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New Zealand has clarified work location requirements for employers and foreign workers under the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV), allowing visa holders to temporarily work outside their approved location for up to 30 working days within a 12-month period.
Under the rules, employers applying for a job check must specify the location or region where an AEWV role will be based, particularly where the position involves work across multiple locations.
Where an employee regularly works at different locations, employers are expected to include each location in the job check and provide evidence that the role was advertised in those areas.
For employers seeking approval for multiple positions under the same job check, the work location details must also be the same for all positions covered by the application.
What AEWV workers should know
AEWV holders can travel or temporarily work outside the location approved under their job check for up to 30 working days in any 12-month period without requiring their employer to complete another job check.
This means occasional assignments, business travel or short-term work at another site may be permitted, provided the employee remains primarily based at the location approved for their role.
However, once work outside the approved location exceeds 30 working days, additional immigration requirements apply.
The employer will be required to complete a new job check covering the new work location, while the foreign worker must obtain an approved Job Change before beginning work at the location.
Workers are not permitted to start working at the new location while waiting for the Job Change application to be approved.
The clarification is particularly relevant to migrant workers employed in occupations that involve frequent movement between construction sites, company branches, regional offices or other workplaces.
Employers whose workers regularly operate across multiple locations may therefore need to account for those locations from the beginning of the job check process rather than treating them as temporary assignments.
What you should know
New Zealand tightens policy for foreign workers
The latest clarification comes amid a series of changes to New Zealand’s immigration and employment framework for foreign workers.
In February 2026, Nairametrics reported that New Zealand would introduce revised employment conditions for holders of open work visas from April 20. The changes clarified the types of employment migrants can undertake and introduced different conditions depending on the visa category.
New Zealand has also expanded some pathways for foreign graduates. In March, the government introduced a six-month Short-Term Graduate Work Visa and expanded eligibility for the Post-Study Work Visa. The short-term route gives eligible international graduates open work rights while they seek longer-term employment, including jobs that could provide a pathway to an Accredited Employer Work Visa.
Earlier changes have also been made directly to the AEWV framework. In November 2025, Nairametrics reported that Immigration New Zealand would introduce two seasonal visa options under the AEWV: the Global Workforce Seasonal Visa and Peak Seasonal Visa. Applications for both categories opened in December 2025 as part of efforts to give employers greater access to overseas workers during periods of seasonal labour demand.
