Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) guide

What is the AEWV?

For Filipino workers, New Zealand's Accredited Employer Work Visa is the main way a New Zealand employer can hire you from overseas. Here is how the three checks work and what you need to prepare.

The Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) is New Zealand's main temporary work visa for overseas workers. You can apply if you have a job offer from an accredited employer, and the employer sends you a link to the online application. The job must be for at least 30 hours a week and pay at least the market rate for the job, as well as any legal minimum such as the New Zealand minimum wage.

Some work can't be done on an AEWV: planting, maintaining, harvesting or packing crops in horticulture or viticulture, crew on foreign fishing vessels, and self-employment.

The three checks

1. Employer check: the employer gets accredited by Immigration New Zealand.
2. Job check: the employer applies for a job check for your role, showing the pay and conditions meet the rules and, where required, that they advertised for New Zealanders first. A job check is valid for 6 months.
3. Worker check: the employer gives you a unique link (a "job token") and you apply for the visa, showing you meet the skills, English, health and character requirements.

Who is eligible: skills, experience and qualifications

• A job offer from an accredited employer with an approved job check.
• Skills: 2 years or more of relevant job experience, or a qualification at level 4 or higher on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework (NZQCF). A bachelor's degree or higher can be in any field.
• Qualification assessment: if you rely on an overseas qualification below a bachelor's degree, you need an International Qualification Assessment (IQA) from NZQA.
• Exemptions from showing skills include jobs on the Green List, jobs that require registration, and jobs paying at least NZD 67.12 an hour (as of October 2026, official page).

See the current roles: sponsored jobs in New Zealand.

English language requirements

You only need to show English if your job is at ANZSCO (or NOL) skill level 3, 4 or 5. Jobs at skill level 1 or 2 do not need English evidence. The minimum scores (as of October 2026, official page) are:

Results must be less than 2 years old, and the test must be taken in person.

Health and character checks

• Chest X-ray: if you will stay more than 6 months and are a citizen of (or have recently spent time in) a country without a low incidence of tuberculosis, you need a chest X-ray. X-ray or medical evidence must be less than 3 months old when INZ receives it.
• Police certificates: needed if you are 17 or older and your total time in New Zealand will be 24 months or longer. They must come from your countries of citizenship and any country where you have spent more than 5 years since age 17, and be less than 6 months old.

Step by step: from job offer to visa decision

1. Find a role with an accredited employer and apply.
2. Interview and offer. The employer offers you the job.
3. Employer accreditation and job check. The employer must be accredited, and gets a job check approved for your role.
4. You receive the job token, the link to apply.
5. Prepare your documents: passport, evidence of experience or qualifications, English results (if needed), medical evidence and police certificates, with certified translations where needed.
6. Apply online and pay the fee.
7. Decision, travel and start work.

Typical timeframes, costs and visa length

• Processing time: 80% of applications are decided within 5.5 weeks (as of October 2026, official page). Allow extra time before applying for the employer's accreditation and job check and for gathering your documents.
• Fee: from NZD 1,540 (as of October 2026, official page). The exact fee depends on your country; the official page shows it once you enter your details.
• Visa length: the total time you can stay is up to 5 years for most jobs, or 3 years if the job is at ANZSCO skill level 4 or 5, unless an exception applies, such as being paid at least NZD 52.50 an hour or the job being on the Green List (how long you can stay). When you reach the maximum, you must spend 12 months outside New Zealand before you can get another AEWV.
• On the visa: you work for your employer in the approved job; you can't work a second job; you can study for up to 3 months in any 12 months.
• Changing jobs: to change employer, job or location you need a Job Change (with a new accredited employer and a job check) or a variation. A Job Change does not add time to your visa (changing your visa conditions).

Bringing your family

You can't include your partner and children in your AEWV application; they apply for their own visas, and what they can get depends on your pay and job. The main thresholds (as of October 2026, official page):

• NZD 52.50 an hour or more: you can support a partner work visa and visas for your dependent children.
• ANZSCO skill level 1 to 3 jobs paying NZD 28.00 an hour or more: you can support a Partner of a Worker Work Visa.
• Below NZD 28.00 an hour: your partner can only get a visitor visa.
• Children: to support a dependent child student visa or a child visitor visa you need to earn at least NZD 58,240 a year (couples who both hold an AEWV can combine their incomes).

The rules have more detail and exceptions (for example for Green List roles), so check the official page for your situation.

Pathways to residence

The AEWV is temporary, but some workers can later apply for residence (as of October 2026, official page):

• Green List: Tier 1 roles can apply for the Straight to Residence Visa; Tier 2 roles can apply for the Work to Residence Visa after 24 months of full-time work in New Zealand in the role (Green List pathway).
• Skilled Migrant Category (SMC): a resident visa with three pathways (points-based, skilled work experience, and trades and technicians), for applicants aged 55 or younger (SMC Resident Visa).

Residence rules change; check the official pages before you plan around them.

Applying from the Philippines

These are general steps based on Immigration New Zealand's requirements; they are not a checklist for your specific case.

• Passport. It must be valid for at least 3 months after the date you plan to leave New Zealand.
• Police certificates. If you are 17 or older and your total time in New Zealand will be 24 months or more, you need police certificates from the countries you are a citizen of (so the Philippines for most readers of this site) and any country where you have spent more than 5 years since you turned 17. They must be less than 6 months old when you apply, and INZ needs the certificate itself, not a receipt. INZ has a tool showing how to get a police certificate for each country.
• Evidence of experience. Work experience must be shown by documents from someone other than you, such as certificates of employment, payslips, tax certificates or reference letters showing your position, your dates of employment and the employer's contact details. A CV on its own is not enough.
• Qualifications. If you rely on an overseas qualification below a bachelor's degree, you need an International Qualification Assessment (IQA) from NZQA.
• Medical evidence. If a chest X-ray or medical is needed, it must be less than 3 months old when INZ receives it.
• Translations. INZ needs certified English translations of all medical and police certificates, including police certificates that show no convictions. Translations by you, a family member or your immigration adviser are not accepted (translation rules).

Specific to the Philippines (from Immigration New Zealand): the acceptable police certificate for the Philippines is the NBI clearance, and INZ lists employment certificates, employment contracts, payslips, SSS records, PhilHealth records and income tax returns as evidence of work experience in the Philippines. See the AEWV page.

Also check any rules your own government has for citizens taking up work overseas, using official government sources in the Philippines.

Common mistakes and how to avoid scams

• No job fees. New Zealand employers or agents cannot charge you fees for a job or make you pay any of their recruitment costs, directly or through a third party.
• Paying for a job offer gets your visa declined. INZ will decline an AEWV if it considers that you or your agent offered or promised money to the employer in exchange for a job offer.
• INZ only charges the application fee, and it will never ask you to pay visa fees by depositing money into a bank account.
• Advice must come from a licensed adviser. Immigration advice must come from a licensed immigration adviser (licensed by the Immigration Advisers Authority) or someone exempt from licensing (getting immigration advice). You do not have to use an adviser at all.
• Common mistakes: relying on a CV instead of independent evidence of experience; police certificates older than 6 months; untranslated certificates; and accepting a role that is not from an accredited employer with an approved job check.

More: Immigration New Zealand: protecting yourself from immigration scams.

Frequently asked questions

Can I apply for the AEWV without a job offer?

No. You need a job offer from an accredited employer with an approved job check. The employer sends you the link (job token) to apply.

How much experience do I need for the AEWV?

Generally 2 years or more of relevant job experience, or a qualification at NZQCF level 4 or higher. Some jobs are exempt, for example Green List roles and very highly paid roles.

Do I need IELTS for the AEWV?

Only if your job is at ANZSCO skill level 3, 4 or 5. The minimum is IELTS 4.0 overall, or an equivalent score on another accepted test (as of October 2026). Results must be less than 2 years old.

How long does the AEWV take?

Immigration New Zealand says 80% of applications are decided within 5.5 weeks (as of October 2026). Check the official page for the latest figure.

How long can I stay on an AEWV?

Up to 5 years for most jobs, or 3 years for most ANZSCO skill level 4 or 5 jobs. After reaching the maximum you must spend 12 months outside New Zealand before getting another AEWV.

Can my partner work in New Zealand?

It depends on your job and pay. For example, if you earn at least NZD 52.50 an hour, or NZD 28.00 an hour in an ANZSCO skill level 1 to 3 job, your partner may be able to get a Partner of a Worker Work Visa.

Can an employer or agent charge me for the job?

No. New Zealand employers and agents cannot charge you fees for a job or make you pay their recruitment costs, and INZ will decline your visa if you paid for a job offer.