2025 Immigration Guide – The Latest in Immigration for Employers

2025 is set to be a significant year for migrants and their employers in New Zealand. Major reforms to the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV), upcoming removal of the median wage for AEWV, and updates to the Active Investor Plus Visa, are just the beginning of changes being rolled out this year.

As employers, HR Professionals and Recruiters, it is vital you remain up to date with the changes as they are introduced since the implications for your organisation can be significant. As your trusted partners for all things immigration, we have outlined recently observed trends and soon to be expected changes in this article.

Latest statistics – Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) scheme

Quick Facts:

As of 14 February 2025,

• Over 26,000 businesses have been accredited by INZ;
• 140,257 AEWVs have been approved since 1 July 2022;
• The top nations where migrant workers have been arriving from are India followed by Philippines and China.

Net migration numbers for the year

Recent figures released by Stats NZ have shown a considerable uptick in migrant arrivals. 

Quick Facts:

In 2024,

• 155,800 Migrants arrived
• 128,700 Migrants Departed
• NZ saw a net migration gain of 27,100

 In 2024, December saw the highest number of migrant arrivals in NZ, with the month recording a net gain of approximately 3,800 migrants.

Tourism also experienced growth, with 3.26 million overseas visitors arriving in New Zealand in the year leading up to November—an increase of 360,000 from the previous year. Despite this rise, visitor numbers remain 16% below pre-Covid levels, when annual arrivals peaked at 4 million. Source - Stats NZ

Based on information shared by Radio NZ last month, with fewer arrivals and continued high departures of Kiwis, the government is considering policy changes to attract skilled migrants and boost tourism as part of broader economic recovery efforts. Source: RNZ News

Post-accreditation checks

Quick Facts:

As of 14 February 2025, 

• INZ undertook 5,613 post-accreditation checks on 4,246 employers. 
• Since 1 July 2023, MBIE has received 5,736 complaints against accredited employers 
• 728 employers have had their accreditation revoked 
• 159 employers have had their accreditation suspended.

If you are an accredited employer, you committed to remaining compliant with INZ’s regulations as part of the Accreditation process. It is imperative that you adhere to these obligations, as failure to do so can result in stringent consequences. 

INZ conducts random post-accreditation checks on businesses to ensure that guidelines are being followed and have confirmed that where possible, they will take an educative approach in the beginning to assist businesses in understanding the importance of meeting their compliance obligations. However, businesses that don’t toe line repeatedly will not get away with it lightly.  You can go through a detailed list of INZ’s penalties for non-compliance here.

If you would like to know about what employers need to look out for while remaining compliant, and where the pitfalls may be, here is a handy piece to read. 

Reforms to Accredited Employer Work Visa 

On 17th December 2024, the Government has announced major reforms to the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) scheme, aimed at addressing skill shortages, streamlining processes, and improving outcomes for employers and employees. These changes, rolled out in stages throughout 2025, will have far-reaching implications for both accredited employers and migrant workers. Read more here.

Timeline of changes:

From 27 January 2025:

• Removed the requirements for completion of Employment New Zealand online modules
• Reduction of domestic workforce thresholds for certain construction roles.

From 28 February 20225:

• The wage threshold for eligible AEWV holders to support open work rights for partners is increasing from NZD$25.29 to $26.85 per hour.

From 10 March 2025:

• Median wage threshold is being removed.
• Amending the Work and Income engagement requirement.
• Reducing the experience requirement for migrants from 3 years to 2 years.
• Increasing the visa duration for ANZSCO Level 4 or 5 AEWV holders to 3 years.
• New earning threshold to bring dependent children over.
• Some ANZSCO level 4 and 5 roles will be recognised as ANZSCO level 3.

April 2025:

• Greater work rights for those on interim visas

Mid-2025:

• Redesigned Job Check process for faster and more efficient approvals.

November 2025:

• Introducing new pathways for experienced seasonal workers

Options to retain your migrant staff

Utilising Maximum Continuous Stay

The maximum time migrant workers can stay in NZ on an AEWV is 5 years. If your employee’s AEWV was issued for less than MCS, they may be eligible to apply for the balance, if their occupation is between ANZSCO skill levels 1 -3. 

The application for the balance of time is a ‘new’ visa application and the migrant must make sure they meet new visa criteria. You may or may not need a Job Check in this case.

If your migrant workers are in a low-skilled role i.e. ANZSCO 4 or 5, they might only have a 2-year or a 3-year AEWV, depending on when they applied. If they received a 2 year work visa, they may be able to receive another year and they may or may not need a new job check to be able to do so. 

Or to access the remaining time of a full 5 year MCS, they may need to move to a higher-skilled role using a new ANZSCO code. As the employer, your organisation will need a valid Job Check with an available job token for this higher-skilled role.

Supporting Residence

Many skilled migrants arrive in New Zealand dreaming of a long-term future. Without clear residence pathways, those dreams—and your retention efforts—can quickly unravel.

To support your migrant employees on their journey to settle in NZ, you can map out residence pathways during recruitment and onboarding, Offer resources and visa support and Build a community for them to tap into. Helping your migrant workers doesn’t just make you a good employer—it makes you a smart one. Retention is always more effective and less expensive than recruitment. 

We specialize in residence pathways for migrant employees. Whether it’s personalized consultations or project-based services, we’ll help map out residence options so your workers feel empowered and supported—and more likely to stay.

Five pathways to skilled residence in New Zealand

In 2024, over 53,000 residence applications were approved for New Zealand. Of these, 20,337 were for skilled workers. 

NZ has 5 skills-based residence pathways available to skilled migrants. These ‘skilled’ residence pathways make New Zealand an attractive destination for migrants and their family. These skilled pathways are:

• Skilled Migrant Category 6 points
• Green List Straight to Residence
• Green List Work to Residence
• Care Workforce Work to Residence
• Transport Work to Residence

If you’d like to find out more about these pathways, please read more here.

You can have your employee book a consultation with one of our immigration advisers by clicking here. 

Changes to Partner Work Rights 

From 2 December 2024, open work rights are available to partners of most work visa holders. The work visa holder must meet one of the following criteria -   

• Earn at least $47.41/hr, regardless of the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) skill level of their role 
• Earn at least $25.29/hr if the work visa holder’s role is an ANZSCO Level 1-3 role. If the hourly rate is lower, a Partner Visitor Visa can be supported. 
• Hold any role on The Green List, meet the requirements of the list & earn at least $31.61/hr 
• Hold a role on either the list of approved care workforce jobs for the Care Workforce Work to Residence Visa OR the list of approved transport jobs for the Transport Work to Residence Visa AND earn at least $25.29/hr 
• Is already supporting a partner visa that was approved before 26 June 2024 and is earning at least $25.29/hr 
• Holds an Essential Skills work visa and is paid at least $25.29/hr 

If a work visa holder does not meet any of these requirements, their partners or dependants may be able to apply for a visa in their own right.

If a partner already holds a Partner of a Worker work visa that does not have open work rights, an application can be made to remove any conditions and make this an open work visa. Their supporting partner must earn at least $25.29/hr.

Note: From 28 February 2025, wage threshold to support open work rights for partners is increasing from $25.29/hr to $26.85/hr

Changes to the Active Investor Plus Visa

The Active Investor Plus Visa, designed to attract high-net-worth individuals to invest in New Zealand, is undergoing several changes in 2025 to increase its appeal and boost economic growth.

Starting 1 April 2025, the complex system will be simplified into two new categories:

• Growth Category: $5M minimum investment in NZ businesses over 3 years.
• Balanced Category: $10M minimum investment over 5 years with lower-risk options like bonds and property.

Key Changes You Need to Know:

• Minimum investment lowered from $15M to $5M (Growth) and $10M (Balanced).
• More investment options – including bonds and property-type investments.
• Fewer immigration requirements for active investors (like less time required in NZ).
• Faster investment timelines for both categories.
• No English language requirement – making it even easier to invest!

These updates are designed to boost the economy, create jobs, and make New Zealand the top choice for global investors!

If you are interested in this visa category, please complete this form and our team will be in touch.

Sector Agreements changes

From 10 March 2025, employers recruiting workers under the AEWV and seasonal SPWV policies will no longer be required to pay the median wage. Sector Agreements which provided an exemption to the median wage will be removed alongside this change. Sector Agreements which offer residence pathways will continue to do so, with no changes to the wage rate required to gain residence.

The removal of sector agreements means that roles previously covered by sector agreements for below median wage jobs are no longer subject to restrictions such as caps or limitations on visa duration and instead will be treated the same as other jobs of the same skill level. 

Upcoming Webinars & Events

We run regular webinars for employers, HR professionals, and recruiters throughout the year where we simplify immigration policies and key updates and provide handy tips to help better navigate the world of immigration. Register here for the upcoming webinars.