New Zealand: Changes to the Accredited Employer Work Visa and Post Study Work Visa

02.01.2025

The Government of New Zealand has recently announced reforms to two of its work visa schemes: the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) and the Post Study Work Visa (PSWV).

Changes to the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AWEV)

The Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) is New Zealand’s primary temporary work visa program. It allows approved employers to hire skilled workers on visas for up to 5 years.

The reforms include removing the median wage threshold, reducing experience requirements to two years and introducing new seasonal visa pathways to support employers to fill skill gaps.

The changes will be implemented in four different stages over the course of 2025, beginning in January. The key changes are as follows.

From January 2025:

The domestic workforce threshold for employers of certain construction roles is being reduced from 35 per cent to 15 per cent.
The requirements regarding online modules will be removed from 27 January 2025 for all current and future accredited employers and Recognized Seasonal Employers (RSE).

From March 2025:

Wage thresholds for all AEWV roles will be removed. Employers still need to advertise and offer AEWV employees the market rate for their position and workplace location. This change does not affect existing employment agreements. There are no changes to the wages that AEWV workers must earn to apply for residence.
AEWV migrants will need to earn at least NZD 55,844 a year to support dependent children, along with meeting other criteria.
The experience requirement for migrants will be reduced from three years to two.
Following feedback through consultation, the visa duration will increase to 3 years for new AEWVs issued for jobs assessed as skill level 4 or 5 on the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO). The visa length will change from 2 years (with the option of 1 additional year) to 3 years to align with the total time these workers can stay in New Zealand (their maximum continuous stay). Those currently on a 2-year visas will be able to apply for a further AEWV for 1 year if they meet the requirements.
The current requirement for employers to engage with the Work and Income (the labour market test) will be amended to be declaration based. Employers must declare that they have, in good faith, advertised ANZSCO skill level 4 or 5 jobs with Work and Income and interviewed candidates who could have been suitable for the job. This can be done alongside the recruitment that employers will already be undertaking in the domestic labour market. There will also no longer be a set 21-day timeframe for the engagement with Work and Income.
INZ will instead provide employers and workers with links to freely available Employment New Zealand or INZ webpages that set out employment rights and obligations at the most appropriate points in the immigration process.

From April 2025:

Interim work rights will be extended to AEWV applicants who are applying from any work visa type or from a student visa that allows them to work during term time, supporting migrants to maintain employment while their visa is processed.

After July 2025:

A redesign of the Job Check step of the AEWV process. The changes will help streamline the Job Check for low-risk employers and improve processing timeframes.
In November 2025, two new pathways for seasonal workers will be introduced, including a 3-year multi-entry visa for experienced workers and a 7-month single entry visa for lesser-skilled workers. The existing temporary seasonal pathways will remain available until then.

Changes to the Post Study Work Visa (PSWV)

The Post Study Work Visa (PSWV) allows international students to stay and work in New Zealand after completing their studies.

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) is making changes to this category so that students who complete a Master’s degree following a Postgraduate Diploma do not lose eligibility for a PSWV.

Students who studied a Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) for 30 weeks and immediately progressed to a Master’s degree, but were not enrolled in the Masters for 30 weeks, are now eligible to apply for a PSWV based on their PGDip enrolment. This will give students more flexibility in their course of study and ensure they can remain eligible to work following their qualification.

If a student has completed a qualification that is eligible for a PSWV then immediately completes a higher-level qualification (that is ineligible for PSWV, including because they did not study for the minimum duration), they will have 12 months from the end date of their student visa for the initial qualification to apply for a PSWV.

If a student wants a three-year PSWV, they will need to complete at least 30 weeks of full-time study in New Zealand, enrolled in the Master’s degree itself.

To be eligible for a PSWV, applicants must hold an eligible New Zealand qualification that has been studied full-time in New Zealand for the required minimum duration and apply within the required timeframe.

The following changes are being made to align the list of qualifications eligible for a PSWV with the Green List:

PSWV applicants who qualify to teach at secondary school no longer require a Bachelor’s degree specialising in Science, Mathematics, Technology or Pacific Languages;
Applicants who have completed graduate diplomas and meet the Teaching Council’s registration requirements are able to get a PSWV to work as a Primary or Intermediate school teacher;
The New Zealand Diploma in Engineering (Level 6) with a strand in Mechanical Engineering has been added so Mechanical Engineering Technicians are eligible for a PSWV.

Immigration support in New Zealand

If you require advice or support in relation to New Zealand’s Accredited Employer Work Visa or the Post Study Work Visa, our global immigration team can help.

Smith Stone Walters is now part of Envoy Global, the leading corporate immigration services provider committed to delivering a better way for companies to manage global immigration.

This partnership will significantly expand our global immigration services and enable us to offer an even higher level of support for employers worldwide. To find out more, please contact us today.