The Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) plays a key role for New Zealand employers in addressing skill shortages by allowing them to hire qualified migrant workers. This visa offers a pathway for skilled workers to work with accredited employers for up to five years, ensuring businesses have the talent they need for growth.
For skilled migrants, the AEWV provides an opportunity to live and work in New Zealand, with the potential to apply for residency through various pathways. It also allows them to support their families and gain work experience that can contribute toward permanent residency. Additionally, the visa offers flexibility for studying up to three months annually.
With upcoming reforms in 2025, including reduced wage thresholds and streamlined processes, the AEWV will become even more accessible, benefiting both employers and skilled migrants. This visa remains essential in filling vital roles while supporting migrants’ long-term goals in New Zealand.
One of the significant changes is the reduction of the experience threshold for migrants, from three years to two. This decision aims to strike a better balance between skill requirements and the challenges highlighted during consultations. By lowering the experience requirement, the government intends to improve the efficiency of the immigration process while still ensuring that migrants have the necessary expertise for their roles.
Earlier, to meet the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) skill requirements, migrants were required to demonstrate either three years or more of relevant work experience, or a qualification at Level 4 or higher on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework (NZQCF). This qualification or work experience needed to be directly related to the field or industry of the job offered. However, if a migrant holds a Bachelor’s degree or higher, their qualification could be in any field or industry. This ensured that workers possessed the necessary skills for their roles while also allowing some flexibility for higher-level qualifications. Now, with the recent reforms, the experience requirement has been reduced to two years, offering greater accessibility for skilled workers to enter the workforce.
By shortening the experience requirement, the policy ensures that skilled workers are more readily available to fill gaps in the New Zealand labor market. This decision reflects a deeper understanding of the changing dynamics within key sectors and takes into account feedback from both employers and migrants. The reduction acknowledges that while experience is crucial, there are alternative ways to assess a migrant’s suitability for employment without unnecessarily delaying the process.
This shift to a two-year experience requirement offers flexibility and creates more opportunities for skilled workers to contribute to New Zealand’s economy. It also aligns with broader efforts to streamline immigration procedures and make the system more responsive to market needs.
