New Zealand Tightens Location Rules for Accredited Employer Work Visa Holders
Updated: 1 hour ago
WELLINGTON, October 2, 2026 — Immigration New Zealand has issued fresh guidance on where Accredited Employer Work Visa holders are permitted to work, closing off a grey area that has confused employers since the visa was introduced.
The core principle: an employee must be based where the job check says they are based. Everything else flows from that.
Under the official INZ guidance, location means the place where work is entirely or principally carried out. If a role genuinely spans several places, each one must appear on the job check — and each must have been advertised.
What Employers Must Get Right at Job Check Stage
The location question is settled at the job check, not after the worker arrives. Mistakes there are difficult and expensive to fix later.
Requirement | What It Means in Practice |
Single location | Name the town or region where the role sits |
Multiple locations | List every one, and show advertising in each |
Several positions on one job check | Locations must match exactly across all positions |
Regular travel | If travel is routine, the destinations belong on the job check |
The last point catches employers who assume that a mobile role — a delivery driver, a service technician, a regional sales rep — can simply be filed under head office. It cannot, if the work is principally performed elsewhere.
The 30-Working-Day Allowance
INZ has retained a practical concession for short-term movements. A worker may operate outside their approved location for up to 30 working days (roughly six weeks) in any 12-month window without triggering a new job check.
Occasional trips — a conference, a training day, a client visit — do not need to be declared, provided the worker remains based at the approved location.
Cross that 30-day line, however, and the process resets. The employer must file a fresh job check, and the worker must secure an approved Job Change before picking up work at the new site.
How INZ Assesses Compliance
Compliance officers look backwards. When reviewing an employer, INZ may examine work locations across the 12 months preceding the check.
Whether a worker at a different site is in breach depends on context, including:
How long they have been working elsewhere
The nature of that work
The reasons for the move
The character of the role itself
This matters for employers who rotate staff seasonally or deploy teams to project sites. What felt like flexibility can look like non-compliance in hindsight.
Worked Examples
Situation | Outcome |
Wellington office worker visits Auckland for a two-day meeting | No job check required |
Truck driver based in Tauranga delivers across the North Island | No job check required — Tauranga remains the base |
Employee stationed in Christchurch for 40 working days | New job check and Job Change required before work starts |
Construction firm rotates staff between three sites long-term | All three sites should have been on the job check |
What Employers Should Do Now
Audit existing job checks against where workers actually spend their time
Check advertising records — if a role spans sites, the ads should too
Track temporary deployments against the 30-working-day threshold
File early if a longer placement is coming, rather than after the fact
Reflect travel terms in employment agreements without disadvantaging the worker
Quick Reference
Aspect | Details |
Guidance Issued | 30 September 2026 |
Location Test | Where work is entirely or principally carried out |
Travel Allowance | 30 working days per 12 months |
Beyond Allowance | New job check + Job Change |
Compliance Window | 12 months preceding the check |
Multiple Positions | Identical location details required |
Read Also
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