The Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) and other New Zealand visa schemes use wage thresholds indexed to the median wage. This means that when the median wage changes, the criteria to grant visas also changes.
The new median wage of $29.66 an hour will come into effect on 27 February 2023. This means that most wage thresholds indexed to the median wage will also be updated.
These include the wage thresholds in:
Sector agreements
Green List
Highly paid work to residence pathway
Skilled Migrant category
For Accredited Employer Work Visa applications
The median wage is the minimum payment threshold for most jobs under the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) which means visa applications submitted from 27 February 2023 will need to meet the new thresholds. Visa applications that were submitted before the wage thresholds increased can be approved based on the old thresholds.
For job checks that have already been approved
For the AEWV, migrants must meet the wage threshold in place at the time they apply for their visa – this may be higher than the pay range approved in the job check.
If the pay range approved in the job check is below the new wage threshold, the job check can still be used to support a visa application — the employer does not need to advertise again or submit a new job check — but the applicant will need to be paid at the new threshold.
For new job checks submitted from 27 February 2023
Any advertising submitted for new job checks will need to reflect the new wage threshold, even if it was completed before the wage threshold increased. This may mean that employers need to advertise again at a higher rate before submitting their job check.
It may be useful to note that the sector agreements in place provide exemptions to the median wage threshold for some occupations.
The Green List and highly paid pathways exempt employers from providing evidence of advertising at the job check for AEWV.
The Skilled Migrant Category is now the main skilled residence pathway.