Applying for your AEWV balance

You may be able to apply for a new AEWV if your current AEWV is expiring and you have more time you can stay in New Zealand for (also called your maximum continuous stay).

Working in New Zealand

What your AEWV balance is

Your Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) balance is the length of time you have left to stay in New Zealand on a new AEWV after your current AEWV ends.

The total length of time you can stay in New Zealand on one or more AEWVs — also called a maximum continuous stay — is up to 5 years depending on your role, pay and when you got your first AEWV.

How long you can stay on an AEWV

To apply for your balance

You need to apply for a new AEWV and pay a new visa application fee.

Your employer must send you a link to apply for a new AEWV — also called a job token.

Note

You must meet all requirements for the AEWV when applying for your balance, including new English language and skill requirements introduced on 7 April 2024.

Accredited Employer Work Visa

If you applied on or after 7 April 2024, you cannot reuse a job token to apply for your AEWV balance. You must use a new job token instead.

Reusing a job token

You may be able to reuse your original job token if you applied for your AEWV before on or before 6 April 2024.

Reusing an original job token means your employer can resend you the AEWV application immediately without needing to get a Job Check to hire you.

If your employer allows you to reuse a job token:

  • you must be working in the same role, for the same employer and in the same location
  • you must currently be paid the same amount or more than your original AEWV
  • depending on the date you applied you may need to meet other requirements, and
  • your employer must be accredited.

Check if an employer is accredited

If you are changing your role, employer or location you cannot reuse a job token. You must use a new job token instead.

Alert

If you do not meet the requirements and your application is declined, you will not be able to get a refund of your visa application fee. Make sure that you and your employer understand the requirements before reusing a job token.

If you applied for your AEWV between 21 June 2023 and 6 April 2024

You can reuse a job token to apply for the balance of your AEWV if:

  • you are paid at least the February 2023 median wage, or
  • your role is part of the care workforce or transport sector agreement.

Sector agreements and hiring migrants on an AEWV

If you applied for your AEWV on or before 20 June 2023

You can reuse a job token to apply for the balance of your AEWV if:

  • your current AEWV is based on a role assessed at ANZSCO level 1 to 3, and
  • you were paid at or above the median wage that was in place when you applied for your AEWV. You must continue to be paid at or above this rate.

Wage rate requirements for visas

If your role is ANZSCO level 4 or 5

In addition to other requirements for reusing a job token, if you have an AEWV for a job assessed at ANZSCO level 4 or 5, you can only apply with a reused job token if that role is:

  • on the Green list
  • included in the Care workforce sector agreement
  • an approved Transport Work to Residence role or one that was removed on 7 April 2024, or
  • paid at least 1.5 times the median wage that was in place when your visa was granted, and you are still paid this wage or more (this will be NZD$44.49 if your AEWV was granted after 27 February 2023, or NZD$41.64 if your visa was granted before 27 February 2023).

Green List roles

Sector agreements and hiring migrants on an AEWV

Transport Work to Residence Visa work requirements and roles

When to apply for your balance

You should consider waiting until closer to when your current AEWV expires before applying.

If you apply early and your situation changes, you may need to apply for a different visa or change the conditions of your current visa (variation of conditions).

Changing the conditions of a work visa or applying for a Job Change

You should consider if any medical or police certificates will still be valid at the time you apply.

How to apply

  1. Your employer sends you a request to apply for a further AEWV with a reused job token.
  2. Receive an email of the request.
  3. You check that you meet the requirements to get your AEWV balance.
  4. You accept the request. Select the Immigration Online link in the email to start the application for a further AEWV.
Note

You can only accept the link once. After that, you can log in from our website to continue your AEWV application.

Order we process applications with a reused job token

Applications for the AEWV balance with a reused job token go into a queue. We generally process applications in the order we receive them. However, for these balance applications we generally only start processing an application when your current AEWV expiry date is within the next 9 months.

In the unlikely situation that your current AEWV expires before we complete your application, you will automatically be granted an Interim Visa for up to 6 months so you can stay and continue working.

If you have a partner or dependent children applying for further visas, their applications are also put in a queue. We process their applications once we decide your application.

We expect a large number of people to apply for their balance of 5 years. This processing order manages demands on processing resources, while ensuring we treat visa applications fairly.

Using a new job token

If you applied for your first AEWV on or after 7 April 2024, or you do not meet the requirements to reuse a job token, you must use a new job token instead.

This means your employer must get a new Job Check approved for your job before they can send you the link to apply for a further AEWV.

Partners and children

If you meet the requirements, your partner and any dependent children can also apply for a further visa to match the length of your further AEWV. They must meet the usual visa requirements and pay the fees for their applications.

Partner of a Worker Work Visa