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Pathway

New Zealand Skilled Migrant Resident Visa

New Zealand Residency
Pathway overview

At a glance

New Zealand’s Skilled Migrant Category has three options: points, skilled work experience, or listed trades and technician work. You must be 55 or younger, have an eligible local job or offer with an approved employer, and meet one option’s full requirements.

Job offer required?
Yes, or an eligible current job with an INZ-approved employer
Maximum age
55
Pay
Base SMC threshold is NZD 35 an hour; required multiples and earlier-work rules vary

Summary

New Zealand’s Skilled Migrant Category offers residence through three routes in force since August 24, 2026: points-based, Skilled Work Experience, and Trades and Technician. All require a qualifying job or offer from an accredited New Zealand employer, plus English, health, and character requirements. The six-point test applies only to the points-based route.

Choosing a Skilled Migrant Category option
  1. Compare the three current options Check which points, work-experience, or trade requirements you can meet.
  2. Verify the job and supporting evidence Check employer approval, duties, qualifications, hours, pay, and work history.
  3. Submit an Expression of Interest If invited, provide the evidence for your residence application.

You must meet one option in full. An invitation does not guarantee residence approval.

Could this pathway work for you?

Eligibility

You must be 55 or younger, meet English, health, and character requirements, and have a qualifying full-time job or offer from an accredited employer. The job must meet the required hours, duration, occupation, and pay rules.

Points-based route

You need six points. Start with one main category: qualifications, New Zealand professional registration, or income. Add points for qualifying New Zealand work if needed. You cannot combine the three main categories with each other.

Qualification points depend on the qualification and where it was earned. For example, an eligible New Zealand bachelor's degree earns five points; an overseas bachelor's degree earns four. New Zealand work adds one point after one year, two after 18 months, or three after two years. Use the official table to check your qualification, registration, or income points and the work that counts.

Skilled-work-experience route

You generally need five years of relevant experience, including two years of qualifying New Zealand work. The job must be in skill levels 1–3 of the ANZSCO system used to classify occupations and pay at least 1.1 times the applicable SMC wage threshold.

Jobs on INZ's Red List cannot use this route. Amber List jobs require five years of New Zealand experience, including two years at 1.2 times the threshold. Work-experience time limits also apply.

Trades and technician route

You need a job on INZ's eligible list, a relevant qualification at New Zealand level 4 or above (or its assessed equivalent), and four years of relevant work after qualifying. This includes 18 months of qualifying New Zealand work paid at least the applicable SMC wage threshold. Qualification-credit rules and work-experience time limits also apply.

Pay and applying

The current base SMC wage threshold is NZD 35 an hour. The required multiple depends on the route and job; an earlier base rate may apply to qualifying work already started. Check INZ's wage table for your dates.

First submit an Expression of Interest (EOI), a record of your skills and circumstances for INZ to assess. An invitation allows you to apply; INZ still checks the evidence before granting residence.

What This Route Allows

The resident visa permits indefinite residence, work, and study. A partner and dependent children aged 24 or younger can be included if they meet the relevant requirements.

The initial visa normally allows you to leave and return as a resident for two years. Check these travel conditions before traveling. After two years, you may apply for a Permanent Resident Visa if you meet its separate requirements.

What This Route Is Not

Foreign education or experience alone is not enough. You need the qualifying New Zealand job and must meet all conditions of one of the three routes. The six-point test applies only to the points-based route.

A job title alone does not prove that the duties, skill level, or pay qualify. Overseas qualifications may need a New Zealand Qualifications Authority assessment.

Next Steps

  1. Compare the three current routes. If you submitted an EOI before August 24, 2026, check which rules apply to that case.
  2. Verify employer accreditation, job duties, hours, duration, and pay.
  3. Check your route's points, qualification, occupation-list, and work-experience rules.
  4. Gather qualification, registration, employment, pay, and tax records, plus identity, English, health, character, and family evidence.
  5. Submit the EOI and keep the evidence for your invited residence application.

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Discussed in these reports

Similar skilled worker pathways in other destinations.

Sources