New Zealand (NZ) introduced changes to its Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) Resident Visa on 24 August 2026, including updated qualification rules, wage requirements and additional residence pathways.
This guide explains the changes, who may qualify under the different pathways, and how English language requirements, including IELTS, fit into the residence application process.
Pathway | Requirement | NZ skilled work experience needed |
Points-based pathway | 6 points from a qualification, occupational registration or income | Optional, to top up points (up to 2 years) |
Skilled Work Experience pathway | An ANZSCO skill level 1 to 3 job, 5 years of relevant experience and pay of at least 1.1 times the SMC wage threshold | 2 years, within the 5 years |
Trades and Technician pathway | An eligible trades or technician job, a Level 4 or higher qualification and 4 years of post-qualification experience | 1.5 years, within the 4 years |
Key takeaways
New Zealand’s Skilled Migrant Category updated on 24 August 2026, with simpler wage rules, updated qualification points, and two new residence pathways: Skilled Work Experience, and Trades and Technician.
You now only need to meet the SMC wage threshold that applied when you started your skilled New Zealand work experience.
If you start that work within 5 months of your work visa being granted, the threshold on your visa grant date applies.
Qualification points completed in New Zealand now earn 1 point more than overseas qualifications, except doctoral degrees and some Master’s degrees, and Level 8 or 9 claims usually need a supporting Bachelor’s degree.
New Zealand work experience requirements depend on the pathway: up to 2 years to top up points, 2 years within 5 years of experience for Skilled Work Experience, and 1.5 years within 4 years for Trades and Technician.
The English language requirement is unchanged: principal applicants who use IELTS need an overall band score of 6.5, in IELTS Academic or IELTS General Training.
What changed in New Zealand’s Skilled Migrant Category from August 2026?
The Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) Resident Visa is New Zealand’s main skilled residence visa, with the changes in effect on 24 August 2026 by Immigration New Zealand (INZ). The main changes are:
Two new pathways: Skilled Work Experience, and Trades and Technician.
Wage settings: one wage threshold that begins the date you start skilled work in New Zealand, with a 5-month grace period
Qualification points: higher points for New Zealand qualifications, and a supporting Bachelor’s degree for most Level 8 and 9 claims
Work experience points: 2 years of New Zealand skilled work experience now earns the maximum 3 top-up points, down from 3 years
Occupation lists: a Red List that cannot use the new pathways, and an Amber List with extra requirements
English test validity: up to 5 years for applicants with a full occupational registration
Accountants: CPA Australia members who can do the work of a Qualified Statutory Accountant in New Zealand are now eligible
All three pathways (Points-Based, Skilled Work Experience, and Trades and Technician) now operate in parallel under the same SMC framework. Every pathway still needs a job or job offer with an accredited employer, plus health, character and English language requirements.
How does the new wage threshold grace period work?
From 24 August 2026, you only need to meet the SMC wage threshold that applied when you started gaining skilled work experience in New Zealand, and keep your pay at or above it. Before this change, applicants had to meet the threshold at the start of their work experience and again, at a possibly higher rate, when they applied for residence.
The SMC wage threshold is the minimum hourly pay rate INZ sets for skilled residence and updates each year. It is currently NZD$35 an hour. Each pathway uses this rate or a multiple of it:
Pathway or points claim | Multiple of threshold | Current rate (NZD per hour) |
Points-based pathway (ANZSCO skill level 1 to 3) and Trades and Technician pathway | 1 times | 35.00 |
Skilled Work Experience pathway | 1.1 times | 38.50 |
Skilled Work Experience pathway, Amber List occupations | 1.2 times | 42.00 |
Points-based claim in an ANZSCO skill level 4 or 5 job, or the minimum for income points | 1.5 times | 52.50 |
The 5-month grace period adds flexibility. If you start skilled work within 5 months of your work visa being granted, INZ uses the threshold that applied on the day the visa was granted, even if it has gone up since. The grace period does not apply to a variation of conditions or an AEWV Job Change.
Here’s a hypothetical example: your work visa is granted in 1 October 2026 while the threshold is NZD$35, and INZ raises it on 1 January 2027. If you start skilled work within 5 months of your visa grant date, by 1 March 2027, NZD$35 remains your threshold for residence, as long as your pay stays at or above it.
How many points do qualifications earn under the new system?
Qualifications completed in New Zealand now earn 1 point more than qualifications completed overseas, except for doctoral degrees and some Master’s degrees. Bachelor’s degrees no longer sit in the 3-point category: a New Zealand Bachelor’s degree now earns 5 points and an overseas Bachelor’s degree earns 4.
The table below reflects the values currently displayed on INZ’s Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa page:
Qualification | New Zealand points | Overseas points | Supporting bachelor’s degree needed? |
Level 10 doctoral degree | 6 | 6 | No |
Level 9 Master’s degree, with at least 30 weeks of full-time study in New Zealand | 6 | Not applicable | Yes |
Level 9 Master’s degree | 5 | 5 | Yes for overseas Master’s; no for a New Zealand Master’s claimed at 5 points |
Level 8 honours degree, postgraduate diploma or postgraduate certificate | 5 | 4 | Yes |
Level 7 Bachelor’s degree | 5 | 4 | Not applicable |
Applicants claiming points for a Level 8 or Level 9 qualification must also provide evidence of a supporting Bachelor’s degree, including the certificate and academic transcript. The exceptions are doctoral degrees and applicants claiming 5 points for a New Zealand Master’s degree.
The supporting Bachelor’s degree can come from any country, and it does not need its own International Qualification Assessment (IQA) if you use it only to support the higher claim.
Overseas qualifications you claim points for still need an IQA from the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA), unless they appear on INZ’s List of Qualifications Exempt from Assessment.
How has the New Zealand work experience requirement changed?
The New Zealand work experience requirement now depends on your pathway, so there is no single 2-year rule for every applicant. Skilled work experience is work completed in New Zealand that relates to your current job or job offer and is paid at the required rate for your pathway.
Points-based pathway: New Zealand work experience is optional and only tops up points from a qualification, registration or income. 1 year earns 1 point, 1.5 years earns 2 points and 2 years earns the maximum 3 points. Before August 2026, you needed 3 years for 3 points.
Skilled Work Experience pathway: at least 5 years of directly relevant work experience in an ANZSCO skill level 1 to 3 occupation, including 2 years of skilled work experience in New Zealand at 1.1 times the wage threshold or more. Amber List occupations have higher requirements, and Red List occupations cannot use this pathway.
Trades and Technician pathway: at least 4 years of directly relevant post-qualification work experience, including 1.5 years of skilled work experience in New Zealand at or above the wage threshold.
Relevant work experience must fall within the 10 years before you apply, and New Zealand skilled work experience within twice the amount you need, so 2 years of required experience must sit within the last 4 years.
What is the Trades and Technician pathway, and how does it work?
The Trades and Technician pathway is a new SMC pathway from 24 August 2026 for people working in eligible trades and technician occupations. You need a relevant qualification at Level 4 or higher.
New Zealand qualifications need at least 120 credits on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework, and credits from recognition of prior learning do not count. Overseas qualifications need an IQA but have no credit minimum.
You also need a job or job offer in an occupation on INZ’s list of eligible trades and technician roles, paid at or above the SMC wage threshold, and at least 4 years of post-qualification experience, including 1.5 years in New Zealand.
Self-employment cannot count as relevant work experience, and Amber List and Red List occupations are not eligible.
What job do you need to qualify to work in New Zealand?
Every SMC pathway needs a current job or job offer with an accredited employer in New Zealand. INZ sets these conditions for the job:
Full-time, at least 30 hours a week
Permanent, fixed-term for at least 12 months, or a contract (or continuous contracts) of at least 6 months
Paid at the rate your pathway requires
A job title and description that mostly match the ANZSCO entry for the occupation you claim
A contingent, temporary, or self-arranged job offer does not meet the standard. This applies across all three SMC pathways.
INZ warns that job offer scams are common, so confirm that any employer offering you a role holds accreditation before you rely on the offer.
Do you still need IELTS for New Zealand’s Skilled Migrant Category?
Yes. The English language requirement for the Skilled Migrant Category is unchanged. Principal applicants who use IELTS to meet the English language requirement for New Zealand's Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa must achieve an overall IELTS band score of at least 6.5.
Immigration New Zealand accepts IELTS Academic and General Training for this purpose. Your IELTS result must be no more than 2 years old when you apply, and INZ does not accept future test bookings.
Some applicants may demonstrate English proficiency through eligible citizenship or qualifications instead of taking an English language test. Applicants should check the current requirements before booking.
One August 2026 change does affect IELTS test results validity: for applicants with a full (not provisional or limited) eligible occupational registration, test results can now be up to 5 years old. You need to provide both the test result and the registration certificate.
Partners and dependent children aged 16 or older need an overall IELTS score of 5.0 or more, or you can pay for English lessons for them in New Zealand instead.
Some applicants do not need an English test. INZ’s exemptions for skilled residence visas include:
Being a citizen of Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom or the United States, and having spent at least five years working or studying in one of those countries, Australia or New Zealand
Holding a qualification comparable to a New Zealand Level 7 Bachelor’s degree, gained in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom or the United States, after living there for at least two years while studying
Holding a qualification comparable to a New Zealand postgraduate qualification at Level 8 or above, gained in one of those countries, after living there for at least one year while studying
Check INZ’s English language requirements for skilled residence visas to confirm whether an exemption applies to you before you book a test.
What should overseas-qualified professionals do now to prepare for New Zealand’s Skilled Migrant Category?
Use this checklist as your starting point before applying:
Identify which SMC pathway applies to your occupation and circumstances: Points-Based, Skilled Work Experience, or Trades and Technician. Each pathway carries different wage, qualification, and work experience criteria. Red List occupations cannot use the two new pathways.
Gather qualification and transcript evidence, including a supporting Bachelor’s degree certificate and transcript where required for Level 8 or 9 claims, and an IQA for overseas qualifications that need one.
Confirm the current SMC wage threshold for your pathway and check whether the 5-month grace period applies to you.
Confirm how much New Zealand skilled work experience your pathway needs: up to 2 years for points, 2 years for Skilled Work Experience, or 1.5 years for Trades and Technician, and check that your total relevant experience meets the pathway minimum.
Book IELTS early enough to allow for a retake if needed. If your IELTS overall score does not meet the required 6.5, review your individual skill scores to identify where improvement may help. INZ accepts IELTS One Skill Retake for skilled residence visas, which lets you retake a single section instead of the full test.
Start your New Zealand pathway with IDP
The Skilled Migrant Category changes give qualified professionals three routes to residence in New Zealand. Getting your IELTS result in place early keeps the rest of your application on track, because your score needs to be ready, and no more than 2 years old, when you apply.
As a co-owner of IELTS, IDP’s IELTS practice tests and preparation resources can help you prepare adequately for IELTS. INZ accepts both IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training for the SMC.
You can book your IELTS directly through IDP’s website and choose the date, format, and test centre that suits your timeline.
Frequently asked questions about New Zealand’s Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa
What is New Zealand’s Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa?
The New Zealand Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa is a residence visa for skilled workers aged 55 or younger with a job or job offer from an accredited employer. Approved applicants can live, work and study in New Zealand indefinitely and apply for a Permanent Resident Visa after 2 years. From August 2026, it runs across three pathways: Points-based, Skilled Work Experience, and Trades and Technician.
Who is affected by the August 2026 Skilled Migrant Category changes?
The changes apply to SMC Expressions of Interest (EOIs) and applications made under the settings in place from 24 August 2026. INZ advised that draft EOIs saved under the old settings would be deleted at midnight on 23 August 2026, so anyone with an unsubmitted draft needs to start a new EOI and check their eligibility under the new rules.
How many points do I need for New Zealand’s Skilled Migrant Category?
The Points-based pathway requires 6 points. You claim them from one category, such as a qualification, occupational registration or income, and you can top up with up to 3 points for New Zealand skilled work experience. Higher points for New Zealand qualifications make 6 points easier to reach for some applicants. Check the INZ points calculator before submitting your EOI.
Which New Zealand Skilled Migrant Category pathway applies to me?
The right pathway depends on your occupation, qualifications, and work experience profile. The Points-based pathway suits degree holders, registered professionals and high earners who can reach 6 points. Skilled Work Experience suits ANZSCO skill level 1 to 3 workers with 5 years of relevant experience, including 2 in New Zealand. Trades and Technician suits tradespeople with a Level 4 or higher qualification and 4 years of post-qualification experience.
Can self-employment count toward New Zealand residence requirements?
No. INZ states that you cannot include self-employment as relevant work experience for the Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa, and the rule is set out for both the Skilled Work Experience and the Trades and Technician pathways. Your skilled work experience also needs to relate to your current job or job offer and be paid at the rate your pathway requires.
Is there an English language exemption for New Zealand’s Skilled Migrant Category?
Yes, in specific circumstances. You may not need an English test if you are a citizen of Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom or the United States with 5 years of work or study in an approved country, or if you gained a Bachelor’s or postgraduate qualification while living in one of six approved countries. Confirm your eligibility on INZ’s website before booking.
How is the Work to Residence visa different from the Skilled Migrant Category?
New Zealand’s Work to Residence Visa is a residence pathway for eligible applicants who have completed the required period of qualifying work, including in applicable Green List occupations. The Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa is a separate residence route with its own eligibility criteria. Applicants should compare both pathways before deciding which one may apply to their circumstances.
