ANZSCO and NOL: What Every AEWV Applicant and Employer Needs to Know Right Now

New Zealand’s job classification system is changing — and if you are involved in an Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) application, either as an employer or a migrant worker, understanding the difference between ANZSCO and the National Occupation List (NOL) is no longer optional. Get it wrong, and a job check application can be declined, delayed, or — worse — leave a worker locked out of a longer stay in New Zealand.

Here is what you need to know.

What is ANZSCO, and what is the NOL?

ANZSCO (Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations, version 1.3) has been the backbone of New Zealand’s immigration system for years. It classifies jobs into skill levels 1 to 5, where level 1 represents the most highly skilled occupations and level 5 the least skilled. Until recently, almost every work visa pathway — including the AEWV — relied entirely on ANZSCO codes to assess whether a role qualified for a visa.

The NOL (National Occupation List, version 3.0.0) is New Zealand’s new home-grown job classification system, developed specifically for the New Zealand labour market and maintained by Stats NZ. It became New Zealand’s official job classification system in November 2024. Like ANZSCO, it assigns skill levels from 1 (most skilled) to 5 (least skilled) — but the structure, occupations, and titles are often quite different.

The critical point: both systems are currently in use at the same time, and knowing which one applies to a specific role — and what implications that has — is now a core part of providing accurate immigration advice.

The NOL rollout timeline

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) is introducing the NOL gradually:

• November 2024 — The NOL became New Zealand’s official job classification system
• November 2025 — INZ began recognising 87 NOL occupations (skill levels 1–3) for AEWV applications
• March 2026 — A further 47 NOL occupations were added, bringing the total to 134 NOL roles recognised at the job check stage (listed at Appendix 20 of the immigration instructions)
• 2027 (TBC) — Full integration of NOL into all INZ systems

At this stage, the NOL is only used within the AEWV system. For all other visa categories — including the Skilled Migrant Category residence pathway — ANZSCO codes must still be used. This dual-system period is where most errors occur.

Why this matters: pathways and maximum continuous stay

This is the single most important thing for every applicant to understand.

Whether a role is classified as skill level 1, 2, or 3 — versus skill level 4 or 5 — determines two critical outcomes:

1. How long a worker can stay in New Zealand (their maximum continuous stay)
2. Whether they can bring family members with them

A skill level 1–3 role allows for a longer maximum continuous stay and opens the door to bringing a partner and dependent children. A skill level 4 or 5 role does not carry the same entitlements.

This means a worker in what appears to be the same job could have very different visa conditions depending on how that job is classified — under ANZSCO or under the NOL — and which skill level it falls into.

As INZ put it in their May 2026 webinar, applicants are expected to know the differences between the two systems and how that may affect pathways and maximum continuous stay. This is an expectation applicants need to fulfil.

Choosing between ANZSCO and NOL at the job check stage

When an employer submits a job check for an AEWV, they now have a choice for certain roles: use the ANZSCO code, or use the NOL code — provided the occupation appears on the INZ-recognised NOL list.

To choose the right code, you must check three things:

• The tasks involved in the role
• The responsibilities the employee will carry
• The qualifications or work experience required

Accuracy here is everything. INZ officers will assess whether the job description reflects a substantial match with the occupation selected — and they will use the Aria system (for NOL) or the standard ANZSCO tasks list for this assessment. For NOL roles, each occupation also links to the Tahatu career navigator, which provides common task profiles that officers use as a reference.

Job inflation: a real and growing risk

One of the most important risk areas flagged by INZ is job inflation — where an employer deliberately or carelessly selects a higher skill level for a role than the job actually warrants.

INZ is clear on the consequences:

• If a job check is submitted using a NOL skill level 1, 2, or 3 code, but INZ assesses the actual role as being skill level 4 or 5, no extra time will be given to advertise the role or engage with Work and Income.
• Because INZ does not currently recognise any NOL skill level 4 or 5 occupations, a failed assessment means the employer must start again using an ANZSCO code.
• Employers who are found to be consistently inflating job levels may find their future job check applications subject to greater scrutiny.

This has real cost implications — both in time and in application fees — and potentially serious consequences for the migrant worker who may have been waiting on an outcome.

The chef occupation: a practical example of how NOL changes things

One of the most practical changes introduced by the NOL concerns chef roles. Previously, virtually all chefs were classified under the single ANZSCO code 351311. The NOL splits this into five distinct occupations:

Note that two of these occupations share the same ANZSCO code (351311). Either can be selected in the job check, provided it accurately reflects the actual role being offered.

For workers previously stuck on a level 4 or 5 ANZSCO classification as a “cook,” the NOL potentially opens a pathway to a higher skill level classification — and with it, a longer maximum continuous stay — if their employer obtains a job check for the appropriate NOL role and the worker is suitably qualified.

Can INZ change the ANZSCO or NOL code at the job check stage?

Yes. INZ immigration officers can assess the actual skill level of a role independently of what the employer has selected. In practice, this means they can downgrade a code if they consider the role to have been inflated. The INZ webinar confirmed that upgrading a code is not something INZ does — the responsibility to select the right code sits with the employer and their adviser.

If an error is made with the ANZSCO or NOL code on an approved job check, it cannot simply be corrected at the AEWV application stage. A new job check application would generally be required.

Higher skill level recognition for ANZSCO level 4 and 5 roles

There are a small number of ANZSCO level 4 and 5 roles that can be treated as higher skill level if the employer genuinely requires the worker to hold at least 3 years of directly relevant work experience, or a Level 4 qualification. An example given by INZ is excavator operator (ANZSCO 721214).

Critically, if these requirements are listed in the job advertisement, they must be genuine requirements — not added simply to inflate the role’s classification. INZ policy is clear: employers should only list qualifications, skills, and experience that are genuinely needed for the job. And before a migrant worker is offered the position, the employer must verify the worker actually meets those stated requirements.

What does this mean for current AEWV holders?

Workers currently holding an AEWV in a skill level 4 or 5 role should speak to a licensed immigration adviser about whether the March 2026 NOL expansion creates an opportunity to transition into a newly recognised skill level 1–3 role.

To be eligible for a further AEWV on this basis, the worker would need:

• An employer with an approved job check for a relevant NOL skill level 1–3 occupation
• The worker to be suitably qualified for that role (generally either 2+ years of directly relevant experience, or a recognised qualification)

This is not automatic — it requires a new job check and a new AEWV application — but for workers approaching their maximum continuous stay, it may represent a viable pathway to staying in New Zealand for longer.

Key takeaways for employers and applicants

• Both ANZSCO and NOL are currently in use. Do not assume one replaces the other.
• The NOL is only recognised for AEWV applications at this stage — not for residence pathways.
• 134 NOL roles are now recognised at the job check stage (as of March 2026).
• Job inflation carries serious consequences — including being required to reapply and potential future scrutiny of job checks.
• The NOL significantly changes how chef roles are classified — with five distinct occupations now replacing one.
• If you are unsure whether a role is better suited to an ANZSCO or NOL code, seek advice before lodging the job check.

Get advice before you lodge

The ANZSCO/NOL transition is one of the more technically demanding changes to the AEWV system in recent years. The stakes are high — for employers who need workers in place quickly, and for migrants whose length of stay, family reunification rights, and residence pathways may all be affected by how their occupation is classified.

At Immigration Advisers NZ, our licensed immigration advisers stay current with INZ policy updates — including attending NZAMI CPD webinars like the INZ session this May — so that you get advice grounded in the latest guidance.

Contact us today to discuss your situation.

Immigration Advisers NZ is a licensed immigration advisory practice based in Auckland. All advice is provided by or under the supervision of a licensed immigration adviser (IAA). This article is for general information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.