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Two new residence pathways from 24 August 2026 - and the traps to watch

This is one of the biggest changes to skilled residence since the 6-point Skilled Migrant Category came in, and is the change that skilled trades people and those with solid experience but no degree have been waiting for. If you employ migrant staff who are working toward residence, or you are a migrant mapping your own pathway, it is worth understanding what has changed - because for some people it opens a door that was closed, and for others it introduces a wage-timing trap that can be the dif...

Selling a business that employs AEWV staff - what happens to their visas

If you're buying or selling a business that employs people on Accredited Employer Work Visas, you must pay attention to immigration requirements alongside the deal. AEWV staff don't automatically move to the new owner. What needs to happen depends on whether it's an asset sale or a share sale, and the two are very different....

Partnership work visas and Dependent Child visas for AEWV holders' families - what's involved

Up to 70% of failed international relocations are attributed to the employee's family or spouse failing to adjust and settle into their new country.If someone on your team holds an AEWV, their partner can often apply for a visa that lets them live here and, in many cases, work. They may also be able to bring dependent children as visitors or to attend primary or secondary school. For a worker deciding whether to stay in New Zealand or go home, whether their partner can be here and earn may be th...

Job Change applications: what to do when AEWV staff want a new role

An AEWV is granted for a particular role, in a particular location and with a particular employer. So when someone on an AEWV wants to change jobs - to a different employer, or to a genuinely different role with you - that needs a new application before they start the new work. Not after. The same applies when you want to hire someone who already holds a visa with another employer.This catches people out in both directions. Employers assume a good worker can just move into a new role. Workers as...

Why your AEWV stand-down period needs to be in your workforce plan today

It's one of the most overlooked things in workforce planning, because it doesn't feel urgent until it is. A worker's visa isn't expiring this month, so it drops off the radar - and then the stand-down arrives as a sudden gap in a role you can't easily backfill....

Post Study Work Visa - who qualifies and what it is actually for

The Post Study Work Visa is an open work visa. It does not require a job offer and it's not tied to one employer. It lets a graduate work for almost anyone while they build the New Zealand experience that a residence application usually needs. That flexibility is the point of it.But not every qualification leads to one, and the ones that do don't all lead to the same length of visa. This is where people get caught - they assume finishing a course here earns the visa automatically. It doesn't....

Skill level 3 AEWV English test - what employers and current visa holders need to do

Immigration New Zealand has extended the minimum English language requirement to AEWV applications for roles classed as skill level 3 in ANZSCO or the NOL. Any application lodged on or after 1 June 2026 needs it. Skill level 4 and 5 roles have had to meet this since last year - the change brings skill level 3 into line.If you employ migrant staff as technicians, trades, manufacturing, healthcare assistants, cooks, or retail and hospitality supervisors, this affects you. Skill level 3 now makes u...

Median wage just changed - here's what it means for your AEWV roles

The median wage went from $33.56 to $35.00 an hour on 9 March 2026. It's based on Stats NZ June-quarter data from the previous year and updates once a year. The reason it matters is that a lot of visa and residence settings are calculated as multiples of it - so when the median wage moves, all those thresholds move with it.The general median wage requirement for a standard AEWV role was removed back in March 2025, so the AEWV to get someone here is largely off the median wage now. But the settin...

Choosing between residence pathways when your hire has options

Not everyone has a choice of residence pathway - but some people do, and picking the right one can mean the difference between residence now and residence in two years' time. If you're hiring a skilled migrant, it's worth knowing what routes might be open to them....

Green List Tier 1 vs Tier 2: what the Green List actually is

The Green List is New Zealand's list of occupations in genuine short supply. If a role is on it, it comes with a dedicated residence pathway that sits outside the usual points system. There are two tiers, Tier 1 and Tier 2, and there's a lot of misunderstanding about how they work....

ANZSCO is becoming the National Occupation List - what employers need to know

Immigration New Zealand is moving off the old ANZSCO classification and onto its own National Occupation List. The change is gradual, but it's already affecting Job Checks.For years, New Zealand immigration has classified jobs using ANZSCO - the Australia and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations. It's an Australian-built system, and it hasn't kept pace with the way New Zealand jobs actually look.So INZ is replacing it with its own National Occupation List, the NOL. T...