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
For most government roles, New Zealand citizenship or residence, and sometimes a security clearance

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
Read the eligibility line on every government vacancy before you apply
Public service job advertisements routinely state that applicants must be New Zealand citizens or residents, or must be eligible for a national security clearance — which in practice requires citizenship or a long residence history. This is a condition on the vacancy, not on your visa, and no work visa overrides it. In Wellington this filter removes a substantial share of the advertised market for a new migrant.
OnlineWho: You
3
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. Wellington's departments and larger firms are generally accredited; the consultancies, agencies and small studios that orbit them frequently are not.
Via employerWho: Your employer
4
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
5
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
6
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

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

In Wellington, a work visa gets you into the country and does not get you into the job market's biggest employer.

Central government is the city's defining sector and a large share of its vacancies specify New Zealand citizenship or residence, with security-cleared roles effectively closed to anyone without citizenship or long residence. That is a recruitment condition set by the hiring agency, and no immigration status you can obtain in advance changes it. A policy or economics professional moving to Wellington on an AEWV should assume the addressable market is the private sector, the Crown entities that hire more openly, and the consultancies — and should check each advertisement's eligibility line individually rather than assuming.

Source: New Zealand public service recruitment practice; Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission

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. 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 neatly sidesteps Wellington's public-sector eligibility problem by not needing a local job at all.

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.

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

Check which Skilled Migrant Category ruleset applies before you build a residence plan on it.

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. Wellington's concentration of policy, communications and administrative occupations is exactly the part of the labour market most exposed to how those lists are drawn. Confirm where your occupation sits before you commit.

Source: Immigration New Zealand — Skilled Migrant Category

Common mistakes to avoid

Assuming a work visa makes you eligible for public service vacancies — most specify citizenship or residence.
Relying on any guide that still quotes the AEWV median-wage threshold, 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%.

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