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.
Verified against Immigration New Zealand - Accredited Employer Work Visa on 1 July 2026.
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 1 July 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 verified 1 July 2026.
- JSON endpoint
- https://visaatlas.org/api/public/cost-to-complete
Primary and supporting sources
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.