Accredited Employer Work Visa

New Zealand Accredited Employer Work Visa. If you are a migrant looking to work in New Zealand, your employer must get accredited to show they are a viable business and meet employment and immigration standards. Once your employer has been accredited for the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) and has an approved job check, you can apply for an AEWV.

What Can You Do On An Accredited Work Visa?

New Zealand Accredited Work Visa allows skilled workers to work for an accredited employer for a specified period. Here are some things you can do on an Accredited Work Visa:

• Work for an accredited employer: The primary purpose of this visa is to allow skilled workers to work for an accredited employer in New Zealand.
• Work in a specific occupation: It is granted for a specific occupation and job.
• Travel in and out of New Zealand: It allows the worker to travel in and out of New Zealand while the visa is valid.
• Study part-time: The worker can study part-time while on an Employer Work Visa.
• Apply for a visa extension: If the worker's job with the accredited employer is ongoing, they can apply for a visa extension to continue working in NZ.
• Apply for residency: After working for a certain period, workers may be eligible to apply for residency.

While applications for accreditation and job check have already begun, applications for the AEWV open on 4th July 2022. An AEWV may be granted for the period for which the employment is offered, up to a maximum of 3 years.

The job must be paid at $27.76 or more per hour (the NZ median pay rate), and three-year work visas will be issued. There is a temporary exception for specified roles in the hospitality and construction sectors where a pay rate must be at least $25.00 per hour, and for some roles in the aged care sector for which the minimum pay rate is $25.30 per hour. For these exception categories two-year work visas will be issued.

INZ fee for this work visa is $595 and the expected processing time is 20 working days.

If you are currently living and working in New Zealand, you can continue to work under the conditions of your current visa until it expires or you no longer meet the conditions of the visa. If you wish to remain in NZ after your visa expires by applying for an AEWV, your employer needs to be accredited and done a job check.

We understand this complete overhaul of work visa policy can be quite daunting, so it's best to get in touch with our expert Licensed Immigration Advisers to ensure you start on the right foot.

For more information about accreditation and job check process, read here.