Changes To AEWV Coming As Govt Tries To Make It ‘Work For Everybody’

The government is looking to ease some pain caused by changes to the country’s main work visa earlier this year to make the new settings “work for everybody”.  

Immigration Minister Erica Stanford announced a slew of changes to the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) five months back to curtail what she described as unsustainably high migration levels.

Most of the changes aimed to shave off the number of migrants in low-skilled jobs–Level 4 and 5 occupations–but the immigration minister says she didn’t expect the new setting to fit in flawlessly.

“We knew that those blanket changes were going to need to be nuanced later in the year when we actually do all of the detailed work around AEWV,” Stanford told The Indian Weekender.

Among the new provisions some business owners have taken objection to is a rule that requires most low-skilled overseas workers to leave the country after two years of work and wait a year to reapply for a visa. 

They point out a lack of a residency pathway for these employees will lead to high attrition, taking away trained workforce they need on an ongoing basis.  

The minister says she has been in touch with stakeholders across the country and she has understood the need to adjust the settings in certain sectors and regions. 

“I'm very aware of the needs of different sectors, different industries and different regions of New Zealand, which is why we're taking that very nuanced approach so we can make sure it’s a visa that suits everybody and as many people as we can,” Stanford says.

The minister is expected to outline the changes and the philosophy behind those when she speaks at an event organised by the Employers and Manufacturers Association on August 15.  

“I’m going to talk about it [this week]…how we're approaching this work and the different sectors and regions that we're working to make the visa a bit more nuanced.”

Stanford says she has been working “very hard with my officials” to overhaul the AEWV visa and address the concerns that have followed. 

“We definitely will need to be more flexible with it to make sure that this visa works for everybody. And so that's the work that I'm undertaking. I've taken that through.”

She adds that all her cabinet colleagues have been aware all along of the changes to AEWV that have been implemented under her watch.  

“I've just taken my cabinet colleagues through it on a number of occasions so that we're all aware of the work programme.

“The changes that were made earlier in the year were a collective cabinet decision…So they know what’s coming.”