{"id":55616,"date":"2025-12-18T14:44:29","date_gmt":"2025-12-18T03:44:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/absoluteimmigration.com\/nz\/?p=55616"},"modified":"2025-12-12T14:57:58","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T03:57:58","slug":"could-aewv-maximum-stay-limits-affect-your-job-or-your-employees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/absoluteimmigration.com\/nz\/news\/could-aewv-maximum-stay-limits-affect-your-job-or-your-employees\/","title":{"rendered":"Could AEWV maximum stay limits affect your job or your employees?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Photo credit: Tourism NZ Visual Library<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Are you certain your Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) workers can legally remain employed next month? Or could your business be weeks away from an unexpected staffing crisis without even realising it?<\/p>

As AEWV maximum continuous stay (MCS) limits begin taking effect for the first time, many employers and migrant workers are discovering that long-serving team members may soon be required to leave New Zealand, or face a mandatory 12-month stand-down period offshore. With visas granted in 2022 and 2023 now reaching their limits, the risk of disruption, compliance breaches and sudden workforce gaps is no longer theoretical, it is happening now.<\/p>

Immigration New Zealand is urging AEWV holders and their employers to actively plan ahead and use the AEWV stay calculation tool<\/a> to understand exactly how long a worker can remain in New Zealand on one or more AEWVs.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

What is maximum continuous stay?<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>

The maximum continuous stay<\/a> (MCS) is the total amount of time a person can remain in New Zealand on one or more AEWVs. Once this limit is reached, the visa holder must leave New Zealand and spend 12 months outside the country before they can be granted another AEWV.<\/p>

Employers must also cease employment of AEWV holders once their maximum stay has been reached. Continuing to employ a worker beyond this point may result in compliance action and breaches of AEWV obligations.<\/p>

This policy reinforces the AEWV\u2019s temporary nature and requires employers to regularly test the New Zealand labour market, ensuring local workers are prioritised every 3 to 5 years.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

How long can an AEWV holder stay?<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>

When the AEWV was introduced in 2022, stay limits were set based on ANZSCO skill level:<\/p>