← All posts

AEWV partner visa: which pay threshold applies to your family plan?

Visa guide · 2026-10-22 · 7 min read

An AEWV partner visa enquiry starts with the worker's actual job and earnings, but it does not finish there. A partner and dependent children cannot be included in an Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) application. Their visas are separate, and the worker's ability to support them depends on the relevant conditions.

For a household considering New Zealand, that distinction belongs near the start of the plan. An employer's offer to one person does not settle every family member's permission, intended activity or timing. Build a record for each person rather than calling the whole move approved when only one part has progressed.

AEWV partner visa: identify the job setting before the amount

From 9 March 2026, the listed AEWV partner-support thresholds are NZ$28.00 an hour for skill level 1 to 3 jobs, NZ$52.50 for skill level 4 to 5 jobs and NZ$35.00 for Green List jobs. Keep the job group attached to its rate when saving or sharing the figures.

Read the dated occupation and median-wage update for the relevant settings. A person cannot select the lowest figure simply because it makes the household plan easier. Establish the actual occupation and applicable circumstances.

A job title used by an employer may not explain its immigration classification. Ask about the duties and the classification being used instead of assuming a senior-sounding title answers the question. Our discussion of duties behind an occupational title considers an Australian example, but the habit of seeking a precise description is useful in New Zealand too.

Keep the wage's purpose beside the number

From 9 March 2026, the immigration median wage is NZ$35.00 an hour, based on June 2025 data. Some settings remain linked to that immigration measure. It should not be confused with a newer statistical earnings median or an expected salary for every position.

The partner-support figures are not a forecast of what an employer will offer. Read the actual rate in the work arrangement and identify which rule is being researched. A household budget, a worker's visa requirements and a support threshold can all concern pay without being the same calculation.

If the offer is unclear, ask for the relevant employment terms in writing. Do not manufacture an hourly rate from an incomplete discussion or assume an unmentioned pay rise will occur before a family application. Use the evidence available, with unresolved questions kept visible.

Give every family member a separate application record

The AEWV holder may be able to support a partner's and dependent children's visas depending on earnings and job skill level. That possibility is different from including them in the worker's own application. The official AEWV information explains the distinction.

Write down each person's intended activity: working, studying or visiting, as relevant to the actual family. Then identify the corresponding enquiry and what is already confirmed. Do not assume one member's progress supplies another person's permission.

Keep application records under their actual names. A draft, a submission confirmation and a decision are different stages. Our article on retaining evidence of an online submission provides useful record-keeping questions without replacing the official instructions.

Agree who in the household will track unanswered questions. Shared planning works better when each adult can find the documents and understand the present stage, rather than relying on a reassuring summary that leaves the detail with someone else.

Do not promote an older child-income amount into a current rule

On 10 March 2025, the dependent-child income threshold rose from NZ$43,322.76 to NZ$55,844 a year, described as 80 percent of the median wage on a forty-hour week. The official account says the amount is updated annually.

Those are historical figures attached to the 2025 change. They should not be presented as the confirmed current threshold for this article. An annual-update condition is a reason to check the current requirement, rather than repeating the last amount found in an older article.

The March 2025 AEWV changes provide that historical context. For a live family plan, confirm the applicable present amount through Immigration New Zealand or an appropriately authorised adviser before relying on it.

Read open-work conditions from the actual grant

From 20 April 2026, open work visas carry one of two employment conditions: any work allowed, or employer work required. Partner visas and the Post Study Work Visa are examples within the first group; all working holiday visas fall within the employer-work-required group.

Use the dated employment-conditions guidance and the actual grant to identify the arrangement. The broad phrase open work visa should not replace reading the conditions issued to the person.

One household member's permission also does not establish what the other can do. If a partner wants employment, keep that enquiry separate from the worker's duties and visa. If plans change, revisit the actual condition instead of relying on a label remembered from an earlier discussion.

Plan practical decisions around confirmed stages

Housing, school research and travel timing can move at different speeds. Identify which commitments depend on a visa decision and which are simply research. This helps the household discuss uncertainty without pretending every detail can already be fixed.

Our article on individual family circumstances in migration decisions reinforces why another family's outcome cannot determine yours. Keep the evidence about the people involved specific.

Use the AEWV guide for the worker's route and our wider visa information to organise separate family questions. A clear list of dependencies is more useful than assuming everyone can travel together on a date not yet supported by decisions.

1. Confirm the worker's actual job classification and offered pay.
2. Identify the applicable partner-support setting.
3. Keep a separate enquiry and record for each family member.
4. Check current child-income requirements rather than reusing a historical amount.
5. Read each issued visa's actual work conditions.
6. Connect household commitments to confirmed stages.

Common mistakes when one job offer drives a family move

Do not include the family mentally in an application that cannot include them, choose a pay threshold without its job group or describe the March 2025 child-income figure as current. Avoid treating every open work visa as identical. Keep one person's offer, another person's application and the household's preferred timetable distinct.

Frequently asked questions

Can my partner and children be included in my AEWV application?

A partner and dependent children cannot be included in the AEWV application. Supporting their separate visas depends on relevant earnings, job skill level and other applicable conditions.

What partner-support rate applies to skill level 1 to 3 work?

From 9 March 2026, the listed threshold for that group is NZ$28.00 an hour. Check the actual job classification and applicable conditions rather than choosing a rate by job title alone.

Is NZ$35.00 the partner-support threshold for every AEWV holder?

The listed NZ$35.00 setting is for Green List jobs. The verified partner-support figures distinguish that group from skill level 1 to 3 and level 4 to 5 work.

Can I use the March 2025 dependent-child income amount as today's figure?

The verified March 2025 change was subject to annual updates. Treat that amount as historical and confirm the current requirement before relying on it.

Does open work visa mean every holder has identical work conditions?

From 20 April 2026, open work visas carry one of two named employment conditions. Read the actual grant instead of treating the broad visa label as the whole answer.

Key takeaways

• Family visas are separate from the AEWV application.
• Match partner-support rates to the actual job setting.
• Keep wage measures and their dates identifiable.
• Confirm current child-income requirements before relying on them.
• Read work conditions from each person's actual grant.

Last checked: 22 October 2026 against the official pages linked above.

For help with the household's immigration questions, book a consultation with licensed immigration advisers in New Zealand or lawfully exempt professionals.

#aewv partner visa #aewv family visas #partner support thresholds #dependent children nz #new zealand family move #open work visa conditions