The New Zealand AEWV, explained

A practical guide for Nigerian workers on how New Zealand employers recruit from overseas: the three checks, who qualifies, English, health and character, the process, family and the routes to residence.

Last updated: 2026-10-03. General information, not migration advice.

The AEWV in brief

The Accredited Employer Work Visa is the standard route for a New Zealand employer to hire you while you are still overseas. Below: how its three checks work and what to have ready.

The AEWV is the country's main temporary work visa for workers from abroad. To apply, you need a job offer from an accredited employer, who sends you a link to the online application. The role must offer 30 hours or more of work a week and pay no less than the market rate for that job, along with any legal minimum such as the New Zealand minimum wage.

A few kinds of work are excluded from the AEWV: self-employment, crewing on foreign fishing vessels, and planting, maintaining, harvesting or packing crops in horticulture or viticulture.

Employer, job and worker checks

Employer check. Immigration New Zealand accredits the employer.
Job check. For your role, the employer applies to show that the pay and conditions comply and, where the rules require it, that New Zealanders were offered the job first through advertising. Approval lasts 6 months.
Worker check. You receive a unique link, known as a "job token", from the employer, then apply for the visa and prove you meet the skills, English, health and character requirements.

Official source: how accreditation and the job check work (INZ).

Do you qualify?

An offer of work from an accredited employer that holds an approved job check.
Proof of skill: either relevant experience of 2 years or more, or a qualification at New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework (NZQCF) level 4 or above. If you hold a bachelor's degree or higher, its field does not matter.
Assessment of overseas qualifications: where you depend on a foreign qualification below bachelor's level, NZQA must give you an International Qualification Assessment (IQA).
Who need not show skills: among others, jobs on the Green List, jobs requiring registration, and jobs paying NZD 67.12 an hour or more (as of October 2026, official page).

Open roles: New Zealand sponsored jobs.

The English requirement

English evidence is needed only for jobs at ANZSCO (or NOL) skill level 3, 4 or 5; for skill level 1 or 2 jobs you do not have to provide any. Lowest accepted results (as of October 2026, official page):

English test	Score needed
IELTS	4.0 overall
PTE Academic	29
TOEFL iBT	31
Cambridge B2 First	142
OET	At least Grade D in all 4 skills

The test has to be sat in person, and your results must be under 2 years old.

Medical and police checks

Tuberculosis screening: a chest X-ray is required if you plan to stay longer than 6 months and you are a citizen of, or have recently been in, a country that does not have a low incidence of tuberculosis. Any medical or X-ray evidence must be under 3 months old when it reaches INZ.
Police certificates: required when you are 17 or older and will be in New Zealand for 24 months or more in total. You need them from each country of citizenship and from any country where you have lived for over 5 years since age 17, and none may be more than 6 months old.

Official source: Accredited Employer Work Visa (INZ).

The process, from offer to decision

Apply for a job with an accredited employer.
Interview, then a job offer from the employer.
Accreditation and job check. The employer must hold accreditation and get the job check for your role approved.
The job token arrives: this is your link to apply.
Gather your evidence: passport, proof of experience or qualifications, English results where required, police certificates and medical evidence, with certified translations where required.
Submit online and pay the fee.
Get the decision, travel and begin work.

Timing, fees and how long you can stay

Processing: INZ decides 80% of applications within 5.5 weeks (as of October 2026, official page). Before you can even apply, leave time for the employer's accreditation and job check and for collecting your documents.
Cost: from NZD 1,540 (as of October 2026, official page). The exact fee varies by country; enter your details on the official page to see yours.
Maximum stay: up to 5 years in total for most jobs, but 3 years where the job is at ANZSCO skill level 4 or 5, unless an exception applies, for example pay of NZD 52.50 an hour or more, or a job on the Green List (INZ: maximum time on an AEWV). Once you hit the limit, you must spend 12 months outside New Zealand before another AEWV can be granted.
Conditions: you work for your employer, in the approved role; a second job is not allowed; study is allowed for up to 3 months in any 12-month period.
Switching jobs: changing employer, role or location requires either a variation or a Job Change, which means a new accredited employer and a job check. A Job Change does not extend your visa (changing work visa conditions).

Partner and children

Your partner and children are not part of your AEWV application. They lodge their own visas, and which ones they can get depends on your job and pay. Main thresholds (as of October 2026, official page):

Paid NZD 52.50 or more an hour: you can support visas for your dependent children and a work visa for your partner.
In an ANZSCO skill level 1 to 3 job paying NZD 28.00 or more an hour: you can support your partner for a Partner of a Worker Work Visa.
Paid under NZD 28.00 an hour: a visitor visa is the only option for your partner.
Children: supporting a child visitor visa or dependent child student visa requires earnings of at least NZD 58,240 a year, and couples who both hold an AEWV may add their incomes together.

There are more details and exceptions, Green List roles among them, so check the official page against your own circumstances.

Routes to residence

The AEWV itself is temporary, though some holders go on to apply for residence (as of October 2026, official page):

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

Residence settings get revised, so confirm on the official pages before relying on them.

Preparing your application from Nigeria

Below is a general outline built on what Immigration New Zealand (INZ) asks for. It cannot cover every personal situation, so treat it as a starting point.

Passport validity. Your passport has to remain valid for no less than 3 months beyond the day you intend to depart New Zealand.
Police clearances. These apply once you are aged 17 or over and will spend 24 months or more in New Zealand altogether. Supply one from each country of citizenship (Nigeria, for most people reading this) and from any country you have lived in for over 5 years since your 17th birthday. Each must be under 6 months old on the day you apply, and a receipt showing you requested one is no substitute for the certificate itself. INZ's police certificate tool explains the process country by country.
Proof of your work history. It has to come from third parties, not from you: payslips, tax certificates, certificates of employment or reference letters that name your role, give your start and end dates and include contact details for the employer. A CV by itself will not be accepted.
Overseas qualifications. Relying on a foreign qualification that sits below bachelor's level? You will need NZQA to carry out an International Qualification Assessment (IQA).
Medicals and X-rays. Where INZ asks for a medical or chest X-ray, the results must be under 3 months old by the time INZ gets them.
Translations. All of your police and medical certificates need certified English translations, and that includes a police certificate recording no convictions. INZ will not accept a translation done by you, a relative or your immigration adviser (INZ rules on translations).

The complete list of requirements sits on the official AEWV page, so read it alongside this summary. It is also worth confirming, through official Nigerian government sources, whether there are rules for citizens who take up jobs abroad.

Fake offers and avoidable errors

You owe nobody a fee for a job. No New Zealand employer or agent is allowed to charge you for a job or to pass any of its recruitment costs to you, whether directly or via someone else.
Buying a job offer sinks your visa. If INZ believes you, or an agent acting for you, offered or promised payment to an employer in return for a job offer, it will decline the AEWV.
The application fee is the only thing INZ charges, and INZ never asks for visa fees to be paid by bank deposit.
Get advice from the right people, or none at all. Immigration advice may only be given by an adviser licensed by the Immigration Advisers Authority, or by a person exempt from licensing (INZ on immigration advice). Using an adviser is entirely optional.
Avoidable errors: sending a CV where independent proof of experience is needed; police certificates more than 6 months old; certificates left untranslated; and taking a job from an employer that is not accredited or has no approved job check.

Read further: INZ guidance on avoiding immigration scams.

Frequently asked questions

Can I apply for an AEWV without a job offer?

No. You must have an offer from an accredited employer whose job check has been approved; that employer sends you the job token, which is your link to apply.

What experience does the AEWV require?

In general, 2 years or more of relevant experience, or an NZQCF qualification at level 4 or higher. Certain jobs are exempt, including very highly paid roles and Green List roles.

Is IELTS required for the AEWV?

Only for jobs at ANZSCO skill level 3, 4 or 5. You need IELTS 4.0 overall or an equivalent result on another accepted test (as of October 2026), and the result must be less than 2 years old.

How quickly is an AEWV decided?

According to Immigration New Zealand, 80% of applications are decided within 5.5 weeks (as of October 2026). The INZ AEWV page carries the current figure.

What is the longest I can stay on an AEWV?

For most jobs, up to 5 years; for most jobs at ANZSCO skill level 4 or 5, 3 years. Once you reach the limit, you must spend 12 months outside New Zealand before you can be granted another AEWV.

Will my partner be allowed to work?

That depends on your job and pay. If you earn NZD 52.50 an hour or more, for example, or NZD 28.00 an hour or more in an ANZSCO skill level 1 to 3 job, your partner may qualify for a Partner of a Worker Work Visa.

Is it legal for an employer or agent to charge me for the job?

No. New Zealand employers and agents may not charge you job fees or pass their recruitment costs to you, and INZ will decline your visa if you paid for a job offer. A genuine employer will never ask.

Official sources

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