AEWV Job Change and Variation of Conditions

To change your employer, job or work location on an Accredited Employer Work Visa, you apply for a Job Change, online, using a job check number from your new employer. The older generic Variation of Conditions (VOC) label now belongs to a narrower set of cases: study and travel condition changes, and work visas other than the AEWV. INZ consolidated the Job Change instruction with effect from 1 October 2024 (immigration.govt.nz), and a run of 2025 rule changes reshaped what a job change requires, so guidance older than that is likely to steer you to the wrong application.

Job Change or Variation of Conditions: which do you need?

In law a Job Change still results in a variation of your visa conditions, which is why older articles used the VOC label. Procedurally, though, the application type, form and name are “Job Change”, and it applies only to the AEWV and the seasonal GWSV and PSV visas.

How does the AEWV Job Change work?

Three things must be true before you can apply:

1. Your new employer holds current accreditation with INZ.
2. They hold a valid Job Check for your new role, and they give you the job check number (10 characters, starting “JC”). For a Job Change the employer gives you the number itself, not the Immigration Online token link.
3. You meet the requirements the employer listed for the role, including any qualifications or work experience from the job advertisement.

You apply online with your passport copy, the employment agreement (naming the employer, job title, location, duties, pay, hours and duration), the job check number, and evidence of your qualifications if the occupation is changing. The fee is NZD $325, and INZ’s published times for work-visa condition changes run at an average of 1 week with 80% done within 2 weeks (as at late August 2026, immigration.govt.nz). Two things a Job Change does not do: it does not extend your visa (the expiry date stays), and it does not cost your employer another job check fee for you personally; the NZD $735 job check is the employer’s application, made before you apply.

When can I start working for the new employer?

Not until INZ approves the Job Change and issues your updated eVisa. Until that moment your existing conditions bind: you may work only in the job, for the employer, and in the location on your current visa, and starting the new role early is a breach with consequences for this visa and future applications. Build the approval time into your notice period.

Two related situations have their own rules. If your employer loses accreditation, you can keep working for them until your visa expires, or apply for a Job Change to move. If you are made redundant or your role is disestablished, contact INZ to establish whether a Job Change, VOC or new visa fits; do not simply start elsewhere.

Wage and visa-length rules when changing jobs

Since 10 March 2025 there is no median wage threshold on the AEWV: employers must pay at least the minimum wage and the market rate for the role, with the specific pay set by the job check your new role sits under (immigration.govt.nz). Two traps survive the simplification:

• The maximum-stay trap. If your current job carries a 5-year maximum visa length, you generally cannot change to a job with a 3-year maximum (broadly, lower-skilled ANZSCO level 4 and 5 roles), unless you fit narrow grandfathering rules for pre-April-2024 applicants. Someone 4 years into an AEWV cannot move to a 3-year-cap job at all.
• The token reuse cutoff. Workers who applied for their current AEWV on or after 10 March 2025 cannot reuse a job token; a change needs a fresh job check. Earlier applicants can reuse a token only for the same job and location at the same or better pay.

What about business sales and restructures?

If your employer’s business is sold or restructured so the legal owner changes, you still apply for a Job Change, but a streamlined one: no new job check number is needed at application (you supply the original number from your AEWV, evidence of the finalised sale and your continuing employment), and the new employer needs only to have applied for accreditation. After approval, INZ contacts the new employer for a streamlined job check with no advertising and no fee. The role must keep the same location, title and same-or-higher pay. Note one 17 November 2025 change: INZ can pause Job Change applications where it holds serious concerns about the employer, such as recent accreditation revocation or an active exploitation investigation (immigration.govt.nz).

Frequently asked questions

How do I change employers on an AEWV?

Apply online for a Job Change with a job check number from your new employer, who must be accredited and hold a valid Job Check for the role. The fee is NZD $325 and most applications are decided within 2 weeks. You cannot start the new job until INZ approves the change and issues your updated eVisa, and the change does not extend your visa’s expiry date.

What is the difference between a Job Change and a Variation of Conditions?

A Job Change is the dedicated online application for AEWV (and seasonal GWSV/PSV) holders changing employer, job or location. A Variation of Conditions covers the rest: AEWV holders adding part-time study over 3 months, travel condition changes, and other work visas with named-employer conditions. Older guidance calling an AEWV employer switch a VOC is out of date.

How long does an AEWV Job Change take?

INZ’s published figures for work-visa condition changes run at an average of 1 week, with 80% completed within 2 weeks, as at late August 2026. The figures update weekly. The practical planning point is the start date: employment with the new employer cannot begin until the application is approved, so agree a notice period that allows for processing.

Can I start my new job while the Job Change is processing?

No. Your existing visa conditions apply until INZ approves the application and issues the updated eVisa, so working for the new employer before then is a breach of your visa conditions. That risks the current visa and complicates future applications. If timing is critical after a business sale or restructure, priority processing can be requested through INZ’s escalation process.

Does my new job need to pay the median wage?

No. The median wage threshold came off the AEWV on 10 March 2025; the requirements are the minimum wage and the market rate for the role, as assessed in the employer’s job check. Watch the visa-length rule instead: moving from a 5-year-maximum job to a 3-year-maximum job is generally not allowed mid-stay.

The wider 2025 AEWV settings (experience requirement, visa lengths, dependent-child income threshold) are covered in our AEWV 2025 changes guide, and if your visa itself is close to expiry the right move may be a new application rather than a Job Change: see renewing a visa before it expires.

Current as at 28 August 2026, based on Immigration New Zealand policy. For advice on your own situation, talk to a ProVisas Licensed Immigration Adviser (IAA Licence 201301110).