Before you apply for a Job Check

Before you can apply for a Job Check gather this information and documents about the job. You may need to advertise the job and engage with Work and Income.

How to apply for a Job Check

Before you apply for a Job Check

Before you start an application you need to have:

  • the right level of accreditation for the jobs you want to fill
  • the job title and location of the work
  • prepared an acceptable job offer, job description and a draft employment agreement
  • the Australia and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) code and skill level that best matches the job you are offering
  • advertised the job, unless your job is exempt
  • engaged with Work and Income if it is ANZSCO level 4 or 5.

Check the accreditation levels.

How to apply for AEWV employer accreditation

Find out how to find a job's ANZSCO code and skill level.

Check the ANZSCO list

Alert

Make sure that the job description of the role you are hiring for mostly matches the ANZSCO description of that role. If it does not we may reassess it at a lower ANZSCO level.

Advertise the job and engage with Work and Income

Unless your role is exempt, you will need to advertise the job before you submit your Job Check application.

If the job is ANZSCO level 4 and 5 you also need to engage with Work and Income before you start a Job Check application.

You can apply for a Job Check within 90 days of your advertisement closing and your engagement with Work and Income ending.

Advertise a job or engage with Work and Income

Prepare an acceptable job offer

The job you offer must fulfil the requirements for an AEWV.

The job offer must:

  • be for full-time work and guarantee at least 30 hours a week
  • pay the market rate and at least NZD$29.66 an hour (the February 2023 median wage rate), unless it is on an exemption list.

Wage rate requirements for visas

AEWV roles exempt from paying the median wage

How we calculate pay rates for the AEWV

Median wage comparison calculator

Prepare an employment agreement

Prepare an unsigned draft contract or employment agreement for the job you are offering.

It needs to have:

  • you named as the direct employer
  • all clauses required by employment law and excludes clauses that do not comply
  • paid leave entitlements
  • deductions, benefits or allowances
  • the maximum number of hours the employee may be asked to work before being paid additional overtime rates
  • wages, pay range, and the pay period
  • the overtime rate of pay (if applicable)
  • guaranteed hours and actual pay — you must guarantee at least 30 hours each week
  • the number of hours the employee may be asked to work, including any hours paid at overtime rates.

Things an employment agreement must contain — Employment New Zealand

Deductions — Employment New Zealand

You can still negotiate pay and hours with the worker, as long as the actual hours are within the range provided in your Job Check. The information you provide helps us check the guaranteed pay rate if we need to.

Note

You are not allowed to use trial periods in employment agreements when hiring people on an Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV). If you have a Job Check application in progress with us and it includes an employment agreement with a trial period, we will either decline it or request updated information.

The 90-day trial rule does not apply to:

  • Job Checks approved before 29 October 2023
  • migrants who already hold, or have applied for, an AEWV based on a Job Check that was approved before 29 October 2023.

Gather your documents

During your Job Check application you will need to upload:

  • a copy of an acceptable job offer
  • the draft employment agreement
  • evidence you advertised the job, if needed
  • your Work and Income Engagement Check, if you needed to engage with Work and Income about the job
  • information about the number of New Zealanders who applied for the job, and for ANZSCO level 4 or 5 jobs, the reasons they were not suitable or available.