Keep your migrant workforce working. English, compliance, and visa renewals in one place.
From 1 June 2026 the AEWV English requirement covers ANZSCO skill levels 3, 4 and 5, so the test now reaches roughly half of all work-visa roles. We coach your team to the required score and our licensed immigration advisers handle the paperwork: accreditation, worker visas, and Work to Residence transitions, end to end.
What you get
- English coaching and licensed visa advice from one team (with ProVisas)
- Cohorts built around your roster, on-site or at our centres
- Mock tests under real exam conditions
- Coverage of AEWV, Work to Residence, and Green List pathways
What changed on 1 June 2026
The English test now reaches far more of your team
Until recently, the AEWV English requirement applied only to ANZSCO skill levels 4 and 5. From 1 June 2026 it was extended to skill level 3, so it now covers levels 3, 4 and 5. Skill levels 1 and 2 remain exempt. The threshold itself is unchanged at IELTS 4.0 or PTE 29, but it now applies to a much larger share of work-visa roles, including many supervisory, trades, and senior operational positions that were previously exempt.
Two dates to plan around
- 1 June 2026: English requirement extended to ANZSCO skill level 3 roles.
- Visas expiring on or before 1 December 2026: a transitional exemption may still cover the renewal into a skill-level-3 role. For visas expiring after that date the English requirement applies, so the planning pressure builds from late 2026.
English tests must be sat in person at a test centre, and results must be less than two years old. Building lead time in early is the safest move. We will confirm exactly which of your roles are affected in a free consultation.
The problem you're solving
You've built a team. You've invested in training, shift rosters, and relationships with clients. Now a block of AEWV renewals is coming up, and the English language requirement is where the wheels risk coming off.
Common scenarios we help employers through
- Care & healthcare support staff renewing AEWVs or shifting onto the Care Workforce Work to Residence pathway: IELTS 4.0 / PTE 29 at the work-visa level, with the higher IELTS 6.5 / PTE 58 needed for residence
- Transport, logistics, and warehousing crews approaching Transport Sector Work to Residence: the English threshold sits at IELTS 6.5 / PTE 58 for residence
- Hospitality and food service teams on AEWV at ANZSCO 3 to 5, now squarely inside the English requirement after the June 2026 change
- Construction and trades with mixed-skill-level teams, several of which were pulled into the requirement when skill level 3 was added
- Aged-care and disability providers bringing multiple workers to residence at once on the Green List or Care Workforce pathway
A trained worker is hard to replace
When a renewal stalls on English, you lose someone already trained, already productive, and already part of the team, then start the recruitment clock over. Coaching closes the English gap while the worker stays on shift.
We map your roster, flag who needs which threshold, and build lead time against each visa expiry, so the requirement does not become a crisis at renewal.
Renewing the work visa is not the same as reaching residence
Basic, everyday English. Applies to ANZSCO skill levels 3, 4 and 5. For many of your staff this is a reachable first target with a few weeks of focused coaching.
A significant step up, and the same standard across every skilled residence pathway: Skilled Migrant, Straight to Residence, Work to Residence, Care Workforce, and Transport Sector Residence.
Many workers clear the work-visa bar, then stall well short of the residence one. Mapping that jump early is the difference between keeping a valued worker for two more years and keeping them for good. Across every residence pathway English is a fixed pass or fail threshold: scoring higher than 6.5 earns no extra points.
Built around your roster, not ours
6–10 staff cohort
Single-employer group programme. Mixed-level cohort supported. Full mock tests, individual feedback, scheduled around shift patterns. Available at our Manukau or Papakura centres.
Get a Quote11–30 staff cohort
Dedicated dates, dedicated tutor pair. We can split into morning and evening cohorts for shift workers. On-site delivery available in the Auckland region.
Get a Quote30+ staff, multi-location
Rolling cohorts across sites, progress reporting to HR, ProVisas coordinating AEWV renewals and Work to Residence transitions in parallel.
Talk to UsIndividual staff are also welcome on our standard PTE and IELTS programmes; no minimum cohort size.
What it really costs to lose a trained worker
When a visa renewal fails on the English threshold, you do not just lose a vacancy. You lose someone already trained, already productive, and already part of the team, and you start the recruitment clock over.
Replacing an employee typically costs between half and twice their annual salary once recruitment, onboarding, and lost productivity are counted (Gallup, SHRM).
Industry surveys put the average cost of filling a vacancy in New Zealand at well over eighteen thousand dollars, before the weeks of reduced output while the new hire ramps up.
Coaching a whole cohort to the work-visa threshold costs a fraction of one of those replacement cycles. Retain a single worker who would otherwise have been lost, and the programme has paid for itself.
Replacement-cost figures are general benchmarks from international HR research, used here to illustrate the order of magnitude. Your actual cost depends on the role, sector, and how hard it is to rehire.
Where this lands hardest
Around half the workforce
Migrant workers make up roughly half of NZ aged-care staff, and close to half of the nursing workforce is internationally qualified. Most care roles sit at the work-visa English level, with residence the bigger wall.
Residence is the blocker
Around a fifth of urban public-transport drivers are on visas, many expiring from 2026. The residence threshold of IELTS 6.5 is the binding constraint, and drivers often describe it as a leap from their day-to-day English.
Newly in scope
One of New Zealand's largest employers, and heavily reliant on migrant teams. With skill level 3 now included, many supervisory and chef roles fall inside the English requirement for the first time.
More residence pathways
Trades dominate AEWV grants, and in August 2025 ten more trade occupations were added to the Work to Residence pathway, putting residence English in reach for more of your team than before.
What each pathway needs
The English score your staff need depends on the pathway, not their job title. Here is how the common routes line up.
| Pathway | Staff English threshold | Typical use case |
|---|---|---|
| AEWV renewal (ANZSCO 1–2) | No formal test required | Managers, professionals, senior trades |
| AEWV renewal (ANZSCO 3–5) | IELTS 4.0 / PTE 29 | Supervisors, trades, hospitality, personal care, warehouse, drivers |
| Skilled Migrant Category | IELTS 6.5 / PTE 58 | Staff transitioning to residence via the 6-point SMC |
| Straight to Residence (Green List) | IELTS 6.5 / PTE 58 | Roles on Tier 1 Green List |
| Work to Residence (Green List) | IELTS 6.5 / PTE 58 | Tier 2 Green List staff after the qualifying period |
| Care Workforce Work to Residence | IELTS 6.5 / PTE 58 | Aged-care workers, disability support |
| Transport Sector Work to Residence | IELTS 6.5 / PTE 58 | Bus & truck drivers after the qualifying period |
| Partner of a Worker Work Visa | IELTS 5.0 / PTE 36 (if tested) | Supporting your staff's partners to stay |
Under the current 6-point Skilled Migrant Category, English is a pass or fail threshold across every residence pathway above, not a points category. Higher English scores do not earn extra points. We coach your staff to the correct threshold, not higher, so they're out of the classroom and back on shift as fast as possible. Always confirm the exact requirement for a specific role with a licensed immigration adviser, since exemptions and role details vary.
How we work with employers
One engagement from first consultation to lodged paperwork, with HR kept in the loop the whole way.
Free employer consultation
We map your workforce: ANZSCO levels, visa expiries, and English thresholds per role. ProVisas advisers confirm your accreditation status alongside. You leave with a timeline and a quote.
Staff assessment
Each worker sits a 15-minute mock to benchmark their starting band. We flag who needs coaching, who already meets the threshold, and who may qualify for an exemption (passport country, schooling, or tertiary route).
Coaching cohort
Group programme runs on your schedule, at our centres or on-site. Weekly progress updates to HR. Mock tests under real conditions before any worker books the actual PTE or IELTS sitting.
Score in. Paperwork out.
Scores come back in about 48 hours (PTE) or 13 days (IELTS). ProVisas lodges the AEWV, Work to Residence, or Straight to Residence application the same week. One invoice covers the lot.
Why pair English with the visa side
Most employers we work with have tried the split approach: English coaching with one provider, visas with another, and it is the handover that keeps failing.
Where the split approach breaks
Staff complete coaching weeks before the adviser is ready to lodge; or the adviser lodges before English is confirmed and ends up in a PPI (Potentially Prejudicial Information) letter.
Target Language Academy and ProVisas share a roof. When your worker sits their test, the visa adviser knows within 48 hours. When the adviser flags a missing document, we know during the next session. No handovers, no timing slips, no duplicated fees.
- ProVisas: licensed immigration advisers, regulated by the Immigration Advisers Authority, with a strong client review record
- Target Language Academy: small group coaching at two Auckland centres, Manukau and Papakura, plus on-site delivery in the Auckland region
- Together: structured, cohort-based coaching keeps people on track in a way self-study rarely does, then the visa paperwork moves the same week the score lands
Employer FAQs
Straight answers on thresholds, scheduling, cohorts, and how the English and visa sides connect. Tap any question to expand.