWV application. Each family member needs a separate visa and must meet that route's own requirements.

Whether you can support a partner for work rights depends on the AEWV role, skill classification, pay, and current family-support settings. Some partners may qualify for a Partner of a Worker Work Visa, while others may qualify only for a visitor visa or need an independent work route. Dependent children may need visitor or student visas.

Use the Partner of a Worker Work Visa guide to check the current support thresholds and relationship evidence. Do not assume every AEWV automatically supports an open work visa. Family applications should be timed with the principal application, but INZ assesses and decides each one separately.

An AEWV is temporary status and does not automatically become residence. It can provide qualifying New Zealand work experience while you prepare for a separate residence category.

Possible routes include the Skilled Migrant Category and Green List Straight to Residence or Work to Residence pathways. Each has its own occupation, registration, pay, qualification, work-experience, age, English, health, and character rules. Holding an AEWV does not waive those criteria.

Check the residence pathway before accepting a role if long-term settlement is the goal. The occupation classification and employment terms used for the AEWV may affect whether the work later counts. Apply through the current online process for the residence category you actually qualify for; the visitor, student, and Parent Category forms are not generic residence forms.

The AEWV process has an employer track and a worker track.

Employer track

1. The employer obtains and maintains INZ accreditation.

2. The employer completes a Job Check for the specific role where required.

3. After approval, the employer sends the worker the unique online application link.

Worker track

1. Review the job details prefilled through the employer's link.

2. Upload the passport, employment agreement, and evidence of experience or qualifications requested by the checklist.

3. Provide English, health, or character evidence where the rules require it.

4. Pay the worker application fee and monitor the INZ Online account.

The standard AEWV is filed online through that invitation link. Do not substitute unrelated visitor, student, or Parent Category forms. Information in the worker application must match the approved Job Check and signed employment agreement.

An AEWV is normally tied to the employer, job, and location printed in the visa conditions. Do not begin a different role or work for a new employer until INZ has approved the required change.

Depending on the circumstances, the worker may need a Job Change, a variation of conditions, or a new visa. The new employer generally needs current accreditation and the role may need an approved Job Check. A new employment agreement and evidence that the worker meets the role requirements can also be required.

The process is handled through INZ's current online service, not by filing INZ 1015, INZ 1017, or INZ 1024. Check the Job Change instructions before resigning or starting elsewhere, because working outside the existing conditions can affect compliance and future applications.

A straightforward AEWV can usually be completed through the employer-issued online link by following INZ's checklist. Licensed advice becomes more useful when the job classification is disputed, the employer or Job Check details do not match the offer, evidence of experience is difficult to verify, or health, character, previous-decline, or compliance issues are present.

Before paying for help, confirm that a New Zealand adviser is licensed or otherwise legally exempt. An adviser cannot guarantee approval or faster processing.

Keep the advice focused on the actual AEWV requirements. The application is online; INZ 1015, INZ 1017, and INZ 1024 serve student, visitor, and Parent Category purposes and are not substitute AEWV forms.

To qualify for an AEWV, you generally need a genuine full-time job offer from an accredited employer for a role covered by an approved Job Check. The offer and employment agreement must match the employer-side approval.

Applicants must meet the role's current skill requirement, commonly through relevant work experience or a recognised qualification. Some roles have occupational-registration or English requirements. Every applicant must also satisfy identity, health, and character rules where applicable.

Use the checklist generated inside the employer-linked online application. Upload clear evidence that directly supports the role and explain any name, date, employer, or qualification differences. The standard application does not use INZ 1015, INZ 1017, or INZ 1024.

An AEWV is not extended by editing the existing visa. To remain on an AEWV beyond its expiry, the worker normally makes a new online application and must meet the rules in force at that time.

The employer's accreditation must remain valid, and a current Job Check or other employer-side action may be required. The worker needs a new invitation link, updated employment agreement, and current supporting evidence. Maximum continuous stay and any stand-down period depend on the role and immigration instructions.

Apply before the current visa expires. An eligible onshore temporary-visa applicant may receive an Interim Visa, but its conditions must be checked and it expires on departure. The new AEWV application is completed online; visitor, student, and Parent Category forms are not renewal forms for this route.

Common AEWV delays and refusals come from mismatches between the Job Check, job offer, employment agreement, and worker evidence.

Check that the employer name, occupation, location, pay, and guaranteed hours are consistent everywhere. Upload readable employment references and qualification records that establish the claimed skill requirement. Respond to health, character, identity, or additional-information requests by the stated deadline.

Do not upload unrelated forms as a substitute for the online checklist. INZ 1015 is for student visas, INZ 1017 is for visitor visas, and INZ 1024 is for Parent Category sponsorship. The AEWV worker application begins with the accredited employer's unique online link.

Finally, avoid treating recent processing figures as a deadline. Keep the intended start date flexible until the eVisa is granted and its employer, role, and location conditions have been checked.