Finding a senior chef is the hardest hire in hospitality, and for a lot of New Zealand owners the answer is to recruit from overseas. The rules for doing that changed twice in 2026 — once in March, when chefs were reclassified under a brand-new occupation list, and again on 1 June, when the English-language requirement was widened. Both changes affect who you can hire, what you pay, and how long they can stay.
This is a practical walk-through for independent restaurant, cafe and takeaway owners: how the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) works in 2026, where chefs now sit, and the traps to avoid. It is general information, not immigration advice — but it will tell you what to get right before you start, and which widely repeated "shortcut" is simply wrong.
Key takeaways
- Chefs were reclassified on 9 March 2026. Head and Executive Chefs are now Skill Level 1, Sous Chefs and Chefs de Partie are Skill Level 2, and Demi Chefs de Partie and other chef roles are Skill Level 3 (Immigration NZ, 2026). The tier sets how long they can stay and what English they need.
- You don't have to pay the median wage. Since 10 March 2025 the AEWV has no median-wage pay floor — you pay the market rate, at or above the minimum wage (Immigration NZ, 2026). The NZ$35.00/hr median wage that took effect on 9 March 2026 is not a pay threshold for your chef.
- "Chef" is not on the Green List. Ignore any blog promising a 24-month "Green List" residence route for chefs — chefs aren't on it (Immigration NZ, 2026). Residence runs through the Skilled Migrant Category.
- Hiring is a three-step process: employer accreditation, then a Job Check (advertise the role for 14 days and apply within 90 days), then the chef's own migrant visa.
- Basic English now applies to Skill Level 3 chef roles. From 1 June 2026 the requirement (IELTS 4.0 or equivalent) reaches Skill Level 3 — about half of all AEWV applications (Beehive, 2026).
Why 2026 is a turning point for hiring chefs
The chef shortage is not going away. Demand for chefs in New Zealand is projected to rise from 22,153 in 2022 to 25,681 by 2028 (Ringa Hora Hospitality and Food Workforce Development Plan, 2024), and the wider hospitality workforce is expected to reach roughly 191,000 by 2028, up from around 175,000 today. That demand sits on top of a labour market that already runs short at the senior end, which is exactly where migrant chefs fill the gap.
The good news for 2026 is that the immigration system has finally split "chef" into recognisable roles. The bad news is that two of the changes — the new occupation list and the English rule — quietly reshape the cost and the timeline of a hire. Getting them wrong means a declined Job Check, a wasted advertising round, or a chef who can't extend. Getting them right is mostly about understanding four things: the occupation list, the pay rule, the three-step process, and the English requirement.
Where do chefs sit on the new National Occupation List?
On 9 March 2026 Immigration New Zealand began using the National Occupation List (NOL), which "replaces the Australia New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO)" for AEWV applications (Immigration NZ, 2026). From that date it recognised 47 additional skill level 1 to 3 occupations, and "this includes newly recognised chef roles, which have been split into clearer occupations based on skill and seniority."
That split matters because the skill level drives almost everything else — how long the visa can run, and whether English is required. Here is where the chef roles now land (Immigration NZ, 2026):
- Head Chef / Executive Chef — Skill Level 1
- Sous Chef — Skill Level 2
- Chef de Partie — Skill Level 2
- Demi Chef de Partie — Skill Level 3
- Other chef roles — Skill Level 3
The first job before you advertise is to be honest about which role you are actually hiring. A title alone won't do it — the duties and seniority decide the skill level, and the skill level decides the rest of the process.
Do you have to pay the NZ$35.00 median wage?
This is the single most misunderstood point, so it is worth being precise. No — the median wage is not a pay floor for the AEWV. Immigration NZ confirms that "from 10 March 2025, employers recruiting workers under the AEWV and seasonal SPWV policies will no longer be required to pay the median wage. Instead, there will be no set pay thresholds except the New Zealand minimum wage" (Immigration NZ, 2026).
There is still a real obligation, though. The same page is clear that employers "will however, still be expected to pay migrant workers on par with their New Zealand counterparts (the New Zealand market rate)." So the rule is: pay the market rate for the role — what a New Zealander doing that job earns — at or above the minimum wage.
Where does the NZ$35.00 figure come from, then? From 9 March 2026 the immigration median wage rose to NZD $35.00 per hour (Immigration NZ, 2026), but that number now governs ancillary settings — not the wage you must guarantee your chef. Plenty of immigration-adviser blogs still present the median wage as a mandatory chef salary; for the AEWV in 2026, it isn't. Pay the genuine market rate, document how you set it, and you've met the test.
That market-rate discipline matters for your margins too. With labour already the heaviest line in most kitchens, every new hire has to be costed properly alongside your other staffing obligations — the same care you'd take when you work out what to pay staff for public holidays or when you're cutting food costs to protect the margin.
Is "chef" on the Green List? (the myth that won't die)
You will see this promise everywhere: hire a chef, work two years, get residence through the "Green List." For chefs, it is false. Chef is not a Green List occupation — not Tier 1 and not Tier 2 (Immigration NZ, 2026). Chefs were left off the Green List when it launched in 2022 and remain off it.
The "24 months to residence" figure that gets attached to chefs is real, but it belongs to genuine Tier 2 Green List roles — where a worker who "worked in a Tier 2 Green List job for 24 months" can apply for the Work to Residence Visa (Immigration NZ, 2026). A chef is not one of those roles.
So what is the residence route? For chefs it runs through the Skilled Migrant Category — the points-based pathway — and the March 2026 reclassification helps, because a higher skill level generally means a stronger points position. If you want to retain a chef long term, frame the conversation around the Skilled Migrant Category, not a Green List shortcut that doesn't exist.
The three-step AEWV process for employers
Hiring a migrant chef is an employer-led process. The chef can't apply for their visa until you've done your part. There are three steps.
Step 1 — Become an accredited employer. You apply to Immigration NZ for accreditation before you can support any AEWV. You'll need a genuine, compliant business and the standard employment paperwork. Accreditation has to be in place before the next step.
Step 2 — Pass a Job Check. This is where the role itself is tested. For a chef role at skill level 1 to 3, "you must advertise for at least 14 days" (it's 21 days for skill levels 4 and 5), and you "apply for a job check within 90 days of your job advertisement closing" (Immigration NZ, 2026). An approved Job Check is valid for six months. There's a notable exemption: roles that "pay at least NZD $70.00 an hour" don't need to be advertised — useful for a senior Executive Chef package, though most kitchen hires sit well below that.
Step 3 — The chef applies for their migrant visa. Once your Job Check is approved, your chosen chef applies online for the AEWV, attaching your approved Job Check. This is the step where their own circumstances — skills, the new English requirement, and health and character checks — are assessed.
The order is the part owners get wrong. You cannot skip ahead and have a chef apply before you're accredited and the role has cleared a Job Check. Build the timeline backwards from when you need the chef on the floor.
The 1 June 2026 English change — what it means for your chef
From 1 June 2026, the AEWV minimum English-language requirement "will apply to ANZSCO and National Occupation List (NOL) skill level 3 roles" (Immigration NZ, 2026). Because Demi Chefs de Partie and other chef roles now sit at Skill Level 3, this directly affects a slice of kitchen hiring that used to be exempt.
The standard isn't high — it's "the current baseline (IELTS 4.0 or equivalent), which demonstrates basic, everyday English for common situations," and the change is significant in scale because "around half of AEWV applications are for skill level 3 roles" (Beehive, 2026).
There are exemptions worth knowing. People with an AEWV "whose visas expire on or before 1 December 2026 will be exempt from the new English language requirement when applying for a further AEWV at skill level 3," and anyone who "already provided evidence that they can speak and understand English as part of a previous AEWV application" is also exempt (Immigration NZ, 2026). For a Skill Level 1 or 2 chef — a Head Chef, Sous Chef or Chef de Partie — the higher-skill English expectations already applied; the 1 June change is really about that Skill Level 3 band.
How long can your chef stay?
Plan the hire around how long the visa can actually run. For a chef in a skill level 1, 2 or 3 role, "the maximum visa length and total time you can stay on a regular AEWV is 5 years" (Immigration NZ, 2026). For skill level 4 or 5 roles it's three years.
There's a catch at the end. After reaching that maximum, "you must spend at least 12 months in a row outside New Zealand" before returning on another regular AEWV (Immigration NZ, 2026). That 12-month stand-down is exactly why the residence conversation matters: if you've invested years training a chef into your kitchen, the Skilled Migrant Category is the route that keeps them — not another temporary visa.
Before you start: a quick pre-hire checklist
- Confirm the role and skill level. Head/Executive Chef (SL1), Sous Chef or Chef de Partie (SL2), or Demi/other chef (SL3) — it sets the whole process.
- Set the pay at market rate. Document what a New Zealander in the role earns; don't anchor to the median wage.
- Get accredited first, then run the Job Check with a compliant 14-day advert and apply within 90 days of it closing.
- Check the English requirement for Skill Level 3 hires from 1 June 2026, and whether any exemption applies.
- Map the timeline and the stay limit — five years for SL1–3, with a 12-month stand-down after — and plan the residence pathway early if you want to keep them.
- Re-confirm everything at immigration.govt.nz at the time you hire, or use a licensed immigration adviser. This policy area is live and moving.
When you've gone to this much trouble to staff your kitchen, it's worth making sure the sales that chef produces actually land with you rather than a third party. A direct ordering page you control — the kind DineHere builds from a menu photo — keeps the margin on every cover, instead of handing a slice of it to an aggregator. But the hire comes first: get the visa right, then worry about the website.
Frequently asked questions
Can a New Zealand restaurant sponsor a chef from overseas?
Yes. You hire through the Accredited Employer Work Visa: become an accredited employer, pass a Job Check for the chef role, and your chosen chef then applies for their AEWV attaching your approved Job Check (Immigration NZ, 2026).
What skill level is a chef under the National Occupation List?
It depends on the role. Head and Executive Chefs are Skill Level 1, Sous Chefs and Chefs de Partie are Skill Level 2, and Demi Chefs de Partie and other chef roles are Skill Level 3 (Immigration NZ, 2026).
Do I have to pay a migrant chef the NZ$35.00 median wage?
No. Since 10 March 2025 the AEWV has no median-wage pay threshold — the only statutory floor is the minimum wage, and you must pay the New Zealand market rate for the role (Immigration NZ, 2026). The NZ$35.00/hr median wage from 9 March 2026 is not the salary you must guarantee.
Is chef on the Green List for residence?
No. Chef is not a Green List occupation in either tier (Immigration NZ, 2026). Residence for chefs runs through the Skilled Migrant Category, not a Green List work-to-residence route.
How long does a chef have to be advertised before a Job Check?
For chef roles at skill level 1 to 3 you must advertise for at least 14 days, and you apply for the Job Check within 90 days of the advertisement closing (Immigration NZ, 2026). Roles paying at least NZD $70.00 an hour are exempt from advertising.
Does my chef need to speak English?
From 1 June 2026 the minimum English requirement — IELTS 4.0 or equivalent — applies to Skill Level 3 roles, which now includes Demi Chefs de Partie and other chef roles (Beehive, 2026). Some existing visa holders are exempt when reapplying (Immigration NZ, 2026).
How long can a chef stay on an AEWV?
Up to five years for a chef in a skill level 1, 2 or 3 role (three years for skill levels 4 and 5), after which a 12-month stand-down outside New Zealand applies before another regular AEWV (Immigration NZ, 2026).
What is the National Occupation List?
It's New Zealand's job-classification system for the AEWV, introduced from 9 March 2026 to replace the older ANZSCO system, and it split chef roles into clearer occupations by skill and seniority (Immigration NZ, 2026).
How much does it cost to hire a migrant chef?
Costs include your employer accreditation and Job Check fees, advertising, and the chef's own visa application — plus the market-rate salary you must pay. Fees change, so confirm the current amounts at immigration.govt.nz before you budget. The bigger ongoing cost is the wage, set at the New Zealand market rate (Immigration NZ, 2026).
How can I keep a migrant chef permanently?
Long-term retention runs through the Skilled Migrant Category, the points-based residence pathway. The March 2026 reclassification of chef roles can help a chef's points position, but there is no Green List shortcut for chefs (Immigration NZ, 2026). Start the conversation early, because the AEWV has a maximum stay.
This article is general information for New Zealand hospitality owners and is not immigration or legal advice. Immigration settings change frequently — confirm the current rules at immigration.govt.nz or with a licensed immigration adviser before acting.
