Only accredited employers can hire migrants on an Accredited Employer Work Visa. How to check INZ's accredited employer list, what the three accreditation types mean, and what happens to your visa if your employer's accreditation lapses.
Written by the ProVisas Editorial Team. ProVisas is a licensed New Zealand immigration advisory firm (IAA Licence 201301110).
An accredited employer is a business Immigration New Zealand has approved to hire migrant workers on the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV). No accreditation, no AEWV: the visa cannot be granted for a job with an unaccredited business. You can check any employer in about a minute on INZ’s accredited employer list, which is updated daily and searchable by company name or New Zealand Business Number (NZBN). This guide covers how the check works, what the accreditation types mean, and what happens to your visa if an employer’s accreditation ends.
Search INZ’s accredited employer list by the employer’s name (at least 3 characters) or their 13-digit NZBN. The list is updated daily. The NZBN search is the reliable one: trading names often differ from the legal entity that holds the accreditation, so a name search can miss an employer that is genuinely accredited. Ask the employer for their NZBN, or look it up free on the NZBN register.
One caveat from INZ itself: some employers have chosen not to appear in the public search results. An employer you cannot find is not necessarily unaccredited, so check with them directly before drawing conclusions. What you should never accept is a job offer where the employer refuses to confirm accreditation at all: without it, an AEWV application for that job cannot proceed, and unverifiable “accredited employer” claims are a standard feature of offshore job scams.
Three types, based on how many AEWV workers the business hires and how it engages them (immigration.govt.nz):
| Type | Who it is for | Application fee |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | Hiring up to 5 AEWV workers | NZD $775 |
| High-volume | Hiring 6 or more AEWV workers | NZD $1,280 |
| Triangular | Placing workers with controlling third parties (labour hire and similar) | NZD $4,060 |
Upgrading from standard to high-volume mid-cycle costs NZD $505, and each job check (the step that approves a specific role for AEWV hiring) costs NZD $735 (immigration.govt.nz). First accreditation lasts 12 months; renewals last 24 months for standard and high-volume accreditation, and 12 months for triangular (immigration.govt.nz).
Accreditation is a set of ongoing commitments, not a one-off badge. Accredited employers must give their AEWV workers information about living and working in New Zealand, support them to settle, meet their employment law obligations throughout the accreditation period, and must not pass recruitment costs on to the worker (immigration.govt.nz). That last rule matters offshore: an “agent” or employer charging you a fee for the job itself is describing an arrangement INZ prohibits. INZ runs post-accreditation checks against these commitments; our employer-side page covers what those involve.
Your current visa is not cancelled. If an employer’s accreditation expires, is suspended, or is revoked, AEWV workers already employed and in New Zealand can continue working for that employer until their own visas expire (immigration.govt.nz). What the employer cannot do is hire new AEWV workers or support further job checks until accreditation is restored.
The pinch point comes at your next application. A further AEWV, or a move to a different role, needs an accredited employer with an approved job check at that time, so an employer whose accreditation has lapsed cannot support your renewal. If that is your situation, start early: our guide to changing jobs on an AEWV explains the Job Change process, and the processing times tracker shows current accreditation and job check timeframes (both averaging days, not weeks, as at early September 2026).
For a worker, the accredited employer list is a scam filter. A genuine AEWV job offer comes from an accredited business, survives an NZBN check, and never involves you paying for the job. An offer that fails any of those tests is a red flag worth taking seriously before you resign from anything, pay anyone, or book flights. For employers, appearing on the list is free marketing to a candidate pool that has learned to check it.
Search Immigration New Zealand’s accredited employer list, which is updated daily, using the company name (minimum 3 characters) or its 13-digit New Zealand Business Number. The NZBN search is more reliable because trading names often differ from the accredited legal entity. Some employers opt out of the public listing, so an employer you cannot find may still be accredited: confirm with them directly.
A business Immigration New Zealand has approved to hire migrant workers on the Accredited Employer Work Visa. Accreditation requires the business to be genuinely operating, meet employment law obligations, support workers to settle in New Zealand, and pay all recruitment costs itself. An AEWV can only be granted for a job with an accredited employer that also holds an approved job check for the role.
As at September 2026: standard accreditation (up to 5 AEWV workers) costs NZD $775, high-volume accreditation (6 or more) costs NZD $1,280, and triangular accreditation for businesses placing workers with third parties costs NZD $4,060. Upgrading from standard to high-volume costs NZD $505, and each job check costs NZD $735 on top.
First accreditation lasts 12 months. Renewals last 24 months for standard and high-volume accreditation, and 12 months for triangular accreditation. If an accreditation expired more than a year before the renewal application, the renewed accreditation reverts to 12 months.
Yes, on your current visa. INZ confirms that AEWV workers already employed and in New Zealand can continue working for an employer whose accreditation has expired, been suspended, or been revoked, until their own visas expire. The employer cannot hire new AEWV workers or support new job checks, so your next visa application needs the accreditation problem fixed or a new accredited employer.
If a job offer, a job check, or an accreditation question is holding up your plans, the AEWV guide covers the visa itself and our advisers work with both workers and employers on the accreditation side.
Current as at 4 September 2026, based on Immigration New Zealand policy. For advice on your own situation, talk to a ProVisas Licensed Immigration Adviser (IAA Licence 201301110).
Last reviewed . Information may have changed since this article was reviewed. For your specific case, talk to a licensed immigration adviser.
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