Ready to fill a role with a migrant worker?

A Job Check is INZ’s approval of a specific job you want to fill with a migrant worker. It is the second of three steps:

1. Employer accreditation. INZ approves your business.
2. Job Check. INZ approves the job.
3. Work visa. Your worker applies for their AEWV using the job token from your Job Check.

INZ checks that the job is genuine, that the pay and conditions meet the rules, that the minimum requirements are reasonable, and, where the test applies, that you tried to recruit New Zealanders first.

Only an accredited employer whose accreditation is not suspended. You must also be the direct employer, the business named on the employment agreement. If you are not accredited yet, start with our Employer Accreditation NZ Guide.

With Standard Accreditation you can have no more than 5 jobs linked to your business at one time. A job stays linked while the worker holds an AEWV based on it, or while the job token is unused and current. High Volume Accreditation has no limit.

A Job Check cannot be approved for self-employment, for planting, maintaining, harvesting or packing crops in horticulture or viticulture, or for foreign crew of fishing vessels. Those go through other instructions.

Most do. The labour market test means advertising the job and, for some roles, working with Work and Income, to show there was no suitable New Zealander available. You do not need it when:

NZD 70.00 an hour is twice the immigration median wage of NZD 35.00 an hour, so it changes when the median wage changes. See our Immigration Median Wage guide.

The advertising has to be a genuine attempt to attract New Zealand workers. INZ sets these rules:

• Advertise on a national job listing website where suitable New Zealand workers are likely to look, or somewhere more likely to reach them, such as an industry job site.
• Run the ad for at least 14 calendar days for ANZSCO skill-level 1 to 3 roles and NOL skill-level 1 to 3 roles recognised by INZ. Run it for at least 21 calendar days for ANZSCO skill-level 4 or 5 roles.
• The ad must have closed before you apply, and closed within the 90 days before your Job Check application.
• If the job is based in more than one location, you need advertising for each location.

The ad must include:

• a job description with the key tasks and responsibilities
• the minimum and maximum pay, and estimated actual earnings if a large part is not guaranteed, such as piece rates or commission
• the minimum guaranteed hours
• the location
• the minimum qualifications, experience, skills or other requirements

The details in the ad must match what you put in your Job Check application. The minimum requirements must only be what is needed to do the job. INZ can compare them with the ANZSCO or National Occupation List description for the occupation. For example, asking for a foreign language for a café role is unlikely to be accepted, but it may be for a tour guide working with visitors who do not speak English.

For roles assessed at ANZSCO skill level 4 or 5. Before applying for a Job Check you must:

• list the role with Work and Income, unless they tell you no job seekers are available
• interview any candidates they refer that you consider suitable
• act in good faith throughout
• complete this within the 90 days before your Job Check application

You still have to advertise the role yourself as well. The listing with Work and Income should match your own advertising.

The person dealing with Work and Income must be someone who makes hiring decisions, or a recruiter you have engaged. If you use an outside recruiter for this, that recruiter, or anyone from the same organisation, cannot help or advise on your Job Check application.

Keep evidence of your Work and Income engagement for at least as long as your current accreditation. INZ can ask for it, for example the form you submitted, a screenshot of the listing, and emails from Work and Income.

A New Zealand citizen or resident who is:

• qualified for the job, or could readily be trained on the job to do it
• able to meet other reasonable requirements, such as a driver licence, being fit for physical work, or passing health, drug or criminal checks where needed
• living near the job, or willing and able to move there
• able to get to work, for example by bus or their own car
• available for the full-time hours you need

When you apply, you declare whether you found any suitable and available New Zealanders. For skill level 4 and 5 roles, you also declare why any New Zealand applicants were not suitable or not available.

INZ matches the job to an occupation in ANZSCO (version 1.3), or in the National Occupation List for the occupations INZ has listed in Appendix 20. The job must be a substantial match, which means the tasks of that occupation make up most of the role.

If you say a job is skill level 1 to 3 but INZ decides it is level 4 or 5, it is assessed under the level 4 and 5 rules, including Work and Income and the longer advertising period. Some level 4 and 5 occupations can be treated as level 3 where INZ’s instructions allow it.

INZ can also look at the size and structure of your business, the qualifications and experience the job needs, and the pay.

Pay

• At least the New Zealand adult minimum wage, and not less than the market rate for the occupation.
• INZ looks at what a New Zealander would be paid for the same or similar work, collective agreements, the job description, the location, how long the job is for, the hours, the training and experience needed, and industry salary guides.
• Pay is worked out per guaranteed hour. For a salary, INZ divides the annual salary by 52 weeks, then by the weekly hours. If you give a pay range, INZ uses the lowest rate.
• Commissions, bonuses and piece rates that are not guaranteed do not count, and nor do allowances such as tool or uniform allowances.
• Where hours vary, INZ uses the maximum hours to work out the hourly rate.
• The pay period cannot be longer than one month.

Conditions

• Full-time: at least 30 guaranteed hours every week.
• For one accredited employer only.
• Terms no less favourable than the New Zealand market, including notice periods.
• No trial period.
• No recruitment, training or equipment costs passed on to the worker.
• If the job involves travel or moving location, the terms must be in the employment agreement and must not disadvantage the worker.

You also declare that the employment agreement will include all the clauses employment law requires, paid leave details, overtime hours and rates, the maximum hours, and the pay period.

A genuine job is one that was not created to get someone a visa, is available now or will be needed within 6 months of approval, and genuinely needs to be based in New Zealand.

INZ can look at public information about your business, whether the role fits what your business does, whether you have enough work for the number of positions, the skills and experience the job needs, and whether the Job Check is meant to support a family member.

1. Check whether the job needs advertising, and advertise it if it does.
2. Engage with Work and Income if the role is skill level 4 or 5.
3. Prepare a detailed job description and your advertising evidence.
4. Apply using INZ’s online form and pay the fee. INZ sets out each step in its Job Check process steps.

The form asks for the job title, location and the ANZSCO or National Occupation List code and skill level. Since INZ redesigned the form in September 2025, it also asks for the reason for the role, the size of your business, and how many people you employ in New Zealand.

You can include several positions in one Job Check if they share the same occupation, location, pay range, type of employment, minimum requirements, job description, terms and conditions, and advertising. INZ may approve fewer positions than you asked for.

Fees as at 8 October 2026. Fees change, so check INZ’s fees page before you apply.

The Job Check fee is the employer’s cost and cannot be passed on to the worker. INZ publishes current wait times for Job Checks. Some Job Checks are now assessed and approved by an automated system.

When INZ approves your Job Check, you get a job token for each approved position. Your chosen worker uses the token to apply for their AEWV, or for a Job Change if they already hold an AEWV with another employer.

• A token lasts 6 months, or until your accreditation lapses or is revoked, whichever is first.
• A token cannot be used while your accreditation is suspended.
• Each token supports one visa or Job Change application. It can be used again in some situations, for example if that application is withdrawn, or declined and not reconsidered, or you withdraw the job offer.
• INZ can cancel a token if you no longer need it, if the job is not genuine or acceptable, or if it was granted in error.

Before your worker applies, check they meet the skills requirements for the job and keep a record of how you checked. INZ’s Job Check guidance also lets a worker spend up to 6 weeks (30 working days) in a 12-month period working outside the location on their visa without a new Job Check and Job Change.

If your accreditation is suspended, INZ will not approve a Job Check until the suspension ends, and current tokens cannot be used. If your accreditation has expired or been revoked, INZ can decline the Job Check without asking you to comment first. If you have applied to renew and the renewal is still being decided, INZ may hold the Job Check until it is.

Before declining, INZ must give you a chance to comment on information that counts against the application, usually in a potentially prejudicial information (PPI) letter. See our guide to PPI and RFI letters.

There is no right of appeal. You can ask INZ to reconsider within 14 calendar days of the decision, with a fee. A different officer reconsiders it under the same instructions, and does not have to consider new information or changes since the decision. Sometimes a new application with fresh advertising is the better route. See our Reconsideration Requests guide.

INZ can also decline a Job Check if information in it was false or misleading, or if relevant information was held back.

Most Job Check problems come back to timing, consistency and records:

• The job ad closed more than 90 days before the application, or did not run for long enough.
• The job ad and the application do not match, for example a different pay range, hours or requirements.
• Minimum requirements that are more than the job needs, which can put New Zealand applicants off.
• A job assessed at a lower skill level than expected, so Work and Income engagement and the longer advertising period were missed.
• Pay that meets the minimum wage but not the market rate, or relies on bonuses and commission that are not guaranteed.
• No records of Work and Income engagement, or of why New Zealand applicants were not suitable.
• Standard Accreditation already at its limit of 5 jobs.
• Accreditation close to expiry, so the tokens run out early.
• The advertisement did not meet all of INZ’s requirements. For example, it left out the pay range, guaranteed hours, location, key duties or minimum requirements.
• INZ is not satisfied that the job is genuine or that the business has enough work for the number of positions requested. For example, the role does not fit the size or activities of the business, overlaps with existing positions, or depends on expansion plans that are not yet supported by evidence.

Knowing the rules is not the same as a successful application. INZ has discretion, for example in deciding the market rate and whether requirements are necessary, and every job is different. If your situation is complex, book a Discovery Call.

How long does a Job Check take?

It depends on INZ’s workload and how complete your application is. INZ publishes current wait times.

How long is a Job Check valid for?

The job tokens from an approved Job Check last 6 months, or until your accreditation ends, whichever is first.

Can one Job Check cover several workers?

Yes, if the positions share the same occupation, location, pay range, requirements, terms and advertising. You get a token for each approved position.

Do I need to advertise a Green List job?

Not if the occupation is on the Green List and your minimum requirements include the Green List requirements for it.

Does an approved Job Check mean my worker will get a visa?

No. INZ assesses your worker’s AEWV application separately, including their skills, health and character. See our Accredited Employer Work Visa guide.

Can I pass the Job Check fee on to the worker?

No. Job Check and accreditation fees, advertising, recruitment and adviser fees are all the employer’s to pay.

What if my worker needs to work in another town for a while?

INZ allows up to 6 weeks (30 working days) in a 12-month period outside the approved location. Longer than that usually means a new Job Check and a Job Change. See our Job Change and Variation of Conditions guide.

Do I need an immigration adviser for a Job Check?

No, you can apply yourself. Employers often use a licensed immigration adviser when the skill level is unclear, the role is in more than one location, a previous Job Check was declined, or they are recruiting several roles at once. See our employer immigration services.