New Zealand work visa requirements depend on the route. For an Accredited Employer Work Visa, or AEWV, the process normally starts with a qualifying full-time job offer from an accredited employer, an approved job check and evidence that you meet the job and visa requirements. Other routes, including working holiday, qualifying post-study and some partnership visas, have different starting conditions.
There is no universal age limit, IELTS score, bank balance or salary figure that answers every work visa question. Identify the category first, then check the employer, job, applicant evidence and conditions that apply. This guide compares the routes and provides a practical AEWV checklist.
Official sources checked on October 31, 2026. Work-visa classifications, pay settings and transitional rules can change; follow the current category guidance for the application you intend to make.
Choose the right New Zealand work visa
The AEWV is a job-based route, not a general permission to arrive and search for any work. A working holiday has a travel-first purpose and citizenship/age restrictions. A Post-Study Work Visa depends on qualifying New Zealand study, and a partnership route depends on an eligible supporting partner and relationship evidence.
If you still need an offer, use our New Zealand job-search guide for immigrants to find relevant vacancies and check whether employers consider overseas applicants. Search-page sponsorship wording is not confirmation that an individual vacancy supports your route.
For self-employment, first check the Entrepreneur Work Visa scoring and closed-entry status. The legacy points table does not reopen new applications, and an employer-based work visa does not automatically permit running your own business.
| Route | Main starting point | Important limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Accredited Employer Work Visa | Qualifying offer, accredited employer and approved job check | Work is linked to the approved employment conditions |
| Working holiday visa | Eligible citizenship, age, scheme and travel purpose | Temporary work and scheme-specific conditions; not permanent employment |
| Post-Study Work Visa | Qualifying New Zealand study and application timing | Qualification and other route conditions determine eligibility |
| Eligible partnership work visa | Qualifying supporting partner and relationship | Not every partner’s visa can support work rights |
| Special purpose or seasonal route | The specific activity and programme requirements | A general AEWV checklist is insufficient |
The official Post-Study Work Visa page and Partner of a Worker Work Visa page explain two possible routes where a new job offer is not the starting requirement. These are limited eligibility categories, not a general job-search visa available to anyone.
For a travel-first year, read our New Zealand working holiday guide. For study planning, the student visa guide separates course admission and student work conditions from a later work-visa application. Finishing any course does not automatically create residence or unrestricted employment rights.
AEWV: employer accreditation, job check and your visa are three gates
The official AEWV requirements call for an offer of at least thirty hours of work per week from an appropriately accredited employer with an approved job check. Your job, skills and other circumstances must meet the applicable requirements. Employer approval is not approval of the worker’s visa.
- Employer gate: the business holds the relevant accreditation and meets its obligations.
- Job gate: the position has the required approved job check and suitable pay and conditions.
- Applicant gate: you submit the worker application and establish your own eligibility.
Immigration New Zealand’s employer accreditation and job-check process describes the employer’s sequence. The employer then provides the link used for the individual AEWV application. An ordinary recruitment email is not a substitute for the required process.
Verify the employer and the actual offer
Use the official accredited employer search, and read its instructions if a business is not found. A listed employer is not proof that a particular advertisement, recruiter or vacancy is genuine. Confirm the legal employer, contact details and position through independently obtained contact information.
For a detailed lookup and missing-result checklist, use our New Zealand accredited employer list guide. It explains how to match the legal employer and NZBN before relying on a job offer.
Compare the signed offer, employment agreement and job description. Check hours, pay, work location, duties, required qualifications, registration and the time available to accept. If the employer name in an email differs from the legal business in the agreement, ask for an explanation before treating the documents as a coherent offer.
Employers and their agents cannot charge a worker for a job or pass on recruitment costs in the way prohibited by the official rules. A demand to buy a job offer is a serious problem. Keep recruitment communications and payment requests, and follow the government’s scam and exploitation reporting guidance where appropriate.
Pay requirements are route-specific
The official work visa wage guidance distinguishes required rates, market rate and different visa settings. Check the rate for the specific route, occupation and circumstances. Do not reuse a historic median-wage number as a universal AEWV threshold or a promise of eligibility for residence or family support.
Qualifications, experience, occupational registration and English
The current general AEWV minimum skill requirement is normally met through either at least two years of relevant experience or an appropriate qualification at level four or above, subject to the published exceptions and job-specific requirements. You must also satisfy the skills and experience the employer requires and any occupational registration needed to do the job.
A qualification meeting the immigration minimum does not automatically establish professional registration. A regulated professional should check the relevant New Zealand registration body and the exact role before assuming a foreign licence is sufficient. Where qualification assessment is required, follow the NZQA and Immigration New Zealand instructions for that qualification.
Build an evidence chain for work experience
A CV describes your history but does not independently verify it. The official AEWV page calls for suitable supporting records. Link the work period, duties and hours to employer certificates or references supported by evidence such as payslips or tax records. Explain lawful differences in names, company structure or record format.
Practical example: an applicant relying on employment at two workshops creates a private timeline for each role, then connects the reference letter to dated payslips and tax or employment records. This makes the experience claim assessable. It does not justify creating documents that never existed or expanding duties beyond the actual work performed.
Check the current English rule and any exemption
On the review date, the AEWV page required English evidence for jobs at ANZSCO or recognised NOL skill levels three to five. It also described exemptions, including relevant previous evidence and a transitional provision for certain skill-level-three holders whose AEWV expires on or before December 1, 2026. Do not apply that note to a different job or situation without checking the full official conditions.
Evidence may depend on citizenship, study and qualifications or an accepted test. There is no single IELTS requirement for every New Zealand work visa. Use the English guidance linked from the AEWV page for acceptable evidence, scores, test age and exemptions. Job classification and occupation-list rules also matter; the same classification is not necessarily used for every immigration programme.
New Zealand work visa document checklist
| Evidence area | Prepare for the relevant route | Question to resolve |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | Passport copy and acceptable photograph | Do all details match the application? |
| Employment | Signed offer, agreement, job description and required application link | Is the offer consistent with the approved employer/job process? |
| Skills | Qualifications, assessment where required and verifiable experience | Do these meet both visa and employer requirements? |
| Registration | Evidence from the relevant professional body where needed | Can you legally perform the proposed role? |
| English | Accepted qualifying evidence or test, if required | Does the rule or an exemption apply to this job and application? |
| Health and character | Required examinations, X-rays or police certificates | Are the correct countries, dates and validity rules covered? |
| Translations | Required English translations with original documents | Have the category’s translation requirements been followed? |
Health and character requirements depend on factors including the planned stay, history and previous evidence. Do not assume every applicant needs the same examination or certificates from every country ever visited. Follow the official questions and any later evidence request, while allowing enough time to obtain required records.
Keep the final document set organized by requirement. If a former employer’s letter is brief, assess whether other records provide the missing verification. A detailed explanation can help connect genuine evidence; it cannot turn unsupported experience into a verified qualification.
How the AEWV application process works
- Confirm the route and genuine job. Read the current AEWV conditions and verify the employer independently.
- Confirm the employer and job prerequisites. Obtain the correct application link after the required employer process.
- Prepare applicant evidence. Match identity, skills, registration, English, health and character evidence to the actual role.
- Complete the worker application. Check that the job and personal details match the supporting documents.
- Pay and submit. Retain the reference, receipt and submitted information.
- Respond to requests. Use the account and channel specified, keeping copies of responses.
- Read the decision before starting work. Confirm employer, job, location, dates and travel conditions.
Use the visa application and account guide for upload and submission checks. A recruiter saying “approved” may mean only that the employer or job stage is complete. Ask which decision has actually been issued and whose application it concerns.
Fees, processing time and length of stay
The official AEWV page showed a starting cost of NZD $1,540 and eighty percent processed within five weeks when checked. Confirm the payable amount for your circumstances and the current processing measure before applying. Neither a starting price nor a percentile is a personal quote or guaranteed decision date.
Separate the worker’s government application charge from optional professional fees, qualification assessments, required certificates and travel. Employer accreditation and recruitment costs are different components with rules about what the employer must cover. Do not accept an unexplained combined invoice as proof that every charge is lawful.
An AEWV can allow a stay of up to five years in appropriate cases, but maximum continuous stay depends on the job and other conditions. Some roles have shorter limits, and time outside New Zealand may be required before another AEWV. Use the official maximum-stay guidance for the actual history rather than assuming each new employer creates a fresh five-year allowance.
Changing employer, bringing family and protecting your status
Read the eVisa before starting the job. An employer-linked visa is not general permission to switch employers, occupations or locations. A proposed change may require a Job Change, variation of conditions or a new visa. Obtain the required permission before acting on the change.
If you already hold a work visa and need to change employment, our New Zealand work-visa conditions change guide separates AEWV Job Change from other variations. Use it to organise the proposed employer, duties, workplace and evidence before applying.
An AEWV application does not include a partner and dependent children as if they automatically share the worker’s permission. The holder may be able to support separate family applications, depending on the applicable job, pay and other rules. Check each person’s route and whether work or study rights are actually included.
If you are visiting while exploring employment, the Visitor Visa guide explains the distinction between permitted overseas remote work and local employment. A job offer or pending work application does not itself authorize starting a New Zealand job on visitor conditions.
Keep copies of agreements, payslips, visa conditions and communications about changes. Calendar expiry dates and any application deadlines. If the employment relationship changes, work from the conditions of the visa you currently hold rather than assuming the employer can privately transfer it.
An employer-to-applicant handoff before you submit
Keep an employer checklist and an applicant checklist alongside each other. Employer accreditation is a fact about the organisation; the job check concerns the position; your visa evidence concerns your eligibility. Mark which party supplies each missing item.
Compare the legal employer name, duties, hours, pay, location and contract dates across the offer and supporting records. Ask for clarification before signing if a recruiter’s description differs from the contract. Do not assume that an employer’s other accredited roles establish that your particular role has completed the necessary process.
The official AEWV page explains the employer application link and applicant requirements. Where an English exemption is relevant, retain the evidence for that actual exemption rather than assuming every applicant from an English-speaking country is automatically exempt.
Use our application evidence guide to organise the submission and the entry checklist after approval. For later settlement, compare resident visa routes separately; a temporary permit does not complete that decision.
November 4, 2026 update: an employer-to-applicant handoff before you submit. Official references checked for this added guidance.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get a New Zealand work visa without a job offer?
Some routes, such as eligible working holiday, post-study and partnership visas, do not start with a new job offer. The AEWV normally requires a qualifying offer and employer process. Eligibility for another route must be established separately.
Is there one work visa age limit?
No. Age requirements depend on the category. Working holiday schemes have specific age limits; do not apply those limits to every work visa or confuse temporary-work rules with residence requirements.
Does an accredited employer guarantee my visa?
No. Employer accreditation, the job check and the individual visa application are separate stages. The offer and applicant must meet the relevant requirements.
Is a CV enough to prove AEWV experience?
No. The official guidance requires verifiable evidence of the experience relied on. Connect employer records with suitable supporting material such as payslips or tax records.
Can I change employer after approval?
Check your visa conditions first. A Job Change, variation of conditions or new visa may be required before working in the changed employment.
Can my family work because I hold an AEWV?
Not automatically. Family members need the appropriate separate permission, and eligibility for a partner’s work visa depends on the supporting worker and the applicable rules.
For the employer-led process in detail, see the Accredited Employer Work Visa guide. Temporary employment and residence are separate: compare the three SMC residence pathways and the broader New Zealand immigration plan before assuming a work visa leads to settlement.