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AEWV Job Change and Variation of Conditions: The Rules

An Accredited Employer Work Visa holder who wants a different employer, job or location applies online for a Job Change, which needs an accredited employer and a valid job check for the new job. It does not change the visa's expiry date, and the new job's maximum continuous stay can block a move.

An Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) ties a worker to an employer, a job and a location. When any of those change, the visa conditions have to change too, and Immigration New Zealand (INZ) offers two tools: a Job Change for AEWV, Peak Seasonal Visa and Global Workforce Seasonal Visa holders, and a variation of conditions for other work visas with employer-specific conditions. Getting the choice wrong, or starting work in a new job before INZ approves the change, is one of the most common ways migrant workers fall out of their visa conditions. This guide sets out the rules INZ publishes on its "Check or change your work visa conditions" page and the Job Change form page, as read on 9 October 2026: who can use a Job Change, what the new employer must have, what it costs, how a business sale or redundancy fits, and how the AEWV's maximum continuous stay limits a move. It explains the rules. It does not say whether a person can move into a particular job, because that depends on their visa, the job and the employer, and applying the rules to those facts is advice only a licensed immigration adviser or a lawyer can give.

Job Change versus variation of conditions

INZ's "Check or change your work visa conditions" page draws the line: "To change your visa conditions, you need to apply for a variation of conditions or a Job Change. A Job Change is only for changing an Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV), Global Workforce Seasonal Visa (GWSV) or Peak Seasonal Visa (PSV)." The same page adds: "If you cannot change your visa conditions, you will need to apply for a new visa."

INZ's AEWV page makes the same point in a sentence that applies to everyone on the visa: "If your situation changes and you want to change your employer, job, location or a combination of these, you must apply to vary the conditions of your visa or apply for a Job Change, or apply for a new visa."

The conditions a worker can change are, per INZ: the employer, the job, the location (if multiple locations were not approved), and how long the holder can study alongside work. If a work visa lets the holder work in any job, for any employer and in any location, no variation or Job Change is needed.

Two points follow. A Job Change applies only to the three visas named, and a holder of a different work visa with employment conditions uses a variation of conditions instead. Second, INZ treats a change as an application that has to be approved: "The changes to your visa do not start until we approve your application and give you an updated eVisa."

What the new employer must have

For an AEWV holder, INZ's page sets three requirements for a Job Change to a new employer, job or location:

The new employer must be an AEWV accredited employer.

The employer must have a valid job check for the new job.

The worker needs the job token (also called the job check number) for the application. INZ's AEWV page describes a job token as a unique link or number that enables a worker to apply.

There is also a matching rule on visa type: "Your job token must be for the same type of visa that you currently have. For example, if you have an Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) and your job token is for a Peak Seasonal Visa (PSV) or Global Workforce Seasonal Visa (GWSV) you cannot apply for a Job Change." A GWSV holder can only change to a job on the Global Workforce Seasonal Visa jobs list, and a PSV holder only to a job on the Peak Seasonal Visa jobs list.

Where the new job has requirements the employer advertised, INZ says: "If you are changing your job, you must meet any qualification or work experience requirements that your new employer listed in the job advertisement."

Holders of other work visas with employer-specific conditions follow a different path. Their new employer completes an Employer Supplementary Form (INZ 1113) unless the employer is accredited, and INZ checks that the new job fits the original visa. For a worker on a visa that was granted under the older Talent (accredited employer) rules or the Long Term Skill Shortage List, INZ's page sets different conditions again.

What a Job Change does not change

INZ states two limits plainly.

The expiry date stays the same. "Changing the conditions of your visa will not change its expiry date." And, specifically: "The time left on your visa does not change if you get a Job Change." A Job Change therefore moves a worker to a different job, not to a longer visa. If the visa is near its end, a Job Change does not extend it, and INZ's page says a person who wants to stay past the expiry cannot extend the visa but must apply for another temporary visa before it expires.

Time already spent still counts. The total time a person can stay on an AEWV is a separate count, covered in the next section.

The check INZ applies is also set out. For a Job Change or variation, INZ checks that "your original work visa would have been given for the new work conditions you are asking for", that the person has met the conditions of the current visa, and that the person still has a genuine intention to work in New Zealand. The first of those checks explains why a new job with a different pay level or skill level may be treated differently from the old one.

Maximum continuous stay and changing jobs

INZ's page links a Job Change to the AEWV's total time rule: "Check your visa length and the total time you can stay for your current job and new job, before you check if you can change jobs." The total time a person can stay on an AEWV is 3 or 5 years depending on the job (see our guide to the AEWV maximum continuous stay).

Two rules matter here.

Moving from a 5-year job to a 3-year job. INZ says: "If you have an AEWV and your current job is entitled to a maximum visa length of 5 years, you cannot change to a job that has a maximum visa length of 3 years, unless" three conditions are all true: the AEWV application was made before 6 April 2024, the person was paid at least NZD 29.66 an hour when they got the AEWV, and the job is ANZSCO skill level 4 or 5. INZ's worked example: "You have been in New Zealand for 4 years on an AEWV. You cannot move to a job that has a maximum continuous stay of 3 years."

Moving between jobs at the same or higher level without losing a 5-year AEWV. INZ lists a narrower case for people who applied for their first AEWV between 21 June 2023 and 6 April 2024 and whose current job can have a 5-year maximum at ANZSCO skill level 4 or 5.

On the other side, a higher-skilled 5-year job can raise a person's total time. INZ's stay page says a holder of a regular AEWV who is offered a higher skilled job with a 5-year total can stay 5 years instead of 3, or return before completing the 12 months outside New Zealand if they had already left on reaching 3 years.

These rules are why the job token, the skill level of the new role and the pay rate are the first things checked before a move.

Business sales, restructures, redundancy and lost accreditation

INZ's page covers several situations where the change of job is not the worker's choice.

Business sale or restructure. "If your employer is transferring you to another business due to a business sale or restructure, you will need to apply for a Job Change." INZ defines it: "A business sale or restructure happens when the legal owner of the business changes. If the reporting line changes but the organisation and main duties of the job stay the same, you do not need to apply for a Job Change." On the form page, INZ adds that in this case the new employer must have applied for accreditation or already be accredited, no valid job check is needed but the job check number from the AEWV application is, and evidence of the sale or restructure must be provided.

Employer loses accreditation. INZ says: "If your employer loses accreditation, you can continue working for them until your visa expires. However, if you choose to find a job with a new employer, you can apply for a Job Change."

Job or job location changing because of restructure, liquidation or bankruptcy; redundancy; dismissal. INZ asks the worker to contact it. Its customer service staff "can explain how this will affect your work visa" and say whether a variation, a Job Change or a new visa is needed. INZ points to Employment New Zealand for the employment-law side: redundancy, liquidation, restructuring and claims for money owed.

Lost occupational registration. If registration required by law is lost, the worker "cannot work in that job" and needs a new work visa, a Job Change or a variation into a job that does not require registration.

Making the application and what it costs

INZ says a Job Change for an AEWV, PSV or GWSV must be made online: "To apply for a Job Change for an AEWV, or seasonal AEWV (GWSV or PSV), you need to apply online." The worker logs in to Immigration Online, completes the application, uploads documents and pays the fee at the end of the form. Variations for other work visas can be made online or on paper, and a variation of travel conditions is on paper using INZ 1020.

Documents INZ lists for a change of employer, job or location include an offer of employment or employment agreement (with the employer's name, the person's name, job title or designation, location, job description, pay and conditions, hours and duration), the job token number if required, the Employer Supplementary Form INZ 1113 if the employer is not accredited, a covering letter setting out the notice period if required, and a signed Work visa declaration (INZ 1225) if someone else applies on the worker's behalf.

The fee. INZ's pages direct people to the fee finder. The finder's entry for "Variation of conditions on a work visa" lists NZD 325 with a decision time of approximately 2 weeks (read 9 October 2026). That product is the paper variation, and the finder does not show a separate line for the online Job Change, so the figure charged at the end of the online form should be checked against INZ's fee finder on the day. Fees on the finder are charged by INZ and are separate from any adviser's fee.

INZ's form page also records who may complete the form for someone else: the work visa holder, a licensed immigration adviser, or a person exempt from licensing such as a lawyer with a current practising certificate, and it asks the preparer to state which.

When an adviser or lawyer is usually brought in

Deciding whether a particular move is permitted, which tool applies and what happens to the maximum continuous stay is immigration advice under New Zealand law, because it applies INZ's rules to a person's visa history and a specific job. Only a licensed immigration adviser, a lawyer with a practising certificate or an exempt person can give it.

People tend to seek help at three points: before accepting a new job offer (to check the skill level, pay and total-time limits), when an employer's circumstances are changing (sale, restructure, loss of accreditation) and when a job has ended unexpectedly. A licensed adviser has to agree the scope and fees in writing with the client under the Code of Conduct (cl. 17–19).

Migratio lists licensed immigration advisers so you can compare them and contact one directly. Every listing shows the adviser's licence number, which you can check on the IAA's public register before you book. We don't assess cases and don't tell anyone which visa or route fits them; that is the adviser's job.

Questions people ask

How do I change employer on an AEWV in New Zealand?

INZ says an AEWV holder applies online for a Job Change. The new employer must be accredited and have a valid job check for the job, and the worker needs the job token for the application (INZ, read 9 October 2026).

Does a Job Change extend my AEWV?

No. INZ says changing the conditions of a visa does not change its expiry date, and the time left on the visa does not change with a Job Change.

Can I start work for the new employer before INZ approves a Job Change?

INZ says the changes to a visa do not start until it approves the application and issues an updated eVisa. Whether anything else applies to a particular person is a question for a licensed adviser.

How much is an AEWV Job Change?

INZ's fee finder lists a work visa variation of conditions at NZD 325 with an approximate 2-week decision time (read 9 October 2026). INZ's pages tell applicants to check the fee finder for the amount charged.

What if my employer sells the business?

INZ says a Job Change is needed if the legal owner of the business changes. No Job Change is needed if only the reporting line changes and the organisation and main duties stay the same.

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-09.

Related guides

  • AEWV Declined: What the Options Are — A declined AEWV can be reconsidered by INZ for NZD 220 if the worker applied in New Zealand and meets the 14-calendar-day rule; a declined employer job check or accreditation can be reconsidered for NZD 250 within 14 days of the day after the decline. Otherwise INZ describes a new application.
  • AEWV Maximum Continuous Stay: How the 3 and 5 Year Caps Work — INZ caps the total time a person can stay in New Zealand on one or more Accredited Employer Work Visas at 5 years for most jobs and 3 years for ANZSCO skill level 4 or 5 jobs unless a pay or list exception applies. After reaching the cap, a person must spend 12 months in a row outside New Zealand before another regular AEWV.
  • NZ Interim Visas: When They Start and What They Allow — INZ normally grants an Interim Visa automatically, for no fee, if a temporary visa expires while a new temporary visa application is being assessed. It starts the day after the old visa expires, lasts up to 6 months, ends if the holder leaves New Zealand, and its work and study conditions depend on the old and new visa types.
  • Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV): The 2026 Rules — The Accredited Employer Work Visa is New Zealand's main employer-sponsored work visa. The job must be full-time (30+ hours), with an accredited employer holding an approved job check, and paid at least the required rate. INZ showed a fee of NZD 1,540 and 80% of applications within 5 weeks on 9 October 2026. The longest continuous stay is 5 years, or 3 years for skill level 4 or 5 jobs.
  • Paying for an NZ Job Offer: What INZ Says — Immigration New Zealand says New Zealand employers or agents cannot charge a worker fees for a job or make them pay recruitment costs, and that it will decline an Accredited Employer Work Visa application if the applicant or their agent offered or promised money for a job offer. INZ calls job offer scams common in India and South Asia.
  • Reconsideration of a Declined NZ Visa: How the Rules Work — INZ can reconsider a declined work, student or visitor visa only if the person applied in New Zealand, is still there, still holds a valid visa (an Interim Visa counts) and INZ receives the request within 14 calendar days of the decline. The fee is NZD 220 and there is one review only.