New median wage to apply from February 2023

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The new median wage of NZD $29.66 an hour will be adopted into the immigration system on 27 February 2023.

All wage thresholds indexed to the median wage will also be updated. This includes the Accredited Employer Visa (AEWV), occupations covered by sector agreements, and residence visa categories.

For the AEWV, migrants must meet the wage threshold in force at the time they apply for their visa. This means that if the wage threshold increases between the job check being approved and the migrant applying for the visa, the migrant may need to meet a higher wage threshold than was approved in the job check pay range.

For example, an employer is granted a job check on 1 November 2022 based on the current median wage of $27.76.

  • If the migrant worker they offer employment to applies for an Accredited Employer work visa before 27 February 2023, the worker must be paid at least the median of $27.76. This is because $27.76 will be the median wage in the immigration system at time of application.
  • If the migrant worker they offer employment to applies for an Accredited Employer work visa on or after 27 February 2023, the worker must be paid at least the new median of $29.66.

Residence visa categories and pathways with median wage-related criteria will also be updated. This includes the Green List and Highly Paid pathways, the Skilled Migrant Category and the Parent Category.