New Zealand job offer from Tanzania: a letter is not a visa, so check these four things
Visa guide · 2026-11-05 · 10 min read
A New Zealand job offer from an accredited employer is the usual starting point for a work visa from Tanzania, because Tanzanian passports are not on New Zealand's working holiday list. The Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) that follows rests on four separate things: the employer's accreditation, an approved job check, your own skills evidence and the visa decision itself. A good offer letter does not settle all four, so check them one at a time before you resign or pay anyone.
Why there is no shortcut for Tanzanian passports
Immigration New Zealand (INZ) publishes the list of countries that have a working holiday agreement with New Zealand, and Tanzania is not on it. INZ says that if a country is not listed it cannot be given a working holiday visa, and that a different work visa may be possible. So no one in Dar es Salaam, Mwanza or Zanzibar can use a working holiday route, whatever an agent says.
That is why an employer offer matters so much. For many people in Tanzania the AEWV is the usual starting point, and the offer has to come first. Our guide to the Accredited Employer Work Visa from Tanzania covers the visa itself. This article is about the offer that sits in front of it.
New Zealand job offer from Tanzania: the four things people mix up
Most confusion comes from treating "I have an offer" as the same as "I have a visa". They are different steps, owned by different people.
| The thing | Who is responsible | What you can check |
|---|---|---|
| Employer accreditation | The employer, with INZ | The business appears on INZ's accredited employer list, or says plainly why it does not |
| Job check | The employer, with INZ | The offer says the job has an approved job check |
| Skills evidence | You | Two years or more of relevant experience, or a qualification at level 4 or higher |
| Visa decision | INZ | Only INZ can grant the visa; no employer or agent can promise it |
Step one: check the employer is accredited
INZ's accredited employer list is updated daily. You can search it by the 13-digit New Zealand Business Number (NZBN) or by company or trading name. Ask the employer for the NZBN in writing, then search the list yourself rather than trusting a screenshot.
One caution: some accredited employers have chosen not to appear in the search results. If a business is missing, INZ's advice is to check directly with the employer. Do that by email and keep the reply. Use the accredited employer list on the INZ website and nothing else for this check.
Step two: read the offer against the job-offer rules
INZ says an AEWV job offer must be for at least 30 hours of work a week, from an accredited employer with an approved job check for the job, and paid at least the market rate for the job. Put the letter next to that sentence and tick each part.
The employment agreement has limits too. INZ says it cannot include unlawful deductions, a trial period or unacceptable bonding clauses. Everyone in New Zealand, migrants included, has the same minimum employment rights, such as paid holidays and sick leave. For more on reading the paperwork line by line, see our seven checks for a job offer letter.
Some jobs cannot be offered under an AEWV at all. INZ lists planting, maintaining, harvesting or packing crops in horticulture or viticulture, foreign crew of fishing vessels, and self-employed work. If an offer is for orchard or vineyard picking, it is outside this visa.
Step three: line up your own skills evidence
INZ asks AEWV applicants to show two years or more of relevant job experience, or a qualification at level 4 or higher on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework (NZQCF), in the same field as the job.
For a fundi, cook, nurse or technician in Tanzania, this means gathering proof that matches the job title: letters from past employers with dates and duties, payslips or tax records, and certificates exactly as printed. VETA and NECTA papers help show real skills, but they are not automatically the same as a New Zealand level or registration. NZQA's International Qualification Assessment compares an overseas qualification with New Zealand ones, and NZQA says average wait times are now 10 weeks, so start early if you need it.
Some trades are regulated. The Electrical Workers Registration Board registers electrical workers, and overseas-trained applicants must first apply for registration in the right class and hold a Limited Certificate before they can apply for a Practising Licence. Doing restricted plumbing, gasfitting or drainlaying work without a current New Zealand licence is illegal. If your trade is one of these, ask the employer how registration fits the start date.
A tidy CV built on Build AI CV can help the employer see your dates and duties, and a profile on Talent Tabloid can help show your work history to hiring managers.
English, health and character: the checks that come with the visa
English depends on the job. INZ says applicants whose job is ANZSCO or NOL skill level 3 to 5 must show they can speak and understand English, and test results must be no more than 2 years old. Skill level 1 or 2 jobs do not need this. Ask the employer which skill level the role has, and check the requirement on the official page before you book a test.
Health and character are checked as well. AEWV applicants staying more than 6 months need a chest X-ray if they are citizens of, or spent more than 3 months in the last 5 years in, a country without a low incidence of tuberculosis. INZ may refuse a visa to someone with a criminal conviction or who is a security risk, and asks applicants to check whether police certificates are needed. Check what INZ asks for your situation before you queue for a certificate, and remember that Zanzibar police records are kept separately from mainland Tanzania. Medicals must be done by a doctor or radiologist on INZ's approved panel list if there is one in your country, as our post on the visa medical and panel physicians in Tanzania explains.
What the visa costs and how long it lasts
The AEWV costs from NZD $1540. It lets the holder stay up to 5 years depending on the job. The total time on one or more AEWVs can be 5 years for most jobs, or 3 years if the job is ANZSCO skill level 4 or 5, after which the person normally must spend 12 months in a row outside New Zealand. INZ says a temporary visa does not mean residence will follow, and warns that scammers often overstate how likely residence is.
Read the figures on INZ's AEWV page on the day you apply, because settings change.
Who must never ask you for money
INZ will decline an AEWV application if the applicant or their agent offered or promised money to the employer, or its agent, in exchange for a job offer. New Zealand employers also cannot charge you fees for a job or make you pay any of their recruitment costs, including indirectly through a third party. So a "processing fee" or "placement fee" for an offer, sent by mobile money or bank transfer, is a warning sign.
INZ never asks for visa fees to be paid into a bank account. It accepts debit or credit card payment on its forms, or payment at an approved Visa Application Centre. Official INZ email addresses end with immigration.govt.nz or mbie.govt.nz. You can check a New Zealand visa is real with INZ's Visa Verification service, and the INZ scam guidance lists more warning signs.
Do you need an adviser?
You are not required to use an adviser to apply for a New Zealand visa, and INZ will not prioritise an application because an adviser is used. If you do want help, the law says anyone giving New Zealand immigration advice must be licensed by the Immigration Advisers Authority unless exempt, and it is a criminal offence for anyone else to give it. The Authority's public register at iaa.govt.nz shows whether a person is currently a licensed immigration adviser.
Where to find real New Zealand openings
Our job site lists roles in New Zealand alongside Australia,. For example, a support worker role in Dunedin and a chef role in Hamilton.
Common mistakes Tanzanian applicants make with an AEWV offer
- Treating an offer letter as a visa. Only INZ grants the visa, and an offer without an approved job check is incomplete.
- Paying anyone for a job offer. INZ can decline the application if money was offered or promised for the offer.
- Skipping the accredited list instead of searching by NZBN yourself.
- Assuming a VETA or NECTA certificate counts as a New Zealand qualification or registration.
- Applying for horticulture or viticulture picking work under an AEWV, which the visa does not allow.
Your order of steps before you accept
- Ask the employer for its NZBN and search INZ's accredited employer list.
- Check the offer: 30 hours or more a week, an approved job check and pay at the market rate or above.
- Collect your skills evidence: dated employer letters, certificates as printed and any registration the trade needs.
- Find out the job's skill level, then plan an English test if the role needs one.
- Read the INZ page for the current cost, then pay only INZ, by the methods INZ accepts.
- Keep every message in writing, and resign only when the visa is granted and the start date is agreed.
Frequently asked questions
Can a Tanzanian passport holder get a New Zealand working holiday visa?
No. INZ lists the countries with a working holiday agreement and Tanzania is not on that list. INZ says a different work visa may be possible, and for many people that is the AEWV with an accredited employer.
How do I know an employer is accredited?
Search INZ's accredited employer list by the 13-digit NZBN or by company or trading name. Some employers choose not to appear in the results, so if you cannot find one, check directly with the employer in writing.
Do I need an agent to apply?
No. INZ says you are not required to use an adviser, and it will not prioritise an application because one is used. If you pay for advice, use someone licensed by the Immigration Advisers Authority or lawfully exempt.
Does an AEWV lead to residence?
Not automatically. A temporary visa does not promise residence, and the total time on one or more AEWVs is limited. Any residence route has its own rules, so read the official pages before planning around it.
Can the employer ask me to pay for the job offer?
No. New Zealand employers cannot charge you fees for a job or make you pay their recruitment costs, including indirectly through a third party. INZ can also decline an application where money was offered or promised for a job offer.
Key takeaways
- Tanzania has no New Zealand working holiday agreement, so an accredited employer's offer usually comes first.
- Accreditation, job check, skills evidence and the visa decision are four separate things.
- An AEWV job offer needs 30 hours or more a week, an approved job check and at least the market rate.
- You need two years or more of relevant experience, or a qualification at level 4 or higher, in the same field.
- Never pay for an offer, and pay visa fees only to INZ by the methods it accepts.
- No guide, employer or adviser can promise a visa; INZ decides.
Last checked: 2026-11-05 against the official pages linked above.
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