New Zealand Revamps Work Visa Rules: AEWV Changes for 2025

The Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV), along with median wage criteria, are undergoing changes according to Immigration New Zealand (INZ) to meet current business and migrant requirements. The immigration system reforms that will take place in March 2025 will establish an adaptable immigration system that adjusts to multiple business requirements throughout various New Zealand regions. These advancements emerge from the government's dedication to reconstructing immigration procedures along with protecting local employees and migrants.

Removal of Median Wage Requirement

Starting March 10, 2025, the AEWV and SPWV visa program no longer requires a wage requirement at the median level. Under the new system, employers are free from having to pay median wages during workforce recruitment activities under the AEWV and SPWV visa categories. The New Zealand minimum wage stands as the sole requirement for pay thresholds at NZD $23.15 per hour before changing to NZD $23.50 per hour beginning April 1, 2025.

Employers must pay their migrant workforce equally to their New Zealand workforce according to market rate standards in New Zealand, yet migrant workers must be paid at minimum the New Zealand minimum hourly wage. The system modification offers employers the freedom to manage pay but requires fair treatment of migrant workers.

Changes to Sector Agreements

Removing median wage requirements will lead to the discontinuation of sector agreements that used to obtain median wage exemptions. The operation of agreements which provide residence pathways will continue unchanged because of their existing wage requirements.

This modification eliminates all performance-based visa restrictions which used to govern jobs under sector agreements that offered wages below the median amount. Instead, these roles will be treated the same as other jobs of the same skill level.

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Reduction in Work Experience Requirement

The number of work experience years for migrant qualifications has decreased from three to two starting on March 10, 20251. The modified qualifications for the AEWV seek to create smooth access for skilled workers while maintaining adequate job experience levels to prevent migrant exploitation.

Employers must check that their migrant workers have fulfilled the new two-year work experience requirement, while the applicants must show evidence of meeting this requirement.

Changes to Ministry of Social Development (MSD) Engagement

The engagement process of employers with the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) will evolve into a declaration system starting from March 10, 20251. Employers need to make honest statements about their actions to advertise lower-skilled positions (ANZSCO skill levels 4 and 5) to the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) and conduct suitable candidate interviews.

Employers should maintain documentation that shows their recruitment engagement through practices they normally use to find staff within New Zealand's domestic workforce1. The system modification focuses on simplifying operational procedures to maintain local candidate opportunities.

Extended Visa Duration for ANZSCO Levels 4 and 5

The duration of new visas for ANZSCO Level 4 and 5 AEWV holders starts at three years beginning March 10, 2025. The new visa term closely matches the extended period workers get to remain in New Zealand through multiple AEWV visas, which defines their maximum continuous stay.

Increased Income Threshold for Dependent Children

Starting March 10 2025, the absolute amount New Zealanders need to support their dependents will rise from NZD $43,322.76 to NZD $55,844. The new income cutoff equates to 80 per cent of the median wage to determine work rights eligibility for partners working a standard forty-hour week.

Children holding visas or with pending applications before March 10, 2025, will keep their access to the older income requirements. The law protects children still present in New Zealand by maintaining eligibility for those whose parents do not satisfy the updated criteria yet maintain compliance with the previous requirements.

Recognition of Higher ANZSCO Skill Levels

During the migration from the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) to the National Occupation List (NOL), some professions will receive ANZSCO skill level 3 status starting on March 10, 2025, until they match corresponding skill levels in the NOL system. The adjustment touches different professions:

• Cook (351411)

• Pet groomer (361113)

• Kennel hand (361115)

• Nanny (421113)

• Fitness instructor (452111)

• Scaffolder (821712)

• Slaughterer (831212)

The ANZSCO recognizes four positions as level 3 when employers confirm their employment needs three years of experience or qualification at level 4. These roles are:

• Agricultural and horticultural mobile plant operator (721111)

• Excavator operator (721214)

• Forklift driver (721311)

• Mobile plant operators who do not belong to a specific class (721999) function as part of ANZSCO skill level.

Updates to Interim Visa Work Rights

People waiting for AEWV application results can obtain work rights through interim visas starting from April 2025. These changes include:

• The policy gives AEWV applicants access to interim work authorisation when they hold any visa that allows employment during school sessions.

• For the purposes of calculating aggregated working time under an interim visa towards the total continuous working time under the AEWV, as well as for answering the questions, what is the rationale here for making work on that visa meaningful and necessary to gain experience for pathways to residence?

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Median Wage Changes

From the 28th of February 2025, if an AEWV holder intends to sponsor a partner, then they will have to earn a minimum wage of NZD $26.85 per hour. Particularly, the income levels that the applicant must meet to become a sponsor under the Parent Category will be adjusted to the new median wage equal to NZD 33.56 per hour.

These figures are according to the median of the hourly wages of the last June quarter in the year before the application, and the purpose of these changes is to guarantee that migrants willing to sponsor a partner or a parent are financially capable of supporting the said dependent.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the changes to the goody and AEWV and median wage requirements that have been discussed above sum up the new trend in New Zealand work-based immigration. These initiatives, as intended, would allow employers more freedom while preserving status for the ‘at-willed’ and other covered non-citizen workers. As all these effects start in 2025, employers and prospective migrants should also take stock of how these new rules affect their strategies.

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