Around a quarter of Auckland’s construction workforce and a large share of aged care staff are migrants. Hiring them well is a compliance job as much as a recruitment one. Here is how we handle it, in plain terms.
Hiring on an Accredited Employer Work Visa requires employer accreditation and a job check on the role. Where an agency places staff with a third party, the agency needs Controlling Third Party accreditation on top of that.
The median wage requirement was removed from the AEWV in March 2025. Market rate still applies: the same pay a New Zealander would get for the same work and experience, with the minimum wage as the floor.
Green List roles carry residence pathways, including registered nurses and a range of engineering and construction roles. Care and support workers have a separate work to residence pathway. Thresholds change; we confirm current settings before anyone makes promises.
Immigration settings move frequently. Everything on this page is general information, current to our latest review, and not immigration advice. For advice on a specific case, use a licensed immigration adviser or lawyer, and check immigration.govt.nz for the current rules.
Yes. To hire someone on an Accredited Employer Work Visa you must hold Immigration New Zealand employer accreditation, and the role must pass a job check. Where a labour hire company places staff with a third party, the labour hire company also needs Controlling Third Party accreditation. Ask any agency to confirm the accreditation they hold before they place migrant staff on your site.
Several settings have loosened since 2025: the median wage requirement was removed from the AEWV in March 2025, so market rate applies with the minimum wage as a floor; the migrant work experience requirement dropped from three years to two; and visa durations for lower-skilled roles were extended to three years. The National Occupation List replaced ANZSCO for job checks in late 2025. Settings change often, so check Immigration New Zealand for the current position before you rely on any of it.
You must pay a migrant worker the same as you would pay a New Zealander doing the same job with the same experience. Immigration New Zealand assesses this at job check. In practice it means you cannot use migrant labour to undercut local pay rates, which is the point of the rule.
Roles on the Green List have straight to residence or work to residence pathways, including registered nurses and a range of engineering and construction roles. Care and support workers have their own work to residence pathway based on sustained hours at a set hourly threshold. Thresholds move, so confirm current settings before making commitments to a candidate.
We are a staffing agency, not licensed immigration advisers. We can tell you plainly what a role needs, what we hold, and how we vet right to work, and we work alongside licensed immigration advisers and lawyers where advice is required. We will not give you immigration advice we are not qualified to give.
Tell us the roles and we will tell you honestly what it takes to fill them. Call 0800 277 724.
