Immigration Minister Erica Stanford has announced that the minimum English language requirement under the Accredited Employer Work Visa will be extended to Skill Level 3 roles from 1 June 2026, bringing them into line with the requirements already in place for Skill Levels 4 and 5.
The change reaches a much larger slice of the work visa cohort than the existing rule. Stanford said about half of all AEWV applications are currently for Skill Level 3 positions, while Skill Levels 4 and 5 combined account for around 16 per cent. The Minister framed the extension as a basic fairness measure rather than a tightening, arguing that workers themselves benefit when they can navigate New Zealand workplaces in English.
“Being able to communicate in basic, everyday English ensures that workers understand their rights and engage effectively at work and in the community while they are here,” Stanford said in a statement issued through her office.
The required standard is IELTS 4.0 or an accepted equivalent. Stanford was careful to point out that this is the current baseline and is not being lifted by the change. “The required standard is the current baseline (IELTS 4.0 or equivalent), which demonstrates basic, everyday English for common situations, not a high or advanced level of English,” she said.
Skill Level 3 occupations sit in the middle of the National Occupation List grouping used by Immigration New Zealand. RNZ reported that the band covers jobs such as peer support workers and ski patrollers, alongside a wide range of trades, hospitality team leaders and care roles that have become heavily reliant on overseas labour since the post pandemic reopening.
The Minister linked the change to the next stage of the residence system. Two new skilled residence pathways are due to launch in August 2026, and Stanford said it was reasonable to expect people taking up mid skilled jobs to start with at least basic English and then build to the higher level required for residence over a period of up to five years.
Transitional arrangements are designed to avoid catching out workers already in the country. Current AEWV holders whose visas expire on or before 1 December 2026 will be exempt when they apply for a Skill Level 3 renewal, and anyone who has already demonstrated the required English proficiency in an earlier application will not need to do so again. Applicants under the Global Workforce Seasonal Visa and the Peak Seasonal Visa stream are also exempt, reflecting the largely physical and supervised nature of that work.
Stanford used the same announcement window to confirm a separate change to the Active Investor Plus Visa. From 1 June 2026, applicants using the Growth category of the AIP visa will be able to direct up to 20 per cent of their qualifying investment, capped at one million dollars on the five million dollar minimum, into philanthropic gifts to long established New Zealand charities. The option was previously limited to the Balanced category.
Eligible recipients must be Tier 1 to Tier 3 registered charities that have been operating for at least five years, the gift must benefit New Zealand, and the applicant cannot personally benefit from it. “Allowing a capped philanthropic option adds flexibility, while keeping the category’s focus on strong economic outcomes,” Stanford said.
Taken together the two changes show the Government continuing to recalibrate the work and investor visa settings inherited from the previous Labour administration. The AEWV has been under almost constant adjustment since it was opened up after the border reopening, with previous rounds adjusting the median wage threshold, the maximum stay for low skilled roles, and accreditation rules for employers found to have exploited migrant workers.
Employer groups, particularly in tourism, hospitality and aged care, have been pushing back on what they describe as the cumulative compliance load on accredited businesses, while migrant advocacy groups have raised concerns about workers being trapped in employer dependent visas. Stanford has signalled she is open to further refinement, but has consistently held the line that the AEWV is meant to fill genuine skill shortages rather than be a default route into the labour market.
For Skill Level 3 employers, the practical question between now and the end of next week is whether prospective hires already have a recent IELTS score or an equivalent qualification on file. Immigration New Zealand accepts several alternative tests, and many tertiary qualifications taught in English will satisfy the requirement without a fresh sitting. Workers who have studied or worked in English speaking countries will generally be able to demonstrate the standard through documentation rather than a new test.
If you are heading into the 2026 general election trying to weigh up where the parties sit on immigration settings, our voting tool can help you compare the positions side by side.
What do you think of the new English language rule for Skill Level 3 work visas? Are the Government’s settings about right, too tight, or not tight enough? Let us know in the comments below.
This article was written by AI, briefed to report the facts, hopefully without some of the bias people bring to the job 🙂
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