Before you start

For the AEWV, a job offer from an employer accredited by Immigration New Zealand
Pay at least the minimum wage — NZD 23.95 an hour from 1 April 2026 — and the New Zealand market rate for the role
At least two years of relevant experience, or a relevant qualification
Health and character requirements, including chest x-rays for longer stays

Step-by-step

1
Check whether you need a work visa at all
If your income comes entirely from an employer or clients outside New Zealand, a visitor visa or NZeTA now permits that work outright with no stated cap. You still cannot work for a New Zealand employer or serve New Zealand clients. For a remote worker this is the cheapest legal route into the country and most guides have not caught up with it.
OnlineWho: You
2
Confirm the employer is accredited before you get to the offer stage
The AEWV requires the employer to hold accreditation and to have completed a job check for the role before you can apply. You cannot lead this step. Ask about accreditation status in the first interview — smaller Canterbury employers frequently have not gone through it and do not realise it blocks the hire.
Via employerWho: Your employer
3
Apply for the AEWV online
Pay must meet the statutory minimum wage and the New Zealand market rate for the role. The market-rate test replaced the old median-wage threshold on 10 March 2025 and is what actually binds now.
OnlineWho: You
4
Get health and character checks moving early
Medical certificates and police certificates are required depending on visa length and where you have lived, and they are the usual cause of delay rather than the application itself.
In personWho: You
5
Apply for your IRD number as soon as you arrive
Free and started online. Without it and an IR330 your employer must tax you at 45%. Do it before your start date rather than after.
OnlineWho: YouWeek 1
6
Check which Skilled Migrant Category ruleset applies before filing for residence
The SMC changed again in August 2026, introducing a Skilled Work Experience pathway and a Trades and Technician pathway alongside Red and Amber occupation lists that exclude or restrict certain roles. If residence is the goal, confirm where your occupation sits before you build a plan around it.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport
Job offer from an accredited employer, with a completed job check
Evidence of two years' relevant experience or a relevant qualification
Medical certificate and chest x-ray, depending on visa length
Police certificates from countries you have lived in
Professional registration documents, for regulated occupations

Things most newcomers don’t know

New Zealand has no digital nomad visa because it changed the visitor visa instead.

Since 27 January 2025 every visitor visa and NZeTA carries a condition permitting remote work for an overseas employer with no stated cap on volume. You must not work for a New Zealand employer or supply New Zealand clients, and the work must stay incidental to your visit — but for a remote employee this is a far lighter path than any nomad visa in the region, and it is exactly why Christchurch's low costs and short commutes work so well for people paid from overseas.

Source: Immigration New Zealand — working remotely on a visitor visa, from 27 January 2025

The median-wage requirement is gone, and most articles still quote it.

From 10 March 2025 the AEWV requires only the statutory minimum wage plus the New Zealand market rate for the role. Sector agreements were abolished at the same time and the experience requirement fell from three years to two. Any guide quoting a median-wage figure is describing a system that no longer exists — and the change materially widened who a Canterbury employer in health, construction or hospitality can hire.

Source: Immigration New Zealand — changes to the AEWV and median wage, 10 March 2025

Accreditation is the employer's problem and it is your bottleneck.

You cannot apply for an AEWV against a job offer from a non-accredited employer, however genuine the role. Canterbury's economy has a long tail of small engineering firms, farms, contractors and hospitality businesses that have never gone through accreditation and often do not know it stops them hiring you. Ask in the first interview rather than at the offer stage.

Source: Immigration New Zealand — AEWV employer requirements

In a rebuild city, the regulated-occupation registration matters as much as the visa.

Christchurch's demand is concentrated in construction, engineering, health and education, and all of those involve registration with a New Zealand body separate from immigration — Engineering New Zealand, the Medical or Nursing Council, the Teaching Council, or the licensed building practitioner scheme. A structural engineer with a valid visa and no New Zealand recognition cannot sign off work here. Start the registration file at the same time as the visa file, not after it.

Source: New Zealand professional registration bodies; community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Relying on any guide that still quotes the AEWV median-wage threshold — it was removed on 10 March 2025.
Accepting a job offer from an employer who is not accredited.
Doing work for New Zealand clients while on a visitor visa — remote work is only permitted for overseas employers.
Arriving without starting your IRD number application and being taxed at 45%.
Leaving professional registration until after arrival in a regulated occupation.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.

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