Last updated: September 27, 2026
Since October 2023 the Skilled Migrant Category has used a simple test: reach 6 points, meet the baseline rules, and you can submit your expression of interest. Since 24 August 2026, you do not even need the points: three separate doors now lead into the same resident visa.
That simplicity hides one hard requirement: in almost every case, you need a skilled job or job offer from an accredited New Zealand employer before you start. Points alone are not enough.
What the Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa is
The Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) Resident Visa is New Zealand’s main route to residence for skilled workers. Unlike a work visa, it does not tie you to one employer: once granted, you can live, work and study in New Zealand indefinitely, for any employer, in any job.
Your partner and dependent children aged 24 or younger can be included in the same application. After two years on the visa you can apply for a Permanent Resident Visa; after five years as a resident, for citizenship.
Check New Zealand’s Green List first: Tier 1 occupations can go straight to residence through a separate visa.
The ground rules: what every applicant must meet
Whichever of the three pathways you use, Immigration New Zealand requires you to:
Be 55 or younger when you apply. It is a hard line.
Hold a skilled job, or a genuine job offer, with an accredited employer. The employer must be approved by Immigration New Zealand to hire migrants. The role must be full-time (at least 30 hours a week) and either permanent, fixed-term for at least 12 months, or a contract (or continuous contracts) of at least six months. It must also pay enough: the exact threshold depends on your pathway.
Be in good health. Everyone aged 15 or older included in your application needs a chest X-ray and a medical examination; children 10 and younger need a medical only. The certificates must be less than three months old when Immigration New Zealand receives them.
Be of good character. Everyone aged 17 or older needs police certificates (less than six months old) from every country of citizenship and every country where they spent 12 months or more in the last ten years.
Speak and understand English. The bar is higher than most expect.
Meet all five and you have a real application. Fail any one and the pathway you chose does not matter.
The three pathways at a glance
From 24 August 2026 there are three ways to qualify. You only need to meet one.
| Pathway | Best for | How you qualify |
|---|---|---|
| Points-based | Degree holders, registered professionals, high earners | 6 points from one category (qualification, occupational registration, or income), plus up to 3 points from skilled NZ work experience |
| Skilled Work Experience | Experienced workers without a high-level degree | ANZSCO skill level 1–3 job paid at 1.1x the wage threshold, 3 years relevant experience, 2 years skilled NZ work experience |
| Trades and Technician | Tradespeople and technicians | Eligible trade/technician occupation, Level 4+ qualification, 2.5 years post-qualification experience, 1.5 years skilled NZ work experience |
Most applicants from outside New Zealand will use the points-based pathway, because the other two require years of skilled work already done in the country.
The points-based pathway: the 6-point system
You need 6 skilled resident points from a single category: your qualification, your occupational registration, or your income. You cannot combine categories. If one category leaves you short, you can add up to 3 points from skilled work experience in New Zealand.
One practical effect: an overseas bachelor’s degree is worth 4 points, so with one year of skilled New Zealand work experience you reach 6. A PhD is worth 6 on its own.
Qualification points
Qualifications gained in New Zealand are worth more than the same level gained overseas. This is a deliberate change made in August 2026. You will need an International Qualification Assessment (IQA) from NZQA for an overseas qualification unless it is on the List of Qualifications Exempt from Assessment.
| Qualification | NZ qualification | Overseas qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Doctoral degree (Level 10) | 6 | 6 |
| Master’s degree (Level 9) | 6 (with bachelor’s degree + 30 weeks full-time study in NZ); 5 otherwise | 5 |
| Honours degree, postgraduate diploma or certificate (Level 8) | 5 | 4 |
| Bachelor’s degree (Level 7) | 5 | 4 |
Levels 8 and 9 qualifications require a supporting bachelor’s degree. You will need to show the certificate even if the IQA only covers the higher degree.
Occupational registration points
If your occupation requires New Zealand registration (teachers, nurses, electricians, plumbers, chartered accountants), you can claim points based on how much training the registration requires: 6 years of training is worth 6 points, 5 years is worth 5, 4 years is worth 4, and 2 years is worth 3.
A useful detail: if the person holding the registration also claims points from it, their English test results can be up to five years old instead of the usual two.
Income points
You can claim points from your pay if your New Zealand job or job offer pays well above the median. The current SMC wage threshold is NZD $35.00 an hour (in force since 9 March 2026). Income points work like this:
- 1.5 times the threshold (NZD $52.50 an hour): 3 points
- 2 times the threshold (NZD $70.00 an hour): 4 points
- 3 times the threshold (NZD $105.00 an hour): 6 points
Skilled work experience in New Zealand
Two years of skilled New Zealand work gets you 3 points, 1.5 years gets 2, and one year gets 1. The work must be full-time, paid at the applicable threshold, and closely match your ANZSCO occupation. Extended parental, ACC or sick leave can still count.
The wage threshold: the rule most people get wrong
Immigration New Zealand locks in the threshold that applies to you when you start gaining skilled work experience in New Zealand. It never changes after that. If your pay later drops below your locked threshold, that work stops counting.
There is also a five-month grace rule: if the threshold rose between your work visa being granted and your skilled work starting, you may keep the older, lower rate.
Key rates since 9 March 2026:
- SMC wage threshold (ANZSCO skill levels 1–3): NZD $35.00 an hour
- Skilled Work Experience pathway (1.1x): NZD $38.50 an hour
- Amber List occupations on the Skilled Work Experience pathway (1.2x): NZD $42.00 an hour
- ANZSCO skill levels 4–5 jobs, or unlisted jobs (1.5x): NZD $52.50 an hour
Check which threshold applies to your situation on the official SMC wage threshold page.
The Skilled Work Experience pathway
Added on 24 August 2026, this route is for people whose strength is experience rather than formal qualifications: an ANZSCO skill level 1 to 3 job paid at least 1.1 times the SMC wage threshold, three years of relevant work experience, and two more years of skilled work experience in New Zealand.
The three years of relevant experience must have been gained within the ten years before you apply; the two New Zealand years must fall within the four years before you apply. The occupation lists matter too: jobs on the Amber List face additional requirements, jobs on the Red List are excluded entirely, and ANZSCO skill level 4–5 occupations cannot use this pathway at all.
Self-employment does not count. Immigration New Zealand has confirmed that contracting or freelancing in New Zealand will not make you eligible for this pathway.
The Trades and Technician pathway
The second new route recognises hands-on skill. To use it you need a job in an eligible trades or technician occupation (construction, engineering, manufacturing, automotive trades, technical support roles), paid at least the SMC wage threshold, plus a relevant qualification at NZQF Level 4 or higher.
On top of that you need 2.5 years of relevant post-qualification work experience and a further 1.5 years of post-qualification skilled work experience in New Zealand, paid at least the threshold. Only experience gained after you qualified counts.
New Zealand qualifications need to be worth at least 120 credits on the national framework, or add up to that across prerequisite qualifications. Recognition-of-prior-learning credits do not count. Overseas qualifications have no credit requirement but must have an NZQA International Qualification Assessment.
English: the higher bar
The principal applicant must show it. A partner and dependent children aged 16 or older must also show it, or you can pay for English lessons for them after the visa is granted (the principal applicant cannot use the lesson option).
Meet it through citizenship (five years of work or study in Canada, Ireland, the UK, the US, or Australia/New Zealand), through where you studied, or through a test. Immigration New Zealand’s official test scores for skilled residence:
| Test | Principal applicant | Partner / child 16+ |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic or General) | 6.5 overall | 5.0 overall |
| TOEFL iBT | 79 overall | 35 overall |
| PTE Academic | 58 overall | 36 overall |
| Cambridge B2 First | 176 overall | 154 overall |
Results must be no more than two years old when you apply, and the test must be taken in person at a test centre. At-home tests are not accepted.
The application process, step by step
1. Check your pathway and gather evidence. Run the numbers on the official SMC pages first. If you need an IQA, apply for it now. You will need the reference number for your expression of interest, and waiting until later is the most common cause of stalled applications.
2. Submit your Expression of Interest (EOI). Free and online. You upload nothing at this stage; the system checks your answers immediately and tells you whether you meet the requirements.
3. Receive your Invitation to Apply (ITA). If your EOI shows you meet the requirements, Immigration New Zealand emails you an invitation. From that date you have four months to submit the full residence application, and you must apply under the pathway named in the invitation. Miss the window and you start over with a new EOI.
4. Prepare and submit the application with documents and payment. Submit the full evidence pack: identity documents, medicals, police certificates, proof of your job or offer, and evidence for every point or pathway requirement you claimed.
5. Wait for the decision. Immigration New Zealand may ask for more evidence (bank statements, payslips, or an interview) and will email you when a decision is made. Check current processing times on the official site before you plan around them.
If you applied from outside New Zealand, you must arrive within 12 months of the visa being issued. Read your eVisa conditions, though: some applicants receive Section 49 conditions, which mean you cannot be unemployed for more than three months. Lose your job and you must find another skilled job quickly, or the visa can be cancelled.
What it costs
The Expression of Interest is free. The residence application carries a government fee: recent 2026 guides list it from around NZD $6,450 for the main applicant (more with family), but INZ updates its fee schedule regularly. Confirm the current figure on immigration.govt.nz before you pay.
Budget beyond the fee too: the medical and X-ray, police certificates, the NZQA assessment for overseas degrees, an approved English test if you need one, and certified translations. A thin application is a slow one.
Mistakes that actually get applications declined
Starting without an accredited employer. Six points mean nothing without a skilled job or job offer from an accredited employer. Job hunting comes before the application, not after.
Mixing point categories. You cannot combine qualification points with income points, or any other mix. One skill category, plus New Zealand work experience only.
Counting self-employment. Contracting, freelancing and running your own business do not count as relevant or skilled work experience for the experience-based pathways.
Assuming an overseas degree works as-is. Without an IQA (or an exemption), your overseas qualification earns zero points. Apply early; the assessment takes weeks.
Using an old English test. Results older than two years are not accepted for skilled residence. The one exception: if you hold eligible occupational registration, five years is allowed.
Missing the ITA window. Start the documents the day you submit your EOI, not the day you get invited.
Which pathway fits you? A quick self-check
With a master’s degree, PhD, or years-of-training registration, start with the points-based pathway: you may already have all 6 points and only need the job offer. An overseas bachelor’s degree is usually worth 4 points, leaving one to two years of skilled New Zealand work to finish the climb. Deep experience but no degree? The Skilled Work Experience pathway fits, but only if your occupation is skill level 1–3 and outside the Red List. Hands-on trade? Check the Trades and Technician occupation list first.
Frequently asked questions
Can I apply for the Skilled Migrant Category without a job offer?
In practice, no. Every pathway needs a current skilled job in New Zealand or a genuine job offer from an accredited employer. Without one, the Accredited Employer Work Visa is the usual first step: work in New Zealand, build experience, then apply for residence.
How is the SMC different from Canada’s Express Entry?
Both are points-based routes to residence, but the mechanics differ. Canada ranks candidates against each other in draws and invites the highest scores. New Zealand has no pool and no ranking: meet the requirements and you can apply. Canada’s system leans on age and language scores; New Zealand’s turns on your qualification, registration or income plus your job. Our Canada Express Entry guide covers the Canadian side in the same detail.
How does it compare with Australia’s skilled migration?
Australia runs three points-tested visas (subclass 189, 190 and 491) with state nomination playing a large role, and it invites candidates in rounds with cut-off scores. New Zealand’s SMC is simpler once you qualify: no invitation rounds, no state nomination. But it demands the job offer up front, where Australia’s 189 can be granted without one. See our Australia skilled migration guide for the full comparison.
Can my partner work in New Zealand?
Your partner can be included in your application and can work for any employer once residence is granted. Partners 16 or older must meet the English requirement, or you pay for lessons after arrival.
What happens if I lose my job after getting residence?
Most SMC visas carry Section 49 conditions for the first period of residence. You cannot be unemployed for more than three months. If you lose your job, you must find another skilled job quickly, or Immigration New Zealand can cancel the visa.
How long does the whole process take?
It varies with the completeness of your application and INZ’s workload. The EOI and invitation stages are quick: the system assesses your EOI immediately. The residence application is the long stage. Recent reports put many applications at around four months, but check INZ’s current processing times before making plans.
Meet the bar on the job, the points, the English and the documents, and the rest of the process is just administration.
