Recognising NOL Occupations in the AEWV – A Significant Update for Migrant Work Visas in New Zealand

In a move to modernise and align its immigration-framework with evolving skill-needs, Immigration New Zealand has announced an important update regarding how the National Occupation List (NOL) will be used for the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV). The update will affect how occupations are assessed, how job-offers are validated, and opens new possibilities for employers and overseas-skilled workers.

From 3 November 2025, INZ will begin to recognise a set of occupations listed under the NOL for all AEWV job-checks and visa applications. The announcement emphasises that this marks a shift away (in part) from the older classification system (ANZSCO) and toward the NOL for assessing job-skills and visa eligibility.

The NOL aims to reflect more accurately the modern labour market in New Zealand: the diversity of jobs, emerging roles, and evolving skill-requirements.

For employers: the recognition of these NOL-occupations under the AEWV means clearer alignment between job offers, skill-levels and visa eligibility. Employers making job-checks will need to ensure the role fits the NOL occupation code and meets the relevant skill-level criteria.

For workers: If your job (or the job you are being offered) is included in the newly recognised NOL list for AEWV, this may open up easier pathways for getting the visa under the accredited employer route. Also, it may allow those already in lower skill-level roles to transition to higher-level NOL roles, subject to certain conditions.

From the effective date (3 November 2025), job checks submitted under the AEWV must use the NOL occupation code if the role appears on the list recognised by INZ.

For roles not yet recognised under NOL for AEWV purposes, the older ANZSCO coding system continues to apply until full transition.

Some existing AEWV holders in lower skill levels (for example skill-level 4 or 5 under ANZSCO) may now have the opportunity to move into newly recognised NOL roles at skill levels 1-3, provided they meet criteria such as relevant experience or qualification.

Check your occupation-code : Whether you are an employer or a migrant worker, you must verify whether the job being offered (or held) appears on the NOL list recognised for AEWV. If not, you will need to rely on the ANZSCO classification as previously.

Skill-level matters : The newly recognised NOL roles are generally at higher-skill levels (1-3) compared with many previous lower-skill roles (4-5). This means the responsibilities, pay and qualifications for the job will need to match accordingly.

Employer accreditation & job-check still apply : The change to use NOL does not remove the underlying requirements of the AEWV scheme—e.g., the employer must still be accredited, must advertise the job appropriately, and must obtain a job-check before hiring a migrant worker.

Transitional period : Because the shift to NOL is being done in phases, there may be some confusion / overlap between old and new rules. Make sure you use the correct classification for the correct application date.

Residence-pathway vs temporary-work : At this point, the NOL recognition under the AEWV is for the work visa route. It may not yet change the residence-eligibility pathways directly (for example under the Skilled Migrant Category) until further updates.

For skilled workers in Indonesia (and the wider ASEAN region) considering migrating to New Zealand via the AEWV: