Some work visas come with conditions or rules about your employment. Find out if you can change these conditions or apply for a Job Change.
Your conditions are recorded in your eVisa, on the visa label in your passport, or explained to you in a letter we sent you.
If your work visa comes with conditions you can apply to change:
Even if you change the conditions of your visa, it will still expire on the same date.
If your work visa lets you work in any job, for any employer and in any location, you do not need to apply for a variation of conditions or a Job Change.
If you are changing your job, employer or the location where you work, you need to include in your application:
Employer supplementary form (INZ 1113) PDF 388KB
You can apply for a Job Change to change your employer, job, location, or a combination of these.
Your employer must be accredited to hire migrants for the AEWV and have a valid job check for your new job. You will need the job check approval number for your application.
If you want to change to a job paid below the median wage, it must be exempt from paying the median wage. Your current visa must also be valid for no longer than the maximum visa length allowed for roles paid below the median wage. You must apply for a new AEWV if your current visa is valid for longer than the time allowed.
Roles exempt from the median wage
We use the current median wage when assessing Job Change applications.
We will use NZD $27.76 an hour as the median wage until 27 February 2023. From 27 February 2023 we will use NZD $29.66, unless your role is exempt.
You can apply to change your employer, job, location, or a combination of these.
If you are changing your job or location, your employer must:
During your application you will need to upload a letter from your employer. In the letter they must declare they could not find suitable or available New Zealanders for the job.
Your employer does not need to advertise your new job, and you do not need to upload a letter, if the role is:
If your new job has different skills and experience requirements to your old job, you will need to show that you are suitably qualified for the job.
If you have a Post Study Work Visa (employer-assisted) or we accepted your application for one before 26 November 2018, you can choose to have the job, location and employer removed. You can then work for any employer.
Changing a Post Study Work Visa
Before 4 July 2022 employers were able to apply for accreditation under the Talent (accredited employer) Work Visa policy. It was replaced by the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) from 4 July 2022. Visas granted under the Talent (accredited employer) policy are still valid.
You can apply for a variation of conditions to change your employer.
You can change to an employer:
You do not need to complete an Employer supplementary form (INZ 1113) if your new employer:
Your new job must pay the same or more than the minimum salary you needed to earn when you applied for your visa.
Talent (accredited employer) Work Visa
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.
If you hold a work visa with conditions you can change to an open visa if your partner has either:
The wage requirements page has the current median wage rate.
Wage rate requirements for visas
Pay rise evidence you need for your application are your partner's:
Green List evidence must show that your partner meets the Green List requirements. These are set out for each role in the Green List.
Download and complete the application form.
INZ 1020 Application for a Variation of Conditions PDF 268KB
Our online fees tool can tell you how much your application will be and where to send it.
Fees, decision times, where to apply
If you need to change your job and/or location because your work has been impacted by the extreme weather events that happened in January and February 2023, you can do this for up to 2 months without breaching your visa conditions.
You cannot change your employer. If you want to change your employer you must apply for a Job Change. If you want to change your job and/or location for more than 2 months you also must apply for a Job Change.
You and your employer must both agree to vary your location or job. You or your employer do not need to let us know about the change. This measure is only for situations where workers need to work outside their conditions as a direct result of extreme weather events.
RSE employers have additional obligations towards their workers. We have communicated directly with RSE employers about options for flexibility within the RSE scheme. You can speak with your employer for more information if you are an RSE worker.
If you want to study for more than 3 months on a work visa, you may need to apply for a variation of conditions or a student visa.
Your visa must match your main purpose for being in New Zealand. If your main purpose is still to work, but your study will complement this work, then normally you need to apply for a variation of conditions. If your main purpose is to study, then you should apply for a student visa.
Apply for a variation of conditions if you want to study part time for more than 3 months.
With your application you need to include:
Apply for a student visa if your study will be more important than your work.
Explore visa options to study
If you are planning to study for more than 3 months, you do not need to apply for a variation of conditions or a student visa if:
Work visa holders can apply online for a variation of conditions and AEWV holders can apply online for a Job Change.
If you need to apply for a variation of travel conditions, you will need to apply on paper.
Application for a Job Change or a variation of conditions for work visa holders
Follow these steps.
Application for a Variation of Conditions or a Variation of Travel Conditions (INZ 1020) PDF 268KB
Our online tool also tells you how long it normally takes us to make a decision.
Fees, decision times and where to apply
Before we approve your application we check that:
Information valid as at 2023/06/02 12:04:46.386694 GMT+12