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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.

The Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) is not an open-ended work visa. Immigration New Zealand (INZ) sets a ceiling on the total time a person can stay on one or more AEWVs, called the maximum continuous stay or "total time you can stay". The ceiling is 3 or 5 years depending on the job, the pay and the date of the first application, and once it is reached the person must leave for a set period before another regular AEWV. The rules have exceptions, transitional carve-outs for applications made before 6 April 2024, separate caps for seasonal visas and detailed counting rules about what time does and does not count. This guide sets out what INZ publishes on its "How long you can stay on an AEWV" and "Applying for another AEWV" pages, as read on 9 October 2026. INZ also runs an online tool to work out the cap. The guide explains the rules only. It does not say what any individual's cap is, because that depends on facts about their job, pay and visa history that a licensed immigration adviser or lawyer assesses.

The basic rule

INZ defines the cap in one sentence: the total time you can stay in New Zealand on one or more AEWVs "depends on: when you applied for your first AEWV, the skill level of your job on the ANZSCO or National Occupation List (NOL) list, and how much you are paid".

For a person applying for their first AEWV, INZ says the visa length "will normally be the same as the total time you can stay", though it may be shorter, for example "if your employment agreement is for a short, fixed-term contract". For someone who already holds an AEWV shorter than the cap, INZ says they "may be able to get another AEWV" up to the cap.

Two phrases need separating. The visa length is how long a single AEWV runs. The total time you can stay (the maximum continuous stay) is the running total across all AEWVs. A person on a 2-year AEWV with a 5-year cap can be granted further AEWVs until the total reaches 5 years.

At the end: "When you get to the end of the total time you can stay, you must leave New Zealand for 12 months before you can get another regular AEWV."

When the cap is 5 years and when it is 3

INZ's page sets the 5-year maximum, for visa length and total time, where any one of these is true:

the job is ANZSCO skill level 1, 2 or 3;

the job is ANZSCO skill level 4 or 5 but is recognised at ANZSCO skill level 3;

the job is NOL skill level 1, 2 or 3 and is on the list of NOL occupations that can be used for an AEWV or Specific Purpose Work Visa;

the person is paid at least NZD 52.50 an hour;

the job is on the Green List;

the job is an approved job for the Transport Work to Residence Visa and the pay is at least NZD 35.00 an hour (the approved jobs listed on INZ's page are ship's master and deck hand);

the job is a care workforce job eligible for the Care Workforce Work to Residence Visa and the pay is at least NZD 28.25 an hour (INZ lists nine job titles including aged or disabled carer, nursing support worker and personal care assistant); or

the person applied for the AEWV on or before 6 April 2024 for a job that was part of the transport sector agreement at that time.

INZ then states the default: "If none of these situations apply to you and your job is ANZSCO skill level 4 or 5, your maximum visa length and total time you can stay is 3 years."

INZ's AEWV page repeats the headline: 5 years for most jobs, or 3 years if the job is at ANZSCO skill level 4 or 5. The skill level of a job and whether an occupation is recognised at a higher level are looked up in INZ's ANZSCO tools, not assumed from the job title.

The rate figures are INZ's published amounts as at 9 October 2026 and change when INZ updates its wage thresholds, so INZ's page and its wage rates page for work visas are the references to use on the day.

Transitional rules for applications made before 6 April 2024

INZ lists two extra situations in which a 5-year cap applies for people who applied for their AEWV on or before 6 April 2024:

NZD 29.66 an hour. A person who currently has an AEWV, applied for it between 21 June 2023 and 6 April 2024, and was paid at least NZD 29.66 an hour when they got it, has a 5-year cap. (INZ elsewhere describes NZD 29.66 as the February 2023 median wage.)

Transport sector jobs. A person who currently has an AEWV, applied on or before 6 April 2024, and is applying or has applied for a further AEWV in one of these transport sector jobs has a 5-year cap: bus driver, truck driver, aircraft refueller, furniture removalist, tanker driver, tow truck driver.

These carve-outs also show up in the Job Change rules. INZ says a person with a 5-year AEWV cannot change to a 3-year job unless the AEWV application was before 6 April 2024, the person was paid at least NZD 29.66 an hour, and the job is ANZSCO skill level 4 or 5. See our guide to AEWV Job Change.

The practical lesson in the transitional rules is that the application date can matter as much as the job. Two people in the same job can have different caps because they applied on different sides of a date INZ names.

How the time is counted

INZ says the count starts from "when you get your first AEWV if you were already in New Zealand, or when you arrived in New Zealand on an AEWV, if you got your AEWV while you were outside New Zealand".

What counts:

Time in New Zealand on an AEWV counts.

Interim Visa time, in some cases. INZ says time on an Interim Visa "may also" count. The rule is specific: "If you are moving from one AEWV to another AEWV, the time you spend on an Interim Visa while you wait for your next AEWV to be approved will count." Other Interim Visa time, for example moving from a student or visitor visa to an AEWV, does not count and the count "will start when your AEWV is approved". INZ's March 2025 news item describes the same rule from the Interim Visa side.

Specific Purpose Work Visa time, in a closed group only. INZ counts SPWV time towards the total only where the person had an AEWV and was going to reach their maximum continuous stay on or before 30 November 2025, applied for the SPWV between 8 September 2025 and 2 November 2025, and was granted it to work in one of 30 new National Occupation List skill level 1 or 3 occupations. Any other SPWV time does not count.

What does not count: time on other temporary visas such as visitor and student visas, and on other work visas such as a Post-Study Work Visa, a partnership-based visa or a working holiday visa.

Exactly how a given person's days add up depends on their movements and dates. INZ provides an online "Check how long you can stay on an AEWV" tool for this, and the tool's output is INZ's own.

Seasonal AEWVs follow different rules

INZ treats the two seasonal visas differently from a regular AEWV:

Global Workforce Seasonal Visa (GWSV). The total time is 3 years, but the holder "must leave New Zealand for 3 months in a row each year of the visa". The Check or change page adds that the total time a GWSV holder can stay each year is 9 months.

Peak Seasonal Visa (PSV). The total time is 7 months, and the holder must then leave for 4 months in a row before being granted another PSV. INZ's page sets the same 7 months a year for stays on a PSV.

Time on a PSV or GWSV does not count towards the regular AEWV total, according to the Check or change page: "Time spent on a PSV or GWSV does not count towards how long you can stay on an AEWV."

Time outside New Zealand: INZ says that normally a regular AEWV holder must spend at least 12 months in a row outside New Zealand after reaching the cap; a PSV holder at least 4 months in a row; a GWSV holder at least 3 months in a row after reaching the cap (up to 9 months).

Raising the cap by moving to a higher-skilled job

INZ describes one way the total can increase: "If you are on a regular AEWV and you are offered a higher skilled job that has a total time you can stay of 5 years, you can: stay in New Zealand on an AEWV for 5 years instead of 3, or return to New Zealand before completing your 12 months required outside of New Zealand, if you have already left due to reaching the 3-year total time you can stay."

The reverse also operates. INZ says a worker with a 5-year AEWV generally cannot change to a job with a 3-year maximum, and its worked example makes the point: after 4 years on an AEWV, a person cannot move to a job whose maximum continuous stay is 3 years. The change of job therefore has to be checked against both the new job's cap and time already used. Any move needs a Job Change application with a valid job check and job token for the new role.

Applying for another AEWV before the cap

A person whose AEWV is shorter than the cap can apply for another AEWV before leaving. INZ's "Applying for another AEWV" page sets the process:

The employer must send a job token. INZ says that if the first AEWV was applied for on or before 9 March 2025, the most recent job token may be reusable; if it was applied for on or after 10 March 2025, a job token cannot be reused and a new job token must be used.

To reuse a token the worker must be in the same role, for the same employer, in the same location, paid the same or more, with the current AEWV obtained on or before 9 March 2025 and an accredited employer. Among people who applied on or before 9 March 2025, a token cannot be reused if the person was paid less than NZD 29.66 an hour in one of a list of named jobs, including meat process worker, seafood process worker and snowsport instructor.

The worker must meet all requirements again. INZ says this includes the English language requirements, which "were changed on 1 June 2026 for people in skill level 3 occupations".

Timing: INZ says to apply when the current AEWV is close to expiring and to check that medical or police certificates will still be valid when the application is made.

Partners and children: INZ says family members can apply for a further visa matching the length of the further AEWV, if they meet the usual requirements and fees. A worker who has not supported a visa for a partner or child before must meet the pay and skill requirements.

The requirement of a job token for each further AEWV is why the employer's job check is linked so closely to the cap in practice.

When an adviser or lawyer is usually brought in

Working out a person's maximum continuous stay, whether a planned move will lower it, or what to do as it approaches is immigration advice under New Zealand law, because it applies INZ's rules to a person's history. Only a licensed immigration adviser, a lawyer with a practising certificate or an exempt person can give it.

People tend to seek help well before the cap, when a job change is being considered, when a pathway to residence is being weighed against the time left, and when a transitional rule might apply. A licensed adviser will agree scope and fees in writing 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 long can I stay in New Zealand on an AEWV?

INZ says the total time can be 5 years for most jobs, or 3 years if the job is ANZSCO skill level 4 or 5 and none of INZ's listed pay, list or date exceptions apply (INZ, read 9 October 2026).

How long must I stay outside New Zealand after the maximum continuous stay?

INZ says that for a regular AEWV the person must leave for 12 months in a row before getting another regular AEWV. For a Peak Seasonal Visa it is at least 4 months and for a Global Workforce Seasonal Visa at least 3 months.

Does time on an Interim Visa count towards the AEWV maximum stay?

INZ says Interim Visa time counts when moving from one AEWV to another. Interim Visa time before a first AEWV, such as moving from a student or visitor visa, does not count.

Does time on a student or Post-Study Work Visa count?

INZ says time on other temporary visas such as visitor and student visas, and on other work visas such as a Post-Study Work Visa, partnership-based visa or working holiday visa, does not count towards the AEWV total.

Can I reuse my job token for another AEWV?

INZ says a token can be reused only if the current AEWV was applied for on or before 9 March 2025 and the role, employer, location and pay conditions are met. If the first AEWV was applied for on or after 10 March 2025, a new job token is needed.

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-09.

Related guides

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Work to Residence Visa (Green List Tier 2): How It Works — The Work to Residence Visa is for people aged 55 or younger who have worked 24 months in a Green List Tier 2 job in New Zealand within the 30 months before applying, and who hold or are offered a job with an accredited employer. INZ showed a fee of NZD 6,450 on 9 October 2026. The wage rate that counts is the one in force when the work experience started.
  • Care Workforce Work to Residence Visa: How It Works — The Care Workforce Work to Residence Visa is for people aged 55 or younger who have worked 24 months in the 30 before applying in one of nine listed care jobs, paid at least the care workforce wage rate in place at the start, and who hold or are offered a care job with an accredited employer. INZ showed a fee of NZD 6,450 on 9 October 2026.