New Zealand
Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV): total cost to complete
By Sam Parks · Last checked:
A source-linked budget for the AEWV path: worker visa fee, employer accreditation, job check, market-rate job-offer evidence, health and character checks, photos, translations, qualification or registration exposure, and partner/child visa scaling.
What does the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) actually cost?
Mandatory non-refundable costs are NZ$3,060-NZ$4,325. Refundable proof-of-funds requirements are tracked separately at none tracked, because that money is shown or blocked rather than normally lost.
Source checked against Immigration New Zealand - Accredited Employer Work Visa on 23 October 2026.
Australia skilled-route cost and points layer
Australia skilled points, nomination and Skills in Demand cost answer
Use this answer stack to compare Australia points routes with the sponsor-led Skills in Demand route without merging applicant costs, employer costs and salary evidence.
Calculator context
A points result does not guarantee an invitation, nomination or visa grant. It only says whether the profile clears the 65-point SkillSelect EOI floor. Skills assessment, occupation demand, state nomination, sponsorship, salary thresholds and post-invitation fees still need separate evidence.
| Australia route | Points or sponsor trigger | Mandatory paid-away baseline | Skills, nomination or salary dependency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subclass 189 Skilled Independent | Points-tested SkillSelect route. The EOI floor is 65 points; there is no sponsor or state nomination bonus. | A$7,501-A$8,705 | A$550-A$1,200 skills assessment before the EOI can become usable. No fixed salary floor in the route model; invitation depends on occupation demand and invitation rounds. |
| Subclass 190 Skilled Nominated | Points-tested SkillSelect route plus state or territory nomination. Nomination can add 5 points after the state gate is met. | A$7,506-A$9,010 | A$550-A$1,200 skills assessment plus A$0-A$300 state or territory fee exposure. No employer sponsor or national salary floor; state criteria can add occupation, residence and funds declarations. |
| Subclass 491 Skilled Work Regional | Points-tested regional route. State/territory nomination or eligible-relative sponsorship can add 15 points. | A$7,506-A$9,010 | A$550-A$1,200 skills assessment plus A$0-A$300 nomination or eligible-relative gate exposure. No upfront national salary floor; later subclass 191 context is income-evidence timing, not an upfront 491 fee. |
| Subclass 482 Skills in Demand | Sponsor-led route. It is not a points-tested SkillSelect invitation route. | A$10,381-A$13,335 | A$0-A$1,200 skills-assessment exposure where required by occupation, nationality or stream. A$420 sponsor fee, A$330 nomination fee and A$4,800-A$7,200 SAF levy are employer-side; A$79,423/yr CSIT or A$146,576/yr SSIT, plus AMSR where the stream requires it. |
| Comparator route | Route type | Paid-away baseline | Do not collapse these lines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Singapore S Pass | Employer-sponsored pass with quota, levy and insurance duties. | SGD 16,405-SGD 18,205 | SGD 15,600 levy and SGD 600-SGD 2,400 insurance stay employer-side; SGD 39,600-SGD 45,600 salary evidence is not a visa fee. |
| New Zealand AEWV | Employer-accredited work route with job-check approval before the worker applies. | NZ$3,060-NZ$4,325 | NZ$775 accreditation and NZ$735 job check are employer-side; variable market-rate job evidence is not paid away. |
| New Zealand SMC | Residence route with points, skilled-employment evidence and post-invitation filing. | NZ$6,810-NZ$8,925 | NZ$0 EOI and NZ$6,450 resident-stage application; NZ$72,800-NZ$109,200 skilled-job pay evidence is not a fee. |
| Austria Red-White-Red Card | Points and employer-declaration route with AMS assessment. | €228-€363 | €218 application fee; €0 points and labour-market gate; €41,580 salary evidence remains a category condition. |
- Australia points calculator
- Subclass 189 guide
- Subclass 190 guide
- Subclass 491 guide
- Skills in Demand guide
- 189 cost-to-complete
- 190 cost-to-complete
- 491 cost-to-complete
- Skills in Demand cost
- Skills in Demand fees
- Australia salary thresholds
- Singapore S Pass cost
- New Zealand SMC cost
- Austria RWR cost
- Austria RWR calculator
- Cost-to-complete JSON feed
Source dates: Australia cost and salary data checked 1 July 2026; comparator cost rows checked 23 October 2026. Latest source record in this cluster: 23 October 2026. Compare the local-currency costs with the linked route requirements before deciding which option fits your circumstances.
What it actually costs
A source-linked budget for the AEWV path: worker visa fee, employer accreditation, job check, market-rate job-offer evidence, health and character checks, photos, translations, qualification or registration exposure, and partner/child visa scaling.
Money you don't get back
NZ$3,060-NZ$4,325
Mandatory fees, services and one month of insurance.
Proof of funds (returned to you)
Variable
Not a fixed visa fee. The AEWV job must pay at least the New Zealand market rate for the occupation and location; the former blanket median-wage threshold was removed in March 2025.
Proof of funds (returned to you)
NZ$43,322.76-NZ$109,200
Not a fee. INZ family rules use different thresholds depending on whether the worker supports children only, partner work rights, or skill-level-based family support. The range spans the child-only annual amount and the highest 40-hour annualised hourly threshold.
| Cost line | Amount | Type | When / who |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accredited Employer Work Visa application | NZ$1,540 | Gov fee | INZ publishes the AEWV worker application cost as "from NZD $1,540". Country-specific payment handling can vary. Immigration New Zealand - Accredited Employer Work Visa |
| Standard employer accreditation | NZ$775 | Gov fee | Employer-side fee for a standard employer hiring up to 5 migrants. Exclude this if the employer is already accredited. INZ says employers cannot pass accreditation, recruitment or operational costs to AEWV workers. Immigration New Zealand - AEWV employer fees |
| AEWV job check | NZ$735per job check | Gov fee | Employer-side fee for the approved job check that supports the worker application. Exclude if the employer already has a valid matching job check. Immigration New Zealand - AEWV employer fees |
| High-volume or triangular-employer accreditation uplift(optional) | NZ$505-NZ$4,060 | Gov fee | Optional employer-side exposure above standard accreditation: high-volume accreditation is NZD 1,280 total, and controlling third-party/triangular accreditation is NZD 4,060. The range shows the incremental uplift over NZD 775 standard accreditation. Immigration New Zealand - AEWV employer fees |
| Market-rate job-offer evidence | Variable | Proof of funds | Not a fixed visa fee. The AEWV job must pay at least the New Zealand market rate for the occupation and location; the former blanket median-wage threshold was removed in March 2025. Immigration New Zealand - Accredited Employer Work Visa |
| Job token, employment agreement and role evidence | NZ$0 | Service | The worker needs the employer invitation/job token plus evidence that they meet the role requirements in the approved job check. Immigration New Zealand - Accredited Employer Work Visa |
| Medical examination and chest X-ray· indicative | NZ$0-NZ$700 | Service | AEWV applicants must meet INZ health requirements. Actual panel-physician and radiology costs depend on country, stay length and recent health evidence already held by INZ. Immigration New Zealand - Accredited Employer Work Visa |
| Police certificates· indicative | NZ$0-NZ$150 | Service | AEWV applicants must meet character requirements. Police-certificate costs vary by country and may include fingerprinting, courier, apostille or translation costs. Immigration New Zealand - Accredited Employer Work Visa |
| Acceptable visa photo· indicative | NZ$10-NZ$25 | Service | INZ requires an acceptable visa photo as part of the online application. Local photo prices vary. Immigration New Zealand - Accredited Employer Work Visa |
| Certified translations· indicative | NZ$0-NZ$400 | Service | Required only for documents not in English. INZ generally requires certified English translations plus copies of the original documents. Immigration New Zealand - Accredited Employer Work Visa |
| International Qualification Assessment(optional)· indicative | NZ$0-NZ$750 | Service | Conditional. INZ can require evidence that the worker has the qualification or experience stated in the job check, and some overseas qualifications need NZQA assessment. Immigration New Zealand - International Qualification Assessment guidance |
| English-language test for ANZSCO skill level 3 to 5 roles(optional)· indicative | NZ$0-NZ$450 | Service | Conditional. INZ lists English requirements for some AEWV roles at ANZSCO skill levels 3 to 5 unless an exemption applies. Immigration New Zealand - Accredited Employer Work Visa |
| Occupational registration or practising certificate(optional)· indicative | NZ$0-NZ$2,000 | Service | Conditional on profession. Healthcare, teaching, engineering and other regulated roles can require New Zealand registration before the job can be used. Profession-specific New Zealand regulator - verify before filing |
| Family sponsorship salary evidence(optional) | NZ$43,322.76-NZ$109,200annual sponsor income threshold where family visas are needed | Proof of funds | Not a fee. INZ family rules use different thresholds depending on whether the worker supports children only, partner work rights, or skill-level-based family support. The range spans the child-only annual amount and the highest 40-hour annualised hourly threshold. Immigration New Zealand - Partner of a Worker Work Visa |
| Partner of a Worker Work Visa(optional) | NZ$1,630partner | Gov fee | Optional family-scaling line. Partner work rights depend on the AEWV holder's job, pay and visa conditions. Immigration New Zealand - Partner of a Worker Work Visa |
| Dependent Child Student Visa(optional) | NZ$750school-age child | Gov fee | Optional family-scaling line. INZ lists this route for dependent children of eligible work-visa holders who will study in New Zealand. Immigration New Zealand - Dependent Child Student Visa |
| Child of a Worker Visitor Visa(optional) | NZ$341child visitor | Gov fee | Optional family-scaling line for a dependent child visiting New Zealand with an eligible worker. Immigration New Zealand - Child of a Worker Visitor Visa |
Baseline sunk cost models a from-scratch standard AEWV pathway: worker application fee, standard employer accreditation, one job check, medical/X-ray range, police-certificate range, visa photo and certified-translation range. Employer accreditation and job-check fees are included because they are real costs to complete the route from zero, but they are employer-side costs and INZ says they cannot be passed to the worker. High-volume/triangular accreditation, IQA, English tests, professional registration and family visas are excluded unless they apply to the actual filing. Market-rate job-offer evidence and family income thresholds are separated from sunk costs because they are wage evidence, not money paid away. Last checked 23 October 2026.
Cite or reuse this dataset
This cost model is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Cite Visa Atlas for the compiled sunk/refundable split and cite each linked authority or provider source for the underlying line item.
Suggested citation
Visa Atlas, "Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) cost-to-complete model", https://visaatlas.org/cost-to-complete/new-zealand-accredited-employer-work-visa. Last checked 23 October 2026.
- JSON endpoint
- https://visaatlas.org/api/public/cost-to-complete
Primary and supporting sources (6)
- Immigration New Zealand - Accredited Employer Work Visa
- Immigration New Zealand - AEWV employer fees
- Immigration New Zealand - International Qualification Assessment guidance
- Immigration New Zealand - Partner of a Worker Work Visa
- Immigration New Zealand - Dependent Child Student Visa
- Immigration New Zealand - Child of a Worker Visitor Visa
FAQs
What does the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) actually cost to complete?
Mandatory non-refundable costs are NZ$3,060-NZ$4,325 in the current model. Separately, refundable proof-of-funds requirements are none tracked. The line table explains each item and source.
Is proof of funds a sunk cost?
No. Proof of funds is money you must show, hold or block. It can still be a cash-flow barrier, but it is different from application fees, document costs and insurance payments that you do not normally get back.
Why are some lines marked indicative?
Some third-party costs vary by country, provider and document count. Those lines use a range and are marked indicative so they are not confused with a single government tariff.