Check or change your work visa conditions
Find out how to check your work visa conditions and apply for a variation of conditions or Job Change.
Check your work visa conditions
Your work visa comes with conditions on it. Conditions tell you what you can and cannot do on your visa.
You can find your visa conditions:
- in your
- on the visa label in your passport, if you have a label
- in the letter we sent you when we gave you the visa
- online using the Visa Verification Service.
Using the Visa Verification Service
To change your visa conditions, you need to apply for a
If you cannot change your visa conditions, you will need to apply for a new visa.
Note
Changing the conditions of your visa will not change its expiry date.
- a ticket to leave New Zealand to a
, or - enough money to buy a ticket out of New Zealand, or
- an acceptable sponsor who can pay for your ticket out of New Zealand.
- who you can work for
- the occupation or job you can work in
- the location of your job
- how much you must be paid
- how many hours you must work in a week
- the employment arrangement, for example whether you can work in a
arrangement.
The following are some common conditions of work visas.
Visa expiry date
The last day you can stay in New Zealand on your visa.
Return/onward travel not required
Unless your visa states 'Return/onward travel not required', you must have:
Travel conditions
First entry before
The 'First entry before' travel condition means that you must arrive in New Zealand before this date.
If you do not enter New Zealand before the 'First entry before' date, your visa will no longer be valid.
Number of entries
If your visa states you have
Expiry date travel
The last day you can enter New Zealand using this visa.
Your visa will expire if you are outside New Zealand and your 'Expiry date travel' has passed.
Work conditions
You must only work under the conditions specified in your visa.
The conditions can include:
Study conditions
Some visas allow you to study for a set amount of time.
If your visa allows you to study, you must only study under the conditions specified in your visa.
If you are in New Zealand and want to stay past the date your visa expires, you cannot extend your visa. You must apply for another temporary visa instead, before your current one expires. It can be to visit, study or work.
To apply for another temporary visa while you are in New Zealand, you must have a current visa that is not a limited visa, Interim Visa or Transit Visa.
You should apply for another visa at least 1 month before your current visa's expiry date.
How long it takes to process a visa application
If your current temporary visa is going to expire while you are waiting for our decision, we will normally issue you an Interim Visa to let you stay in New Zealand lawfully. The conditions on an Interim Visa depend on the visa you previously had and the new visa you have applied for.
Warning
You must have a current New Zealand visa to be in New Zealand lawfully. If your visa expires and you are still in New Zealand without a new visa or an Interim Visa, you will be here unlawfully and can be deported.
Conditions you can change
If your work visa comes with conditions on any of the following, you can apply to change them:
- the employer you work for
- the job you are doing
- the location you are working in (if multiple locations have not been approved as a condition of your visa)
- how long you can study for while you work.
- Your employer must be an AEWV accredited employer, and have a valid job check for your new job.
- You will need the
number (also called your job check number) for your application. - Your job token must be for the same type of visa that you currently have. For example, if you have an Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) and your job token is for a Peak Seasonal Visa (PSV) or Global Workforce Seasonal Visa (GWSV) you cannot apply for a Job Change.
- If you have a GWSV, you can only apply for a Job Change to change to a job on the Global Workforce Seasonal Visa jobs list.
- If you have a PSV, you can only apply for a Job Change to change to a job on the Peak Seasonal Visa jobs list.
- If you have an AEWV, the total time you can stay in New Zealand on an AEWV before you must spend time outside New Zealand can be 3 or 5 years, depending on your job. Time spent on a PSV or GWSV does not count towards how long you can stay on an AEWV.
- If you have a PSV, the total time you can stay in New Zealand each year is 7 months.
- If you have a GWSV, the total time you can stay in New Zealand each year is 9 months.
- you applied for your current AEWV before 6 April 2024
- you were paid at least NZD $29.66 an hour when you got your AEWV, and
- your job is Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) skill level 4 or 5.
- you applied for your first AEWV between 21 June 2023 and 6 April 2024, and
- your current job is an AEWV job that can have a maximum visa length of 5 years and is at
level 4 or 5. - your job, or job location, is changing because of a restructure, liquidation or bankruptcy, or
- you are being made redundant — meaning your employer can no longer employ you in your job, or
- you have been fired from your job.
- it is on the Essential Skills in Demand List and you meet the requirements
- it pays at least NZD $67.12 an hour (twice the 2024 median wage), or
- the job is on the Green List, and you meet the requirements on the list.
- a letter from your employer that declares they could not find suitable or available New Zealanders for the job — if they were required to advertise the job
- evidence to show that you are qualified for the job — if the new job has different skills and requirements to your old job.
- is accredited under the Talent (accredited employer) rules
- was previously accredited under the Talent (accredited employer) rules but their accreditation expired after 31 March 2021
- is not accredited under the Talent (accredited employer) rules, if your current job is no longer available for reasons outside your control.
- was accredited under the Talent (accredited employer) rules and their accreditation expired after 31 March 2021, or
- is currently accredited under the Talent (accredited employer) rules or the AEWV rules.
- a job offer for a job on our LTSSL, and
- the skills, experience, qualifications or registration listed on the LTSSL as a requirement for your occupation.
- the list of non-compliant employers maintained by the Labour Inspectorate, or
- the immigration stand-down list.
- be in New Zealand
- aged 55 or younger when you apply
- have had an LTSSL Work Visa for at least 2 years, and
- meet the other requirements for the resident visa.
- the work you do is legal
- you do not provide commercial sexual services
- you do not invest or operate in a business that provides commercial sexual services
- you have any occupational registration that is needed to do that work in New Zealand.
- earn at least NZD $26.85 an hour, and
- have an Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) or Essential Skills Work Visa (ESWV).
Changing your accredited employer, job or location
You can apply for a Job Change to change your employer, job, location, or a combination of these.
Global Workforce Seasonal Visa jobs
The time left on your visa does not change if you get a Job Change.
If you are changing your job, you must meet any qualification or work experience requirements that your new employer listed in the job advertisement.
If your employer sells the business or has a restructure
If your employer is transferring you to another business due to a business sale or restructure, you will need to apply for a Job Change.
A business sale or restructure happens when the legal owner of the business changes. If the reporting line changes but the organisation and main duties of the job stay the same, you do not need to apply for a Job Change.
Reusing or resending AEWV job tokens and transferring AEWV workers
If your employer loses accreditation
If your employer loses accreditation, you can continue working for them until your visa expires. However, if you choose to find a job with a new
Maximum continuous stay and changing your job
The total time you can stay, or
Check your visa length and the total time you can stay for your current job and new job, before you check if you can change jobs.
How long you can stay on an AEWV
If you have an AEWV and your current job is entitled to a maximum visa length of 5 years, you cannot change to a job that has a maximum visa length of 3 years, unless:
You can change to a job at the same ANZSCO level or higher than your current job, without losing your 5-year AEWV if:
Example
You have been in New Zealand for 4 years on an AEWV. You cannot move to a job that has a maximum continuous stay of 3 years.
Contact us if you have been told that:
Our Customer Service Centre staff can explain how this will affect your work visa. They will let you know if you need to vary the conditions of your work visa, apply for a Job Change, or apply for a new work visa
The Employment New Zealand website has information for workers affected by a redundancy, liquidation, restructure or bankruptcy, including how to make a claim for any money owed.
Redundancy — Employment New Zealand
When your employer goes into liquidation or bankruptcy — Employment New Zealand
Restructuring and workplace change — Employment NZ
If you have an AEWV and your employer is changing due to a business sale or restructure, check the 'Changing your Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) or seasonal AEWV (GWSV or PSV)' section for more information.
If you have an ESWV, you can apply to change your employer, job, location or a combination of these.
Your new employer must have advertised the job, unless:
You will need:
Before 4 July 2022 employers were able to apply for accreditation under the Talent (Accredited Employer) Work Visa rules. It was replaced by the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) from 4 July 2022. Visas given under the Talent (Accredited Employer) rules are still valid.
You can apply to change the conditions of your Talent (accredited employer) Work Visa to work for an employer who:
Your new job must pay at least the minimum salary you needed to earn when you applied for your visa.
You will need an 'Employer supplementary form (INZ 1113)' completed by your new employer, unless your employer:
Talent (accredited employer) Work Visa
If your employer loses their accreditation
If your employer loses or does not renew their accreditation, you can keep working for them without applying for a variation to the conditions of your visa.
Before 4 July 2022, you could apply for this visa if you had a job offer for a role on the Long Term Skill Shortage List (LTSSL). It was replaced by the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV). If you have a Long Term Skills Shortage List Work Visa and your situation changes, you can change or update your visa conditions.
Changing to a different job, employer or location
You can apply for a variation of conditions to change your job, employer or location.
If you want to change your job, you must have:
If you want to change your employer, we can decline your application if the new employer is included on:
Employers on stand-down – Employment New Zealand
Apply for a Job Change or a variation of conditions if you have a work visa
If your job was removed from the Long Term Skill Shortage List
If your job has been removed from the long term skill shortage list, your current Long Term Skill Shortage List (LTSSL) Work Visa will not be affected.
You can still apply for residence if you have been employed in New Zealand for 2 years on your visa, even if your job has been removed from the list. You must:
If you have a Partner of a Worker Work Visa with work conditions, you can apply for a variation of conditions to remove them. This means you will be able to work in any employment you like, as long as:
To remove your work conditions, your partner must:
If you have an open work visa, you do not need to let us know if you change your employer, job or location. You must continue to meet the other conditions of your visa.
If you lose occupational registration for your job, and the law requires that you have it, you cannot work in that job.
You will need to apply for a new work visa, or a Job Change or
District Health Boards (DHBs) are now called Te Whatu Ora — Health New Zealand.
If your employer is listed as a District Health Board (DHB) in your visa conditions, you can leave it as is. We accept your DHB visa condition as working for Health New Zealand.
Changing how long you can study for on a work visa
To study for more than 3 months on a work visa, check if you need to change the conditions of your current visa. If your main reason for being in New Zealand will be to study, you will need to apply for a student visa instead.
You do not need to do anything if:
- your employer has asked you to attend a course as part of your job, or
- you have a working holiday visa and are studying for less than 6 months.
Studying for more than 3 months
Apply for a variation of conditions if you want to study part-time for more than 3 months on your work visa. Your main reason for being in New Zealand is still to work, but you want to do extra part-time study.
With your application you need to include:
- an offer of place from the education provider you want to study with, and
- evidence that you have paid the tuition fees.
If study will be more important than work
Apply for a student visa if your study will be more important than your work. Your main reason for being in New Zealand will be to study.
Visas for studying in New Zealand
Changing your travel conditions
If you need to change the travel conditions on your work visa, you can apply on paper for a 'variation of travel conditions'.
For example, if you have a 'single entry' travel condition, you can apply to change it to a 'multiple entry' travel condition to let you travel in and out of New Zealand many times.
When you need a new visa
In some cases, it is not possible to apply for a variation of conditions, and you will need a new visa. For example, if you want to be self-employed.
You can be self-employed if you have a work visa with open work conditions.
If your visa does not have open work conditions, you will need to apply for a different visa. We have visas that let you invest in a business.
Note
You must apply for a new visa before your current visa expires. If your current temporary visa is going to expire while you are waiting for our decision, we will normally issue you an Interim Visa to let you stay in New Zealand lawfully.
How to apply for a variation of conditions or Job Change
Documents you need
For all applications you will need a copy of your passport or
If you are changing your job, employer or the location where you work, you will also need:
- an offer of employment or employment agreement
- the job token number, if required for an AEWV or seasonal AEWV (GWSV or PSV)
- your Employer supplementary form (INZ 1113) completed by your new employer, if they are not an accredited employer
- a covering letter that sets out the length of your notice period, if required
- a signed Work visa declaration form (INZ 1225) if someone else is applying on your behalf.
Job offer or employment agreement details
The job offer or employment agreement must contain:
- the name of the employer
- the name of the person who is being offered the job, and
- details of the job.
Details of the job include:
- job title or designation
- location of employment
- type of work, duties and responsibilities involved
- details of pay and conditions of employment
- the hours of work, and
- the duration of the job.
If you are applying to change your visa to an open work visa
You will also need evidence:
- of your partner's pay rise, or
- that your partner meets their Green List job requirements.
If you are changing your conditions to study for more than 3 months
You will also need:
- an offer of place from the education provider
- evidence you have paid the tuition fees.
- Job Change, if you have an AEWV, or seasonal AEWV (GWSV or PSV)
- variation of conditions, if you have a different work visa.
- your original work visa would have been given for the new work conditions you are asking for
- you have met the conditions of your current visa, and
- you still have a genuine intention to work in New Zealand.
- your original work visa would have been given for the new work conditions you are asking for
- you have met the conditions of your current visa, and
- you still have a genuine intention to work in New Zealand.
You can apply online for a:
Note
To apply for a variation of travel conditions, you will need to apply on paper.
1. Submit your application and pay the fee
To apply online, log in to your account, or set up an account if you do not have one already.
You can then fill in your application, upload your documents and pay the applicable fees.
Apply online for a Job Change or a variation of conditions for work visa holders
2. Wait for our decision
We will check that:
Genuine intentions to visit or work in New Zealand
We will let you know when we make a decision.
We may need more information from you before we can approve your application. We will contact you and let you know what we need.
When we approve your application, we will give you an updated eVisa.
Note
The changes to your visa do not start until we approve your application and give you an updated eVisa.
You can apply on paper to vary the conditions of your visa including travel conditions.
Note
To apply for a Job Change for an AEWV, or seasonal AEWV (GWSV or PSV), you need to apply online.
1. Complete the application form
Complete the application form and attach all supporting documents.
2. Submit your application and pay the fee
Use the tool on the page 'Fees, decisions times and where to apply' to find out how much it costs to apply for a variation of conditions, where to submit your application, and how long a decision will take.
Fees, decision times and where to apply
Note
Type in 'variation' to start your search when using the tool.
How long it takes to process an application
3. Wait for our decision
We will check that:
Genuine intentions to visit or work in New Zealand
We will let you know when we make a decision.
We may need more information from you before we can approve your application. We will contact you and let you know what we need.
When we approve your application, we will give you an updated eVisa.
Note
The changes to your visa do not start until we approve your application and give you an updated eVisa.
To apply for another temporary visa, you must:
- be in New Zealand when you apply
- have a current visa that is not a limited visa, Interim Visa or Transit Visa.