From today, 26 June 2024, people holding an AEWV in roles at Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) levels 4 and 5 without a pathway to residency are no longer able to support work, visitor or student visa applications for their partners and dependent children.
Partners and dependent children will still be able to apply for a visa in their own right to come to New Zealand, such as an Accredited Employer Work Visa or an international student visa, provided they meet the requirements.
The government has made this change to align with the broader suite of changes to the AEWV scheme earlier this year, and returns the settings to similar ones under the previous Essential Skills Work Visa.
The change will not impact:
- people that already hold visas as a partner or dependent child, or
- AEWV holders working in ANZSCO level 4 and 5 roles with a pathway to residency, such as the Green List, sector agreements with residence pathways, and
- those earning at least 1.5 times the median wage threshold for the Skilled Migrant Category.
People who have an application as a partner or dependent child in progress will also not be affected. Those applications will be considered against the requirements that were in place on the date they applied.