The Government is expanding minimum English language requirements for migrant workers applying under the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV), with the new rules set to cover skill level 3 roles from June this year.
Immigration Minister Erica Stanford said the changes will take effect from 1 June 2026 and will align skill level 3 occupations with the existing English language standards already applied to skill levels 4 and 5.
Under the updated settings, applicants for ANZSCO and National Occupation List (NOL) skill level 3 roles will need to demonstrate basic English proficiency, equivalent to an IELTS score of 4.0.
Stanford said skill level 3 workers now make up the largest share of AEWV applicants, accounting for around half of all applications, while skill levels 4 and 5 combined represent about 16 per cent.
She said requiring workers to have a basic grasp of everyday English would help them understand their rights, communicate effectively in the workplace, and participate more easily in the community.
“The required standard is the current baseline, which demonstrates basic, everyday English for common situations, not a high or advanced level of English,” Stanford said.
The Minister also linked the changes to upcoming skilled residence pathways due to begin in August, saying migrants entering New Zealand in mid-skilled roles with long-term residency ambitions should arrive with a minimum standard of English.
Workers would then have up to five years to meet the higher English standard needed for residence eligibility.
The new requirement will apply to AEWV applications lodged on or after 1 June 2026. It will also affect existing AEWV holders whose visas expire after 1 December 2026 if they apply for another AEWV in a skill level 3 role.
However, transitional exemptions will apply. Workers whose current AEWV expires on or before 1 December 2026 will not need to meet the new English requirement when applying for the remainder of their maximum continuous stay.
Immigration New Zealand said AEWV holders who have already supplied evidence of meeting English language requirements in previous applications will continue to be recognised as meeting the standard.
The rules will not apply to Global Workforce Seasonal Visa and Peak Seasonal Visa AEWV applications, nor to Job Change applications.
Image credit: Markus Wrinkler
Good start keep going.
Wow, what a revelation Stanford, requiring workers to have a basic grasp of everyday English when coming to an English speaking country. I can tell you don’t turn up to the church parliament just to eat your lunch.
Many new arrivals of average intelligence can already speak English and are aware of grammatical constructions. The problem is often the accent. Some races have extraordinary difficulty with the English accent. They know the word, can spell it, but simply cannot say it in a comprehensible way. This can be straightened out quite easily with an IPA chart. It needs regular practise though, and adults in particular find this monotonous and time consuming but it is well worth the time spent.
https://ipachart.app/
I’m sure they can cook up a trade deal that can by-pass that, right Curry Chris?
Sounds like a nothing-burger to grab a headline.
The fake democracy uni-party pretending they’re doing something.
Looks like a nothing-burger designed to grab a headline.
The fake-democracy government pretending to do something.