Is your AEWV accreditation audit-proof?​

A 7-point check for accredited employers.

INZ has shifted its focus from vetting migrants to auditing employers. As of 31 August 2026 they had revoked 1,641 accreditations and suspended 1,049 more. Most of those employers didn’t set out to do anything wrong — their paperwork just didn’t match their practice. Run through this before INZ does.

1. Accreditation status and renewal
   ☐ You know your exact accreditation expiry date, and it’s more than 3 months away (renewals take time).
   ☐ Your company details with INZ (name, address, key contact) are current.
   ☐ If you use labour hire or place workers with third parties, you hold the right accreditation type for that.
2. Job check and work location — new 30-day rule
   ☐ Every physical work site is listed on the job check, not just head office.
   ☐ Each listed site has evidence the role was advertised there.
   ☐ Any worker working outside their approved location is under 30 working days in the past 12 months. Past that, they need an approved Job Change before starting — not after.
   ☐ All positions under one job check share identical location details.
3. Wage — paid rate matches approved rate
   ☐ You pay at least the market rate for the role and location, and never below minimum wage.
   ☐ The rate on the employment agreement matches the rate approved in the job check and what’s actually in payroll.
   ☐ You know that median wage ($35.00/hr from 9 March 2026) still drives residence-pathway and partner-support eligibility, even though it’s no longer a blanket AEWV requirement.
4. Skill evidence on file
   ☐ Each migrant has documented proof of 2 years’ relevant experience or an NZQA Level 4+ qualification. A CV alone is no longer accepted.
   ☐ You hold supporting documents — employment certificates, references, payslips from prior roles — not just the candidate’s word.
5. Advertising and Work and Income
   ☐ You advertised the role locally before hiring offshore, and kept the ad, dates, and applicant outcomes.
   ☐ You engaged Work and Income where required. (INZ found ~15% of employers skipped this — it’s a common trip-up.)
6. Employment agreement matches the approved job
   ☐ Job title, duties, hours, pay, and location on the signed agreement all match the approved job check.
   ☐ Any change since approval (more hours, a pay rise, a site move, a new role) has been run past immigration before it took effect.
7. Records ready for a post-accreditation check
   ☐ You could produce ads, job checks, agreements, payslips, and skill evidence for every migrant within 48 hours.
   ☐ One named person owns compliance, and reviews it quarterly.

Scored under 7 out of 7? That’s where accreditations get revoked — and your visa holders go down with it.

Talk to Olia for a free 20-minute audit-readiness check. 25 years in NZ trades immigration. I’ll tell you where your exposure is before INZ finds it.