How do you get an Accredited Employer Work Visa in New Zealand in 2026?

Your New Zealand employer must be accredited and hold an approved Job Check for the role. The check locks location, occupation, hours, and remuneration bands. The employer then issues a job token you use in your AEWV application. You cannot create that token yourself.

The offer must be genuine full-time work that matches the Job Check details. You must be suitably qualified by training and experience for the role, hold occupational registration where the job requires it, and meet English rules when the role sits at lower ANZSCO skill levels. Some Green List and residence pathways also need an NZQA International Qualification Assessment: Recognise an overseas qualification and English language requirements.

Apply in Immigration Online with passport identity pages, the unused job token, health and character evidence, and any English or registration proofs the role needs. Partners and dependent children are not included on the AEWV itself; they need their own visas. After a grant, save the eVisa approval and learn how employers verify status: Confirm visa status.

On arrival, sequence IRD, bank, health, and mobile steps so payroll can start cleanly: Paperwork after moving, Get an IRD number, and Enrol in public health. AEWV is temporary. Residence later may run through Skilled Migrant or other resident routes, then a Permanent Resident Visa when eligible: Get permanent residence.