The Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) is our main Work Visa pathway, allowing applicants, who secure work with an Accredited Employer to obtain a Work Visa valid for up to five years. The AEWV system involves three separate steps, where the employer, role on offer and applicant are checked for their eligibility.
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New Zealand has an extensive set of work visas for those who wish to work in New Zealand on a temporary basis. In many cases a Work Visa will be for your first step towards being able to secure Residence.
Our main Work Visa category however is the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV), which covers the vast majority of applicants coming here to undertake employment. It is really important to remember that the AEWV itself doesn’t automatically secure your Residence, but for some it is the first step in that process.
All AEWV applicants need to secure a job offer in order to be able to apply - meaning you cannot secure the Work Visa before you have that job offer in hand. Your potential New Zealand employer also needs to have secured Accreditation and an approved Job Check (called a Token) as well.
Employer Accreditation - This is the first step, where your potential New Zealand employer obtains approval from INZ to recruit migrants. Employer Accreditation also comes with various obligations that the employer must fulfil and is renewed annually or bi-annually.
Job Check - When an Accredited Employer wants to fill a role with a migrant applicant, they need to present the job to INZ in what is called a Job Check. For most jobs this involves the employer, demonstrating that they have tried to find a local applicant (and failed). For some occupations on the Green List, or paid twice the median wage, this attempt to find a local applicant is not required. Once approved, INZ issues the employer with a Job Token.
Work Visa Application - Once the employer has the required Job Token, they can then invite a potential migrant applicant to apply for their Work Visa, providing evidence that they meet the skills/qualifications required, are of good health and good character. Work Visas are issued for between three and five years, depending on the skill level of the position.
It is really important to understand these steps, if you are considering securing a job offer here. Even if your potential employer is not Accredited, this is a process that can be completed reasonably quickly. The most common mistakes in this process are where employers incorrectly advertise the role, or use the Green List for candidates who may not qualify.
We can undertake a full assessment of your situation to determine what your options might be, how employable we believe you are and how the process can fit together so that you can come to work and then work to stay permanently.
Your immigration specialists
Jackie Qi - Licensed Adviser
Sejoo Han - Support
