Federated Farmers has applauded the Government’s changes to Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) requirements, saying they will be welcome news for many farming families across New Zealand.
Immigration Minister, Erica Stanford today announced AEWV changes due to come into effect from March 2025 will include:
- Reducing the minimum experience requirement for lower skilled migrants to two years;
- Increasing the visa duration for new applicants in Level 4-5 roles from two to three years to align with the maximum continuous stay;
- Extending interim work rights to AEWV applicants who are applying from any work visa type or from a student visa that allows them to work during term time. This will support migrants to maintain employment while their visa is processed;
- Reduce the domestic workforce threshold for labour hire employers of certain construction roles from 35 to 15%;
- Amending the labour market test to a declaration-based model. Employers will need to advertise with MSD and be able to demonstrate they considered New Zealanders who applied for any role in good faith;
- Inflation adjusting the income threshold for an AEWV holder to support a dependent child from NZ$43,322 to NZ$55,844.
Cabinet has also agreed in principle to two new seasonal visas to be implemented in late 2025.
“These visas will provide a more nuanced and flexible response to differing needs of businesses in certain sectors and regions. While further design work is underway, the current seasonal subcategory visa will be extended,” said Minister Stanford.
“Immigration New Zealand is also undertaking a re-design of the Job Check step of the AEWV process to allow for greater streamlining for low-risk employers. It is my expectation processing times improve further as a result.
“Our focus remains on attracting more higher-skilled workers while managing migration levels responsibly, so New Zealand has access to the skills we need to grow our economy. These changes will support a smarter, efficient and predictable immigration system,” she said.
Federated Farmers immigration spokesperson, Richard McIntyre said New Zealand farmers had faced an incredibly tough few seasons, with huge pressure on farmers who have been unable to find the staff they need to run their businesses.
“Federated Farmers have raised concerns directly with the Minister, she’s listened, and now she’s made some changes that will make a real difference on the ground,” said Mr McIntyre.
“These are big changes that will have a meaningful impact for the upcoming farming season, particularly during busy periods like calving and lambing.
“It never made any sense to have to pay what are essentially entry-level farming staff the median wage, particularly when that’s more than what a Kiwi in the same role would be earning
“All that did was inflate the wage bill for farmers who were already under huge pressure, desperate to find staff, and couldn’t find any suitable Kiwis who wanted to do the work.”
Mr McIntyre said he was particularly pleased to see the length of visas for ANZSCO level 4 or 5 roles extended to three years – a shift Federated Farmers had specifically requested.
“What this means is a staff member can stay in the country for three years on one single visa, instead of needing two visas by the time you apply for the one-year extension,” he says.
“This will cut thousands of dollars in costs for farmers, but will also mean a lot less stress and uncertainty for both the farmer and the employee who just want to get on with their farming.”
