DUNEDIN— New Zealand First has proposed scrapping the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) and replacing it with a more restrictive Skilled Work Visa, under which employers would need to demonstrate a genuine shortage of workers for a specific occupation and region.
Announced on October 11, 2026, the proposal would make migrant recruitment more dependent on documented labour-market needs rather than employer accreditation alone.
The plan could affect migrant workers seeking jobs in sectors such as retail, as well as employers that rely on overseas recruitment to fill vacancies. However, the announcement is an election pledge, not a change to immigration law, and the existing AEWV requirements remain in force unless the government introduces and implements new rules.
Proposed Visa Changes
New Zealand First says its proposed Skilled Work Visa would prioritise occupations where employers cannot reasonably recruit or train local workers.
The party wants to end routine access to migrant labour for jobs it considers unrelated to genuine skills shortages, with retail roles specifically identified as an area for tighter controls.
Under the proposed system, employers would have to show that they made a serious effort to recruit or train New Zealanders before hiring overseas workers.
The party also proposes a wage floor and safeguards for domestic workers, arguing that employers should not use migrant recruitment to fill vacancies that could be addressed by offering better pay.
Other measures include stronger employer accreditation, targeted enforcement against higher-risk sponsors and the publication of more information about the immigration system.
The party says these steps would help protect migrant workers from exploitation while retaining access to overseas skills where local recruitment cannot meet demand.
Unemployment Drives Proposal
New Zealand First cited approximately 171,000 unemployed people and an underutilisation rate of 13.8% to support its case for a more targeted visa system. It argues that immigration should address identifiable skills gaps rather than become a general recruitment route for routine jobs.
The proposal would shift more responsibility onto employers to establish why a vacancy requires a migrant worker.
For people seeking jobs in New Zealand, eligibility could depend more closely on their occupation and the region where the employer needs them, potentially reducing flexibility for workers in roles that do not qualify as genuine shortages.
The AEWV already requires applicants to have a full-time job offer from an accredited employer, with at least 30 hours of work a week. Applicants must also meet applicable skill, qualification or work-experience requirements, while English-language requirements apply to jobs at specified skill levels.
Immigration New Zealand has also introduced changes to the scheme, including extending minimum English-language requirements to certain skill-level 3 roles from June 1, 2026.
Current Rules Remain
New Zealand First’s proposal would replace the existing AEWV model if the party could implement its plan after the election. Until any new policy becomes law and takes effect, workers and employers should continue to follow Immigration New Zealand’s current requirements.
The proposal is separate from changes introduced in April 2026 for certain open work visas, including partner, post-study and working-holiday categories.
Those changes clarified permitted work activities for affected visa holders and did not replace the AEWV, Financial Express flagged.
For migrant workers and employers, the central uncertainty is whether the proposal becomes government policy and how a new visa would define a genuine shortage.
Any final rules would determine which occupations and regions qualify, what evidence employers must provide, and how existing visa holders would be treated.
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