Which New Zealand work visa fits each hire? Start with the person, not the application

By Sejoo Han, Licensed Immigration Adviser (IAA full licence 202400274), at Concord Visa.

The short answer

If you’ve read my earlier posts, or anything online about it, you’ll know a bit about employer accreditation already. Put simply, it’s your business asking the New Zealand government for permission to hire migrant workers. It’s a fairly simple process, and for most employers it’s now the first step.

But before you apply, check whether the person already has permission to do the job. If they don’t, look at the work they’ll actually do: an ordinary local hire, a genuine secondment or something else with a defined purpose. For most hires who need an employer-supported work visa, the route is accreditation, then a Job Check, then an Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV).

And plan for residence alongside that, not instead of it, and not later.

I’ve seen this system from both sides, as a migrant myself and now as an adviser to employers. I’ve written more about that in Hiring someone from overseas in NZ: an adviser who’s been on both sides.

Why residence belongs in the first conversation

When I talk to migrants, I’ve almost never met one (maybe 1 in 100) who wants to sell everything in their home country, move away from family, work in New Zealand for a few years “for the experience” and then go home. For almost everyone, residence is the goal.

So I’d separate two questions from the start: what lets this person do this job now, and what might let them build a life here later? They belong in the same conversation, but they aren’t the same application. A work visa now doesn’t give anyone residence later.

I understand why some employers think planning two or three years ahead is pointless. The worker hasn’t started yet. You don’t know if they’re good, or whether they’ll be good for the business. And immigration policy can change in two or three years.

Both are fair points. But here’s what I’ve seen. New Zealand’s residence settings do change: wage thresholds move, and pathways get adjusted. In my experience, though, the pathways have tended to change around the same core ideas rather than being scrapped and replaced overnight, and changes have usually been made with people already on the pathway in mind. That’s not a guarantee, and it could change. But it means a plan made today is rarely wasted.

And the plan is what keeps your worker going. Two or three years feels like a long time to you. Your worker is counting down to the date they can apply. It’s about their family and building a life here. If you were born here with a New Zealand passport, it’s easy to forget how much that date matters.

Sort your hires into three groups

This is where a professional earns their fee. For each person, I’d ask:

1. Do they have a residence pathway now? Usually, if someone is on a residence pathway, they’ll also qualify for a work visa while they get there. It doesn’t work the other way round, though. Qualifying for an AEWV doesn’t mean they’ll qualify for residence.
2. If not now, could they later? Would a pay rise or a change in role open a pathway? This group matters most for workers who prove themselves after they start.
3. Is there no realistic pathway at the moment? Better to know that now, and be honest with them about it.

Sort them now, not when the worker comes to you asking.

Start with work rights, not a visa label

When someone tells you “I have a work visa”, that’s where the check starts, not where it ends.

In my experience, candidates fall into two groups.

Open work visas. These let the person work for almost any employer, in any job, anywhere in New Zealand. Common examples are the Post Study Work Visa (for degree-level graduates), the Partner of a Worker Work Visa and the Partner of a New Zealander Work Visa. Still check the conditions. Some post-study visas are tied to the field of study, and whether a partner can get an open visa depends on the main worker’s job and pay.

Employer-specific visas, like the AEWV. Your current employer, job and location are written on the visa. This is where people get it wrong, in one of two ways:

1. They think an AEWV worker can never change employer or job.
2. They think an AEWV worker can change jobs, employers or hours freely.

Neither is right. Changes are possible, through a Job Change or a variation of conditions. What matters is that the change of job, location, employer or hours is raised with INZ and approved before it happens, not after.

Before the start date, use VisaView or INZ’s document-check process to confirm what the person can actually do, and keep a record.

If their existing visa covers your role, you may not need an AEWV for that hire at all. You still have your employment-law duties, and you still need to watch the expiry date.

A route-selection flow for the hiring conversation

Use this as a discussion aid, not an eligibility assessment. Residence planning runs alongside every branch.

At every branch: confirm the person can lawfully work before they start. An application, a job offer or your accreditation isn’t permission to work.

Which routes are worth checking?

This is a first-pass map for ordinary employer hiring and transfers, not a list of every New Zealand visa. Seasonal programmes, international arrangements and other specialist categories need their own assessment.

A recent example

I recently had a case where a company wanted to support an AEWV for a new hire. But his partner had already applied for a Straight to Residence Visa, with him included in the application. An AEWV would have let him start work sooner. But the residence decision wasn’t far off, so I advised them to wait for it.

His residence visa was granted, which gave him open work rights. The company didn’t need a Job Check or an AEWV at all, which saved them time and money.

It’s a rare scenario. But it shows why you need to understand the person you’re hiring as a whole, not just the role.

A secondment isn’t automatically an AEWV, or automatically exempt from one

The Specific Purpose Work Visa is very limited. INZ has separate provisions for short-term senior or specialist secondments and for qualifying multinational transfers, and the evidence and length of stay depend on the purpose. It’s rarely simple. I wouldn’t recommend filing one without a licensed immigration adviser or lawyer.

What I’d want to understand is who employs the person, how the entities are related, what they’ll do in New Zealand, why they’re needed and how long they’ll stay. Calling a permanent local vacancy a “project” doesn’t answer those questions.

For very short trips, there’s also the Business Visitor Visa, for stays of up to 3 months in a year. But it only covers the specific business activities it was approved for. It isn’t a way to start working here. Do your research on where your employee genuinely fits before anyone travels.

If AEWV fits, plan the whole chain

For the detailed application sequence, see my guides to hiring someone from overseas and becoming an accredited employer. Here, the useful question is what must be ready at each stage.

1. Define the real job. Agree the employing entity, duties, location, hours, pay and the evidence the candidate has. Do this before writing an ad around a preferred person.
2. Check the employer position. Confirm the right accreditation type and that it’s current. A group company having accreditation doesn’t answer which entity is employing this person.
3. Check recruitment and the Job Check. Find out whether you need to advertise, whether an exemption genuinely applies and what evidence to keep.
4. Assess the worker separately. An approved Job Check doesn’t mean this candidate meets the work experience, qualification, registration, English, health or character requirements that apply to them.
5. Set a conditional start plan. Allow time for collecting evidence as well as INZ processing. Don’t turn a published processing time into a promise.

In my experience, the migrant is usually ready. They’ve been preparing for this for a long time. The delays tend to come from the employer’s side: the documents, the job ad and the information INZ needs from the business. It takes effort from both sides, so put a name next to each step.

Residence belongs in the offer conversation, but not as a guarantee

A role that supports an AEWV doesn’t automatically support residence. Green List routes have their own occupation, registration, qualification and pay requirements. Tier 1 and Tier 2 are different pathways, not interchangeable labels.

The Skilled Migrant Category also needs a current assessment. Changes took effect on 24 August 2026. INZ now describes a points-based pathway, a Skilled Work Experience pathway and a Trades and Technician pathway. If someone is still explaining it as “you need six points”, that’s no longer the whole picture.

Having been on a work visa myself, I can tell you that whether it takes two or three years, five years or, in my case, ten, migrants think about residence. Residence means stability for themselves and their family. We all want that.

So be clear about what you can commit to: the role, the support you’ve agreed and a time to review it. Don’t promise residence, and don’t assume a residence application in progress keeps someone’s right to work. If their visa might expire first, deal with that early.

Budget the work, and be clear about who pays

Separate government fees, professional fees and other costs. Agree what the employer will pay and what, if anything, the employee is being asked to pay before either side commits.

Under the AEWV rules, employers must not pass accreditation, recruitment or operational costs on to workers. A deduction or repayment clause doesn’t make a prohibited charge acceptable.

Whoever advises you, get the scope and fees in writing, including how extra work will be agreed. A quoted fee isn’t a promise of approval or a processing deadline.

Approval is the start, not the end of compliance

INZ’s post-accreditation guidance expects employers to keep records, monitor visa conditions and be clear about who’s responsible for compliance. Settlement information must be given within the worker’s first month.

Some older checklists still tell employers and workers to complete Employment New Zealand online modules. That requirement was removed on 27 January 2025, but the settlement and employment-information obligations remain.

A promotion is good, and for a migrant worker a pay rise is always good news. Record it properly: a letter confirming the new pay, with payslips that match. But if the role itself changes, not just the pay, talk to your immigration adviser or INZ before the change takes effect. For an AEWV holder, a new role usually means a new Job Check and a Job Change application before they start it. A new location can matter too.

Before you make the offers

• Check each person’s current work rights and expiry.
• Sort them by residence pathway: now, possibly later, or not at the moment.
• Map the actual duties, employer, pay, location and length of the role.
• Look at the alternatives before choosing AEWV by default.
• Put evidence collection and recruitment steps on the timeline, not just INZ processing.
• Agree costs, responsibilities and conditional start dates in writing.
• Give someone responsibility for settlement support, visa monitoring and later changes.

FAQs

Do we need accreditation for everyone who holds a visa?

No. It depends on the permission the person already has and the route they need. Check that their current conditions allow your job. Some residence pathways also need an accredited employer, so “not AEWV” doesn’t always mean accreditation is irrelevant.

Can someone with an AEWV for another employer start with us immediately?

Not without checking first. They’ll usually need a Job Change or a new application approved before they start with you. Permission to work for another employer isn’t permission to work for you.

Does a Green List role mean the person can start while residence is processed?

No. They still need permission to do the job, and that may need to be arranged separately.

Can we move a specialist from our overseas office without an AEWV?

Possibly, if the assignment meets a Specific Purpose Work Visa category. Look at the company relationship, duties, duration and evidence. Don’t rely on “intra-company transfer” as a label.

How long should we allow?

Work backwards from the evidence and approvals your route needs. Check INZ’s current processing times when you plan, but don’t promise a date based on an average.

Talk through the hiring plan before filing

If you’re moving or hiring several people into New Zealand, talk to Concord about a pre-assessment. Bring the roles, the dates you’re aiming for and each person’s current visa. What you’ll get is a route and a list of decisions, not a promise that everyone fits the same application. We work on flat fees agreed upfront, so you’ll know the cost before we start.

Concord supports immigration planning and applications. We don’t find candidates or jobs, and we don’t guarantee outcomes.

About the author

Sejoo Han is a Licensed Immigration Adviser (IAA full licence 202400274) at Concord Visa. He came through New Zealand’s student, post-study work and AEWV visas to residence himself, and has advised both migrant workers and employers.

This article is general information about New Zealand immigration as at November 2026. It isn’t immigration advice for your situation and doesn’t promise any outcome. Reading it, or contacting Concord about it, doesn’t create a client relationship. Your options depend on your circumstances and the rules in force when you apply.