March changes to Accredited Employer Work Visas

Several changes have been made to the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) rules, effective from 10 March 2025.

These are positive changes for employers and migrant workers to help grow a skilled workforce.

The highlights of the changes are:

• The median wage ($31.61 per hour) is removed as a minimum income requirement for a job offer to be acceptable as part of an AEWV application.
• The median wage is replaced with the minimum wage ($23.50 per hour effective 1 April 2025) as the base income requirement plus the pay rate must be the market rate. Immigration NZ will use a number of open sources to assess the market rate.
• The removal of the median wage is not a reason to offer lower pay rates to migrant workers as this will cause problems with job checks and work visa applications if the pay rate is not the market rate.
• Employers no longer need to provide evidence of engagement and advertising roles through MSD. The best practice is for employers to keep records of their MSD engagement as Immigration NZ reserves the right to ask for evidence.
• The relevant work experience that must be held by the visa applicant matching to the NZ job offer reduces from 3 to 2 years.
• AEWV holders must now earn at least $55,844 per annum to support dependent children who want visas to be in New Zealand with their parent(s). In February, increases were made to the minimum income requirements of AEWV holders wanting to bring partners with them to New Zealand.
• The maximum continuous stay is adjusted to allow higher skilled roles to secure work visas valid for 5 years and lower skilled roles 3 years. In most cases, AEWVs will be issued for the maximum visa duration when the application is approved. Sometimes because of health, character or document issues, shorter visas are issued. In most cases, it can be extended later on.
• Next month, an AEWV holder who held an “interim” work visa while Immigration NZ assessed an AEWV application will have any time spent on an interim included in the 3 or 5 year maximum calculation of their continuous stay.
• A limited number of lower skilled roles are now considered highly skilled and may qualify for 5-year AEWVs. This does not mean these roles will qualify for residence.

Note: once a person has completed their maximum continuous stay, they are expected to leave New Zealand and cannot apply to return for 12 months or more. Anyone with a pathway to residence should take immigration advice early. We recommend not delaying talking to an expert until the last few months before a visa expires. Getting an assessment of visa options early is the best advice.

Connect with the team experienced in employer-related immigration issues.

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