New Zealand work visa from Pakistan: the AEWV

The AEWV in short

The Accredited Employer Work Visa is the standard route for a New Zealand employer hiring from overseas. For Pakistani workers, this guide breaks down its three checks and the documents to get ready.

Known as the AEWV, it is New Zealand's principal temporary work visa for people from overseas. Eligibility starts with a job offer from an accredited employer, who sends you a link to apply online. Conditions on the job: 30 hours or more per week, pay at or above the market rate, and never under a legal minimum such as New Zealand's minimum wage.

Excluded work: self-employment; crewing on foreign fishing vessels; and crop work in horticulture or viticulture (planting, maintaining, harvesting or packing).

Three checks: employer, job, worker

1. Employer: accreditation from Immigration New Zealand.
2. Job: the employer seeks job check approval for your role, proving the pay and conditions comply and, where the rules require it, that the job was first advertised to New Zealanders. Approval is valid for 6 months.
3. Worker: you get a unique "job token" link from the employer and lodge your visa, demonstrating you satisfy the skills, English, health and character criteria.

Eligibility: skills, experience, qualifications

• Offer: made by an accredited employer whose job check is approved.
• Skills test: 2 years or more of relevant experience, or a New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework (NZQCF) qualification at level 4 or higher. Degrees at bachelor's level or above count in any field.
• Foreign qualifications under bachelor's level: these require an NZQA International Qualification Assessment (IQA).
• Exempt from the skills test: among others, Green List roles, roles requiring registration, and roles paying at least NZD 67.12 per hour (as of October 2026, official page).

Open roles: sponsored jobs in New Zealand.

English test scores

English proof depends on the role's skill level: required at ANZSCO (or NOL) skill level 3, 4 or 5, not required at skill level 1 or 2. Lowest accepted scores (as of October 2026, official page):

Sit the test in person. Results older than 2 years are not accepted.

Medical and police certificates

• TB screening (chest X-ray): applies if your stay will run beyond 6 months and you hold citizenship of, or recently spent time in, a country without a low tuberculosis incidence. Medical or X-ray results must be under 3 months old on the day INZ receives them.
• Police certificates: apply from age 17 if your total time in New Zealand will reach 24 months or more. Provide one from each country of citizenship and from each country you have lived in for over 5 years since turning 17, each under 6 months old. In Pakistan, request a police character certificate.

The process, in order

1. Apply for a role with an accredited employer.
2. Interview; the employer makes an offer.
3. Employer approvals: accreditation in place, job check approved for your position.
4. Job token received: this is your application link.
5. Documents assembled: passport, proof of qualifications or experience, English result where required, police certificates and medical evidence, plus certified translations as needed.
6. Online application lodged, fee paid.
7. Outcome, then travel and your first day at work.

Processing time, fee and visa length

• Decision time: INZ decides 80% of applications in 5.5 weeks or less (as of October 2026, official page). Before that, allow for the employer's accreditation and job check plus your own document gathering.
• Application fee: NZD 1,540 and up (as of October 2026, official page). The amount varies by country, and the official page calculates it from your details.
• Maximum stay: 5 years in total for most roles; 3 years for roles at ANZSCO skill level 4 or 5 unless an exception applies, such as hourly pay of NZD 52.50 or higher or a Green List role (AEWV time limits). Hit the limit and you must spend 12 months outside New Zealand before another AEWV can be granted.
• Working conditions: approved job, approved employer, no second job. Study is capped at 3 months in any 12 months.
• Switching: changing employer, job or location requires a variation of conditions or a Job Change (new accredited employer plus job check). A Job Change adds no time to the visa (changing visa conditions).

Partner and children

The AEWV covers only you. Your partner and children make separate visa applications, and your pay and role decide what they can get. Thresholds (as of October 2026, official page):

• Hourly pay NZD 52.50 or higher: you can support a partner work visa and visas for dependent children.
• Hourly pay NZD 28.00 or higher, in a role at ANZSCO skill level 1 to 3: you can support a Partner of a Worker Work Visa.
• Hourly pay below NZD 28.00: your partner is eligible for a visitor visa only.
• Children: supporting a child visitor visa or a dependent child student visa requires annual income of NZD 58,240 or more; two partners who both hold an AEWV may combine incomes.

Further detail and exceptions (Green List roles, for example) are on the official page. Read it with your own case in mind.

Routes to residence

Temporary does not have to mean short-term: some AEWV holders later qualify for residence (as of October 2026, official page).

• Green List: Tier 1 roles lead to the Straight to Residence Visa. Tier 2 roles lead to the Work to Residence Visa, once you have 24 months of full-time work in the role in New Zealand (Green List pathway).
• Skilled Migrant Category (SMC): a resident visa with a maximum age of 55 and three pathways: points-based; skilled work experience; trades and technicians (SMC Resident Visa).

Residence policy is revised from time to time. Confirm the current rules on the official pages before planning.

Applying from Pakistan

A summary of general Immigration New Zealand requirements, for planning only. It is not an assessment of your situation.

• Passport. Valid for 3 months or more after your planned departure date from New Zealand.
• Police certificates. Required from age 17 when your combined time in New Zealand will be 24 months or longer. Cover every country of citizenship (Pakistan, for most readers) and every country where you have lived over 5 years since turning 17, possibly including a Gulf country. Each must be under 6 months old on your application date. A receipt is no substitute: INZ needs the certificate. Country-by-country instructions: INZ police certificate tool.
• Experience evidence. Independent documents only, such as employment certificates, salary slips, tax records or reference letters stating your role, your employment dates and the employer's contact details. Your CV does not prove experience by itself.
• Overseas qualifications below bachelor's level. NZQA must complete an International Qualification Assessment (IQA) first.
• Medical evidence. If a medical or chest X-ray is needed, it must be under 3 months old on the day INZ receives it.
• Certified translations. Every police and medical certificate needs one, including certificates showing no convictions. Translations prepared by yourself, a family member or your immigration adviser are refused (INZ translation rules).

Checklist for applicants in Pakistan: prepare an English CV, collect an experience letter and salary slips from each employer, and request your police character certificate at the right time so it is still recent when you apply. Full requirements: the official AEWV page. Pakistani nationals going abroad for work normally complete emigration formalities before departure, such as registration with the Protector of Emigrants. Requirements can change, so confirm the current process with the Bureau of Emigration & Overseas Employment through official government sources.

Scams and mistakes to avoid

• Job fees are banned. No employer or agent in New Zealand may charge you for a job or pass its recruitment costs to you, directly or via a third party.
• A bought offer means a declined visa. If INZ considers that you, or your agent, offered or promised the employer money for a job offer, your AEWV will be declined.
• The only INZ charge is the application fee. INZ never asks for visa fees to be paid by bank deposit.
• Advice: licensed or exempt only. Immigration advice must come from an Immigration Advisers Authority licence holder or an exempt person (INZ on immigration advice). Whether to use an adviser is your choice.
• Mistakes to avoid: a CV in place of independent experience evidence; police certificates past the 6-month limit; missing translations; and a role with an employer lacking accreditation or an approved job check.

Read more: INZ guidance on immigration scams.

Frequently asked questions

Is an AEWV possible without a job offer?

No. First you need an offer from an accredited employer whose job check is approved. The employer then issues your job token: the link you apply through.

What experience does the AEWV require?

Normally 2 years or more of relevant experience, or an NZQCF qualification at level 4 or higher. Exemptions cover some roles, including Green List roles and very highly paid roles.

Is IELTS or PTE needed for the AEWV?

Only for roles at ANZSCO skill level 3, 4 or 5. Minimum: IELTS 4.0 overall or PTE Academic 29, or an equivalent result on another accepted test (as of October 2026), no older than 2 years.

Which police certificate do I need from Pakistan?

Normally a police character certificate. INZ asks for one if you are 17 or over and your total time in New Zealand will reach 24 months or more, and it must be under 6 months old when you apply. The INZ police certificate tool shows what is accepted for each country.

What is the AEWV processing time?

As of October 2026, INZ decides 80% of applications in 5.5 weeks or less. Check the AEWV page for the current figure.

What is the longest I can stay on an AEWV?

For most roles, 5 years in total; for most roles at ANZSCO skill level 4 or 5, 3 years. Once you hit the limit, you must spend 12 months outside New Zealand before another AEWV.

Will my partner be allowed to work?

That depends on your role and pay. Two examples: hourly pay of NZD 52.50 or higher, or NZD 28.00 or higher in a role at ANZSCO skill level 1 to 3, may allow your partner a Partner of a Worker Work Visa.

Is it legal for an employer or agent to charge me for the job?

No. In New Zealand, employers and agents may not charge job fees or pass recruitment costs to you, and INZ declines the visa if a job offer was paid for.