The AEWV, explained simply: New Zealand’s employer work visa

Sponsored jobs in New Zealand for Indonesian workers usually use one visa: the AEWV. This guide takes you through it: the three checks, who can apply, English, health and police checks, each step of the process, family and residence.

Last updated: 2026-10-03. General information, not migration advice.

The AEWV in a nutshell

Hoping to work in New Zealand? When an employer there wants to hire you from overseas, this is usually the visa they use. Below you will see how its three checks link together and what to get ready.

The basics. The AEWV (Accredited Employer Work Visa) is the main temporary work visa New Zealand offers to people from overseas. It opens up once an accredited employer offers you a job; the employer then gives you a link to the online application. The role must give you 30 hours of work a week or more. The pay must reach the market rate for that job, and it can never be below a legal minimum such as New Zealand's minimum wage.

Work you cannot do on it: being self-employed, working as crew on a foreign fishing vessel, and planting, maintaining, harvesting or packing crops in horticulture or viticulture.

Three checks, in order

Is the employer approved? The business must hold accreditation from Immigration New Zealand.
Is the job approved? The business asks INZ for a job check on your role. This shows the pay and conditions are within the rules and, when required, that New Zealanders had the first chance at the job through advertising. An approved job check lasts 6 months.
Are you approved? You receive a personal link from the employer, known as a "job token". With it, you apply for the visa and prove you meet the skills, English, health and character requirements.

Official source: INZ: how employer accreditation and job checks work.

Can you apply? Skills, experience and qualifications

An offer of work from an accredited employer whose job check has been approved.
Your skills: relevant experience of 2 years or more, or a qualification at level 4 or above on the NZQCF (New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework). If you hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the subject does not matter.
Qualifications from overseas: relying on one below bachelor's level? Then NZQA has to assess it first, through an International Qualification Assessment (IQA).
When you do not need to show skills: for example, Green List jobs, jobs that require registration, and jobs paying NZD 67.12 or more an hour (as of October 2026, official page).

Think you fit? Browse sponsored jobs in New Zealand.

English test scores

Whether you need an English test depends on your job's skill level. Jobs at ANZSCO (or NOL) skill level 1 or 2: no English evidence needed. Jobs at skill level 3, 4 or 5: English evidence needed, with these minimums (as of October 2026, official page):

Accepted test	Score you need
IELTS	Overall band 4.0
OET	Grade D or better in each of the 4 skills
TOEFL iBT	31
PTE Academic	29
Cambridge B2 First	142

Sit the test in person, and use a result that is under 2 years old.

Health and police checks

Tuberculosis check (chest X-ray): required when your stay will be longer than 6 months and you are a citizen of a country that does not have a low incidence of tuberculosis, or have recently spent time in one. Indonesia is not a low-incidence country, so Indonesian citizens staying that long should plan for an X-ray. INZ must receive X-ray or medical results while they are under 3 months old.
Police certificates: required for applicants aged 17 or over whose total time in New Zealand will reach 24 months or more. Get them from every country of citizenship, and from each country you have lived in for more than 5 years since you were 17. A certificate older than 6 months will not be accepted. From Indonesia, this is the SKCK.

Official source: INZ: Accredited Employer Work Visa.

From job offer to visa: the steps

Apply for a job with an employer that is accredited.
Do the interview and receive an offer.
Wait for the employer's approvals: accreditation, plus an approved job check for your role.
Receive your job token: the link you apply through.
Pull your documents together: passport, police certificates, medical evidence, proof of your qualifications or experience, English results when they are required, and certified translations when they are required.
Lodge online and pay.
Receive the decision, travel and begin work.

How long it takes, what it costs and how long it lasts

Waiting time: INZ makes a decision on 80% of applications within 5.5 weeks (as of October 2026, official page). Add time before that for the employer's accreditation and job check, and for getting your own papers together.
Cost: the fee starts at NZD 1,540 (as of October 2026, official page). It varies by country; enter your details on the official page to see your exact fee.
Length of stay: the total limit is up to 5 years for most jobs. Jobs at ANZSCO skill level 4 or 5 usually have a limit of 3 years, but exceptions exist, such as earning NZD 52.50 or more per hour, or working in a Green List job (INZ on AEWV time limits). Once you hit the limit, you need to spend 12 months outside New Zealand before another AEWV is possible.
Day-to-day rules: only the approved job, only for your employer, and no second job. Study is allowed for up to 3 months in any 12 months.
New job or new employer: a change of employer, job or location needs a variation or a Job Change, which involves a new accredited employer and a job check. A Job Change does not extend your time on the visa (INZ on changing visa conditions).

Bringing your partner and children

An AEWV covers only you. Your partner and children each make their own visa application, and your job and pay decide which visas are open to them. Key pay levels (as of October 2026, official page):

Earning NZD 52.50 or more per hour: you can support a work visa for your partner, and visas for dependent children.
Earning NZD 28.00 or more per hour in an ANZSCO skill level 1 to 3 job: you can support a Partner of a Worker Work Visa.
Earning under NZD 28.00 per hour: a visitor visa is the only option for your partner.
Children: supporting a child visitor visa or a dependent child student visa takes an income of NZD 58,240 a year or more. Couples who both hold an AEWV may combine their incomes.

The full rules contain more detail and some exceptions, for example for Green List roles, so read the official page with your own situation in mind.

Staying long term: pathways to residence

The AEWV itself is temporary. Still, it can lead further: some holders can later apply for residence (as of October 2026, official page).

Green List: Tier 1 jobs can lead to the Straight to Residence Visa. Tier 2 jobs can lead to the Work to Residence Visa once you have worked full-time in the role in New Zealand for 24 months (Green List pathway).
Skilled Migrant Category (SMC): a resident visa for people up to age 55. It has three pathways: points-based, skilled work experience, and trades and technicians (SMC Resident Visa).

Rules for residence can change, so confirm them on the official pages before you plan.

Applying from Indonesia or from another country

This checklist follows the general requirements of Immigration New Zealand. Use it to plan, then confirm the details for your own case on the official pages.

Passport. Look at the expiry date. It must stay valid for 3 months or more past the day you plan to leave New Zealand.
Police certificates. Required once you are 17 or over and your total time in New Zealand will add up to 24 months or more. Get one from each country of citizenship (for most readers that means Indonesia, where you ask the Indonesian National Police for an SKCK), plus each country where you have lived more than 5 years since age 17. On the day you apply, each one must be under 6 months old. INZ needs the actual certificate; a receipt will not do. To see what to request in each country, use the INZ police certificate tool.
Proof of experience. It has to come from other people, not from you: think certificates of employment, payslips, tax certificates or reference letters. Each should show your job title, when you started and finished, and how to contact the employer. Sending only a CV is not enough.
Overseas qualifications. Relying on one below bachelor's level? NZQA must first complete an International Qualification Assessment (IQA).
Medicals. When a medical or chest X-ray is required, INZ must receive the results before they are 3 months old.
Translations. Every police and medical certificate needs a certified English translation, including police certificates with no convictions on them. If your SKCK is not in English, it needs one too. Translations by you, your relatives or your immigration adviser are not accepted (INZ translation rules).

Tips for applicants in Indonesia: a surat keterangan kerja (employment letter) from each employer, together with your payslips, is a good place to start for proof of experience. Ask for it on company letterhead with your job title and dates. Translate any document written in Bahasa Indonesia. For the full requirements, read the official AEWV page.

Also check, through official Indonesian government sources, any requirements Indonesia has for citizens working overseas.

Stay safe: scams and common mistakes

A job should never cost you a fee. New Zealand employers and agents are not allowed to charge you for a job. They also cannot make you cover their recruitment costs, whether they ask you directly or through someone else.
Paying for an offer can sink your visa. If INZ thinks you, or an agent acting for you, offered or promised an employer money in return for a job offer, it declines the AEWV.
The application fee is the only INZ charge. INZ will never tell you to pay visa fees by depositing money into a bank account.
Advice must be licensed. Only an adviser with a licence from the Immigration Advisers Authority, or a person exempt from licensing, can give immigration advice (INZ on immigration advice). Using an adviser is your choice; you can also apply yourself.
Easy mistakes to avoid: a CV sent where independent proof of experience is needed; police certificates past 6 months old; certificates with no translation; and saying yes to a job from an employer without accreditation or without an approved job check.

Frequently asked questions

Can I apply for an AEWV without a job offer?

No. The order is: job offer from an accredited employer, approved job check, then your job token arrives. That token is the link you use to apply.

How much experience does the AEWV need?

In most cases, relevant work experience of 2 years or more, or an NZQCF qualification at level 4 or above. Some jobs do not need this, such as Green List jobs and jobs with very high pay.

Do I need an IELTS score for the AEWV?

Only for jobs at ANZSCO skill level 3, 4 or 5. For those, the minimum is an overall IELTS band of 4.0, or a matching score on another accepted test (as of October 2026), and the result must be under 2 years old.

How fast is the AEWV?

As of October 2026, Immigration New Zealand makes a decision on 80% of applications within 5.5 weeks. The latest figure is on the official AEWV page.

How long can I stay on an AEWV?

Most jobs allow up to 5 years in total. Most jobs at ANZSCO skill level 4 or 5 allow up to 3 years. After the limit, you must spend 12 months outside New Zealand before another AEWV is possible.

Can my partner work in New Zealand too?

It depends on your pay and job. For example, earning NZD 52.50 or more per hour, or NZD 28.00 or more per hour in an ANZSCO skill level 1 to 3 job, may let your partner get a Partner of a Worker Work Visa.

Do I need a chest X-ray as an Indonesian citizen?

Probably, if you will stay in New Zealand for more than 6 months. A chest X-ray is needed for citizens of countries without a low incidence of tuberculosis, and Indonesia is one of them. The X-ray must be less than 3 months old when INZ receives it.

Can an employer or agent ask me to pay for the job?

No. New Zealand employers and agents are not allowed to charge you for a job or pass their recruitment costs to you. If you paid for a job offer, INZ will decline your visa.

Official sources

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