(NEW ZEALAND) New Zealand will recognise 87 more occupations for the Accredited Employer Work Visa from November 3, 2025, opening the door for employers to lodge job-check applications and for more skilled migrants to qualify under the country’s updated National Occupation List. Immigration New Zealand said the expansion—focused on skill levels 1 to 3—aims to meet changing labour needs while keeping safeguards for local workers. Officials confirmed it will bring longer visa durations, options to bring family, and clearer pathways to residence for people employed in the newly recognised roles.
The change hinges on the National Occupation List, or NOL, which replaced the ANZSCO job classification system in November 2024 and is reviewed annually. Several updates followed that transition, including a July 2025 refresh and the latest additions timed for early November. Immigration New Zealand has set the policy’s start for the first week of that month to give employers and migrants time to prepare documentation, align job descriptions with the NOL, and check wage and skill-level settings before job checks open.
“From this date, employers can submit a job check for any of these newly recognised roles,” Immigration New Zealand stated, underscoring the operational go-live on the first Monday of the month.
The expansion to the Accredited Employer Work Visa, known widely as AEWV, brings a broader slice of New Zealand’s workforce planning into the immigration system. The 87 roles span agriculture, renewable energy, transport, sport, and technology. Examples include senior hands-on roles in horticulture such as Horticulture Post-Harvest Leading Hand, Fruit Production Leading Hand and Indoor Crop Leading Hand at skill level 1; creative and technical specialisations like Foley Artist at skill level 2; and a range of semi‑skilled technical and service jobs at skill level 3, including Irrigation Technician, Drug & Alcohol Tester, Wind Turbine Technician, Electric Vehicle Technician, Calibration Technician, Animal Trainer, Personal Trainer, Tennis Coach (Performance), Bicycle Mechanic and Geothermal Technician. The emphasis on green-energy jobs—from wind turbines to geothermal—and on advanced maintenance and diagnostics reflects where New Zealand is trying to build domestic capacity while filling near-term gaps.
For employers, the mechanics remain familiar but strict. Accreditation under the Accredited Employer Work Visa remains mandatory. Job descriptions must match the National Occupation List and identify the correct skill level. Employers must advertise locally and show they made a genuine effort to hire a New Zealander before offering a job to a migrant. Pay, duties and location all have to align with the NOL definitions for the chosen occupation when the job-check is submitted. Authorities say monitoring will continue to focus on compliance and fair treatment of migrant staff, with sanctions for breaches ranging from suspensions of accreditation to declines of future applications.
For migrants, the additions matter in two main ways. First, the newly listed occupations at skill levels 1 to 3 generally allow longer stays—up to five years—plus the ability to bring family, and they can open pathways to residence if other criteria are met. Second, current workers in lower‑band roles have a clearer path to move up. People already in skill levels 4 or 5 may be able to transition into one of the 87 occupations if they can show at least three years of directly relevant work experience or hold a recognised qualification that matches the NOL role. Immigration New Zealand has encouraged candidates to check their eligibility ahead of time because job‑check approvals for these roles will only be accepted from November 3, 2025, and many employers are expected to queue applications as soon as the system opens.
The National Occupation List is the backbone of these changes. Built to be more responsive than ANZSCO, the NOL is reviewed every year to keep pace with domestic economic shifts and global labour markets. It groups roles by skill level and defines the scope of duties and typical pay for each occupation. For the Accredited Employer Work Visa, these definitions decide whether a role qualifies, how long a visa can be granted, and whether family sponsorship or eventual residence are on the table. Immigration New Zealand argues that the annual review helps prevent bottlenecks and ensures the scheme can move with the market instead of being tied to a static classification that falls out of date.
The timing signals a confidence that the economy needs targeted skills but still wants to protect local hiring. New Zealand’s requirement to advertise locally and make a genuine attempt to find a citizen or resident first has been retained, and the government has not adjusted wage thresholds for this update. The additional occupations tilt toward sectors with persistent shortages—horticulture, advanced trades, diagnostics, and clean energy—while bringing more creative and sport training roles inside the framework. In practice, that means an Irrigation Technician on a winery block in Marlborough, a Wind Turbine Technician on a Taranaki ridge, or an Electric Vehicle Technician in Auckland should have a clearer AEWV route without employers having to force-fit them into an ill‑matched classification.
Some advisers had questioned whether updates would be gradual or arrive as a larger package. The decision to add 87 roles in one tranche gives employers and migrants a firm date to work toward and a defined list to build around. Immigration New Zealand has presented the figure as 87 occupations; some materials note 91 due to minor classification shifts, but the agency’s operational guidance for the AEWV references 87 newly recognised roles that will be available for job checks from November 3, 2025. The agency has said the complete list is available on its website and that it was updated as of October 30, 2025.
The country’s shift to the National Occupation List also matters beyond the specific roles. With ANZSCO retired from immigration decision‑making in late 2024, employers have had to recalibrate job titles and descriptions. The NOL encourages more precise alignment of tasks and qualifications rather than relying on broad occupational families. That makes it harder to game the system with inflated job titles while giving genuine employers clearer rules. It also provides migrants with a more predictable reading of whether their experience or qualifications match a role. The annual review cycle, with this latest expansion, is intended to keep the Accredited Employer Work Visa tied to real labour-market needs rather than legacy assumptions.
New Zealand’s move sits alongside trends in other destinations that compete for similar talent. Canada and Australia have both revised their skilled migration lists in recent years, widening recognition for mid‑tier technical roles and trades, not just university‑qualified professionals. For Indian candidates in particular, the New Zealand update may resonate. Many of the newly added roles—technicians, trainers, agricultural specialists and renewable‑energy support jobs—line up with qualifications common among Indian vocational graduates and experienced workers. Indian students enrolled in New Zealand in vocational or STEM tracks may find it easier to step from study into work visas and, in time, residence, if they secure roles on the National Occupation List at the qualifying skill levels. Officials and education agents expect interest to rise from applicants who see a clearer progression from classroom to job check to AEWV.
On the ground, the practicality will rest on how smoothly employers can translate job needs into the NOL and how quickly job checks get processed once they open. Large horticulture businesses and packhouses will be looking closely at the leading hand roles in fruit and post‑harvest operations. Energy companies and contractors will map their maintenance teams to Wind Turbine Technician, Geothermal Technician and related diagnostic roles. Fitness and sports organisations may use Personal Trainer and Tennis Coach (Performance) classifications, while the creative sector will take note of Foley Artist becoming recognised under skill level 2. Independent bike shops and e‑mobility service centres are likely to use Bicycle Mechanic or Bicycle Technician to bring in specialists where local recruitment falls short.
Fair treatment and compliance remain central to the scheme’s integrity. Immigration New Zealand has reminded employers that the AEWV framework includes ongoing monitoring. Accreditation can be suspended or revoked if employers fail to meet obligations on pay, hours, or employment conditions, and migrants can be moved out of non‑compliant roles. That oversight is designed to keep downward pressure on exploitation risks that can rise when demand for labour is high and when migrants feel trapped by visa conditions tied to a single employer. The agency notes that standard AEWV settings—such as wage requirements and job‑check validation—continue to apply alongside the new NOL occupations.
The November start date gives a short runway for preparation. Employers planning to sponsor staff under the new roles need to confirm their accreditation status, update job descriptions to mirror National Occupation List definitions, budget for wages that meet the specified level for the occupation, and assemble evidence of local advertising and the genuine attempt to recruit domestically. Migrants intending to apply should pull together proof of qualifications or letters verifying directly relevant work experience, particularly if they are seeking to move from a skill level 4 or 5 role into one of the newly opened occupations. Those already on an AEWV may also explore whether their current tasks fit within a recognised NOL occupation at the higher skill levels, which could extend their stay and open family or residence options.
The policy underlines New Zealand’s effort to tie migration settings to sector‑specific shortages rather than relying solely on degree‑based classifications. The inclusion of solar installers, advanced technicians and diagnostic roles shows a tilt toward the energy transition and the electrification of transport, while the horticulture roles reflect enduring needs in a sector that underpins major export earnings. Healthcare‑adjacent roles, like Dementia Navigator noted in supporting materials, point to a system grappling with an ageing population and the services required to support it. In each case, the Accredited Employer Work Visa becomes the mechanism to bring in skills that employers say they cannot source locally in enough numbers, but with an obligation to prove that claim through the job‑check process.
The immigration agency has directed employers and migrants to consult official guidance for the definitive occupation list and application steps. The full list of 87 occupations is available through Immigration New Zealand, which notes the update as of October 30, 2025, and confirms that job checks for these roles open on November 3, 2025. Advisory firms and industry groups are expected to circulate sector‑specific summaries in the lead‑up, but the operational interpretation will be the one that counts: the role name, its duties and its pay must align with the National Occupation List entry at the correct skill level.
As with any immigration tweak, the test will be in execution. If the new roles match employer demand and job checks move briskly, the expansion could ease pressures in agriculture and energy just as the summer season ramps up and maintenance schedules fill. If job descriptions are imprecise or if employers attempt to fit square pegs into round holes, rejections may climb, slowing the intended benefits. For migrants, the opportunity is clearer than it has been in years: a defined set of roles across skill levels 1 to 3, a published start date, and the prospect of longer stays and family reunification for those who meet the criteria. For New Zealand, the signal is equally direct. The country wants targeted skills under the Accredited Employer Work Visa and is willing to update the National Occupation List regularly to get them, while keeping the balance with domestic hiring and oversight.
The move adds weight to a wider global pattern. Canada and Australia have been widening role lists and recalibrating wage and experience thresholds as their economies chase technicians and trades as much as postgraduate professionals. New Zealand’s inclusion of 87 more occupations suggests a similar bet: that the next gains in productivity and service delivery will come from people who can install, maintain, train, and troubleshoot across farms, factories, gyms and grids. Whether it is a Wind Turbine Technician ascending a nacelle on a gusty ridge or a Horticulture Post‑Harvest Leading Hand running a packhouse floor, the National Occupation List is now the roadmap—and the AEWV the vehicle—getting them to work in New Zealand.
This Article in a Nutshell
From November 3, 2025, Immigration New Zealand will allow employers to submit job checks for 87 newly recognised occupations under the Accredited Employer Work Visa, aligned to the National Occupation List’s skill levels 1–3. The expansion targets gaps in horticulture, renewable energy, transport, sport and technical trades, and offers migrants longer stays (up to five years), family accompaniment and potential residence pathways. Employers must remain accredited, advertise locally, match job descriptions to the NOL and meet wage and compliance requirements. The full list is on the INZ website and job checks open on the stated date.
