Sky Civil - Trade Recruitment Company New Zealand

Visa Overview

New Zealand’s work visa rules have changed

The new Accredited Employer Worker Visa (AEWV)

Sky Civil - Trade Recruitment Company New Zealand

One visa to rule them all

Launched on 4th of July 2022, the AEWV is a new, single visa that replaces six other temporary and work visas.

You can apply for it if you have job offer from an accredited employer, have skills and qualifications for the job, and meet other relevant immigration criteria.

Sky Civil - Trade Recruitment Company New Zealand

What does this mean for me?

The AEWV means you…

Accredited Employer

Can only work for an Accredited employer

Can work in NZ for an accredited employer who has offered you at least 30 hours work per week. Note: You will be tied to the employer for the length of your visa, and if the situation changes you will need to vary the conditions of your visa or reapply for a new one

Study

Are able to study while working

You will be able to study for up to 3 months in any 12 months in any 12-month period, or do any study required as part of your employment

A valid Visa

Can work up to 3 years

You will have a visa valid for up to 3 years if you are paid at or above the NZ median wage, or up to two years if you are paid below the median wage

Support

Can support your family

You can support your dependent child’s visitor or student visa if you earn at least NZD 43,322.76 per year.

What else do I need to know?

Sky Civil - Trade Recruitment Company New Zealand

Work visas are complex, and you generally need advice on applying if you are eligible and what the conditions of your visas are.

Your family may not be included in your application. Still, they may be able to apply separately based on their relationship with you.

This visa will not allow you to be self-employed, nor does it lead to residence although it may be used as a stepping stone towards an application and can sometimes fast-track to residence or work to a residence in 2 years, depending on your pay and your role.

Sky Civil - Trade Recruitment Company New Zealand

How can I increase my chances for approval?

Contact our team of experts at Sky Civil Recruitment for help as we highly recommend you seek professional advice before you submit your application.

Work

Green List Visa

The New Zealand government has simplified the visa pathways for the most in demand jobs and created an immigration Green List of 89 occupations with guaranteed residency

These roles provide a priority pathway to residency in New Zealand

From July 31st 2022, if you work in one of the Green List occupations, meet the eligibility criteria and have a job offer from an accredited employer, you can come to New Zealand on a work visa from 5 September 2022, and apply for residence.

It is a visa that either qualify skilled migrant workers for a fast-track to residence, or give access to a work-to-residence pathway.

If your occupation doesn’t qualify for fast-track to residence, you will need to work in New Zealand for two years before applying for residence via the work-to-residence pathway.

Employers will be able to hire skilled migrants on an Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) and complete the job check stage without advertising, if the minimum requirements for their role meet the minimum requirements on the Green List or if the role is paid at least twice the median wage.

What is the List of occupations on NZ Immigration Green List?

Construction Project Manager
Project Builder

Quantity Surveyor

Surveyor

Chemical Engineer

Civil Engineering
Technician Civil
Engineer

Electrical Engineer

Electronics Engineer

Electrical Engineering Technician

Electronic Engineering Technician

Environmental Engineer

Software Engineer ($120,000)

Geotechnical Engineer

Industrial Engineer

Materials Engineer

Mechanical Engineer

Production or Plant Engineer

Structural engineer

Engineering Professionals
(Not elsewhere classified)

Telecommunications Engineers

Telecommunications Network Engineers

General Practitioner

ICT Security Specialist ($120,000)

Anaesthetist

Psychiatrist

Environmental Research Scientist Food Technologist

ICT Managers ($120,000)

Multimedia Specialist ($95,000)

Orthoptist

Veterinarian

Other Spatial Scientist

Special Physicians not elsewhere classified. Surgeon (including General Surgeons, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Neurosurgeon, Orthopaedic Surgeon, Otorhinolaryngologist, Urologist and Vascular Surgeon)

Other medical practioners (including dermatologist, Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, Ophthalmologist Diagnostic and Interventional Radiologist and Radiation Oncologist)

Medical Laboratory Scientist, Clinical Psychologists and Psychologists, Physicist (Medical)

By 10th October 2022 these jobs will also be added to the List

Analyst Programmer, Developer Programmer, Software Tester, Software and Applications Programmers not elsewhere classified

The occupations fall into categories including construction, engineering, health and social services, primary industries and science, and ICT, electronics and telecommunications. Minimum salary may be paid for some of the roles, but will be adapted to the median wage each year, while others will attract a higher pay.
The Green List is very narrowly defined, so it is not simply a matter of matching a job title, and employers must be accredited to offer a role to a candidate. Applicants must also be able to prove that their overseas qualification meets the comparable New Zealand qualification standard (based on the New Zealand Qualifications Framework, or NZQF), and to qualify under that framework they must get a New Zealand Qualifications Authority assessment of their qualification, or have one that is on the list of qualifications exempt from assessment. To qualify, an applicant will need to have a job offer that matches their occupation’s description or requirements.
The application will be completely online. If you meet the criteria and are: eligible for a Green List visa, have a job offer from an accredited employer, and your occupation is on the direct-to-residence pathway; you can apply for a work visa starting 4 July this year, and apply for residence from September. If your role is on the Green List’s work-to-residence pathway you can also seek an AEWV in July but will need to complete the two years of work before seeking residence.
Depending on whether you are applying from within New Zealand or from overseas, the application fee and immigration levy will be between NZD 4,020 and NZD 4,890.
The New Zealand government says applications will be processed within 30 days once an employer is accredited.
Partners of migrants in Green List occupations will also have open work rights, until December 2022 when partners of migrant workers will be required to obtain their own AEWV, or alternatively obtain a visitor’s visa. A visitor’s visa means they can attend job interviews and look for work, but they cannot work while on a visitor’s visa.
You can still apply to work in New Zealand by applying for an AEWV and obtaining residence via the Skilled Migrant category (currently under review).
Because the Green List is so narrowly defined, your qualifications may not meet the comparable NZQF standard for your occupation, or the requirements of the job description. For employers, the job description may not be closely enough aligned to the description of the role that Immigration New Zealand will use, so the applicant may not meet the requirements and you will not be able to hire them.
Talk to the team at Sky Civil Recruitment! We can assess migrant qualifications against the New Zealand standards, the job description and job offer. We can also assess eligibility and what that means for a partner, and what other visa options there are. If you’re an employer the team at Sky Civil Recruitment can advise whether your role meets the requirements, including income thresholds.