New Zealand Accredited Employer Work Visa rules for foreigners supporting student visa applications for their partners has been modified.
The New Zealand Government has made further review to the Accredited Employer Work Visa scheme. Since June 26, 2024, people holding an AEWV in roles at Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) levels 4 and 5 without a pathway to residency are no longer able to support work, visitor or student visa applications for their partners and dependent children. People who have an application as a partner or dependent child in progress will also not be affected.
If you have an Accredited Employer Work Visa, you may be able to support a work visa for your partner, a visitor visa for your partner or your children or a a student visa for your children. However, the type of visa you can support for your partner and dependent child will depend on whether your job is on the Green List and if you meet the Green List requirements, how much you earn, and the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) skill level of your occupation.
If you supported a visa for your family before 26 June 2024, your job does not need to meet the ANZSCO skill level requirements.
Partners and dependent children will still be able to apply for a visa in their own right to come to New Zealand, such as an Accredited Employer Work Visa or an international student visa, provided they meet the requirements.
The government made this change to align with the broader suite of changes to the AEWV scheme earlier this year and returned the settings to similar ones under the previous Essential Skills Work Visa.
The change will not impact the following categories of people;
People who already hold visas as a partner or dependent child, or AEWV holders working in ANZSCO level 4 and 5 roles with a pathway to residency, such as the Green List, sector agreements with residence pathways, and
Those earning at least 1.5 times the median wage threshold for the Skilled Migrant Category.
Recently, New Zealand has also modified the work rights and rules for partner of students pursuing their education in the country. New Zealand immigration has allowed spouses of students studying level 7 or 8 qualifications specified on the Green List to apply for a work visa with flexible terms.
This means that students with Level 7 graduate certificates, diplomas, and Bachelor’s degrees, as well as Level 8 postgraduate certificates, diplomas, and Bachelor’s Honours degrees, will be allowed to assist their partner in applying for a Student Work Visa.