Expert Immigration Services Ltd.

12/03/2026

New short term Graduate Work Visa announced for eligible NZQCF 5-7 graduates and Post Study Work Visa for eligible graduate diploma holders

23/09/2025

27/01/2025

Visitor visa rule change offers remote work options

New visa conditions will now allow visitors to work remotely for an overseas employer or client. The change applies to applications received from 27 January 2025 for all visitors, including tourists and people visiting family, and partners and guardians on longer-term visitor visas.

These new conditions mean that tourists can stay in New Zealand as a digital nomad and keep in touch with work back home, without breaching their visa conditions.

Both visitor visa recipients and people who enter with an NZeTA (New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority) will receive these conditions.

Visitor visa holders must not:

work for a New Zealand employer
provide goods or services to people or businesses in New Zealand
do work that requires them to be physically present at a workplace in New Zealand.
People who are intending to work remotely from New Zealand for more than 92 days in a 12-month period should ensure they are aware of any tax implications.

17/12/2024

Work visa reforms announced

Kia ora,

The Government has announced reforms to the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) scheme, a new seasonal work pathway and work rights for more Interim Visa holders.

The changes will be rolled out during 2025 and include removing wage thresholds, reducing work experience requirements and streamlining the Job Check process.

From 27 January 2025

Accredited employers will no longer need to complete Employment New Zealand’s online modules or offer migrants paid time to do these. This also applies to Recognised Seasonal Employers.
The percentage of New Zealanders that certain construction sector businesses must employ will reduce from 35 per cent to 15 per cent.

In March 2025

Wage thresholds for all AEWV roles will be removed. Employers still need to advertise and offer AEWV employees the market rate for their position and workplace location. This change does not affect existing employment agreements. There are no changes to the wages that AEWV workers must earn to apply for residence.
Migrants will need to demonstrate 2 years of relevant work experience, instead of 3 years currently.
Employers will no longer have to provide evidence of engagement with Work and Income in their Job Check. They will need to declare they have advertised lower-skilled roles with Work and Income, and interviewed appropriate candidates.
The AEWV duration for new migrants in a lower-skilled role will increase to 3 years, to align with the maximum time they can stay in New Zealand on an AEWV. Those currently on two-year visas will be able to apply for a further year.
AEWV migrants will need to earn at least NZ$55,844 a year to bring children, along with meeting other criteria. This threshold has not been updated since 2019.
Further detail and an implementation date will be released in early 2025.

Other changes announced today include:

From April 2025, some work and student visa holders who apply for an AEWV can receive an Interim Visa that allows them to work while their AEWV application is processed.
In mid-2025, a new Job Check process will be in place, to allow for greater streamlining for low-risk employers and improve processing timeframes.
In November 2025, two new pathways for seasonal workers will be introduced, including a 3-year multi-entry visa for experience workers and a 7-month single entry visa for lesser-skilled workers. The existing temporary seasonal pathways will remain available until then.

22/02/2024

Median wage increase, Accredited Employer Work Visa exceptions

21/12/2023

The median wage increase pause for the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV), Worker Protection Act taking effect, an update for labour hire employers and a fix for a recent Immigration Online issue.

AEWV median wage increase paused

The Government is pausing the increase of the median wage rate for the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) that was due to go up in February 2024.

All current wage rates in place will remain, including:

NZ$29.66 per hour for migrants employed on most AEWVs
NZ$26.16 per hour for AEWV holders covered by the Care Workforce Sector Agreement
Specific wage rates for other sector agreements and roles with exemptions to the median wage.
The median wage will still increase to NZ$31.61 in February 2024 for other visa categories that use it, such as the Skilled Migrant Category and Parent Category. However, this planned increase will not impact applications that are received before the increase.

More information on any changes to AEWV settings will be announced in due course.

AEWV median wage update

21/12/2023

This email is about the median wage increase pause for the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV), Worker Protection Act taking effect, an update for labour hire employers and a fix for a recent Immigration Online issue.

04/12/2023

Permanent Resident Visa applications moving online

(PRV), Second or Subsequent Resident Visa and Variation of Travel Conditions of a Resident Visa applications will move to our enhanced Immigration Online system at the end of January 2024.
This is one step we are taking to prepare for a significant increase in the number of PRV applications next year, due to the number of 2021 Resident Visa applicants who will be eligible to apply.
By moving applications into our enhanced Immigration Online system, we reduce the need for applicants to send us physical documents, like passports and forms. This will help us process applications quickly and applicants will be able to track the progress of their application online.
Please note that more specific permanent resident visa products, such as the Global Impact Permanent Resident Visa and the Afghan Emergency Resettlement Permanent Resident Visa, are not being moved to the enhanced Immigration Online system at this time and should continue to be applied for using the paper form.



Including secondary applicants in PRV application
The enhanced Immigration Online system does not allow secondary applicants to be added after an application has been submitted.
In some instances, secondary applicants for 2021 Resident Visas were not included when the application was submitted. Applicants were then advised to upload a cover letter to their application to request their partners and/or dependent children be included.
Immigration New Zealand (INZ) acknowledges that, in a small number of cases, the request was overlooked and principal applicants were granted residence visas without their partners and/or dependent children included. Therefore, their PRV eligibility is later than the principal applicant.
We do not want these secondary applicants to be affected when applying for a PRV as a result of this situation.
We encourage those affected to apply for PRV as a family group when the principal applicant is eligible. They should include a cover letter explaining that secondary applicants on their application were affected, along with a copy of an email from INZ that we will send them directly.
INZ will then consider granting a PRV as an exception to immigration instructions.