Want to know whether your pay meets the threshold?

The median wage is the midpoint of all individual wages received by workers in New Zealand, expressed as an hourly rate of pay.

The median wage is calculated once a year by Statistics New Zealand. Then it is written into immigration instructions by Immigration New Zealand. Visa settings are indexed to it, so when the rate moves, several thresholds move with it automatically.

From 9 March 2026, the median wage is $35.00 an hour. It is based on Statistics New Zealand data from June 2025.

The rate before that was $33.56 an hour, which applied from 18 August 2025.

Before you compare your own pay to $35.00, read the next section. For residence purposes the current rate is often not the rate that applies to you.

How the rate has moved

The pattern matters as much as the number. The rate has risen every year, which is why a pay rate that comfortably cleared the threshold when you started a job can sit below it two years later. It is also why the instructions fix your rate to a point in time rather than making you chase the current figure.

Source: Immigration New Zealand, Amendment Circular 2026-16, SR3.10.5, in effect from 24 August 2026.

This is the question that matters most, and it is the one people get wrong.

For the Skilled Migrant Category, you do not have to meet today’s rate. You have to meet the rate that was in effect at a particular moment in your own history. From 24 August 2026 the instructions fix that moment as whichever of these applies to you:

• The date you began accruing the skilled work experience in New Zealand that counts toward your pathway requirements
• The date you were invited to apply for residence, if you are claiming 6 points from a single skill category (qualification, income or occupational registration) and do not need to claim points for skilled work experience
• The date your work visa was granted, if it was granted in the five months before you began accruing that skilled work experience

In practice, for most people the anchor is the day they started the qualifying job. That third limb is a grace period, and it only helps where the visa grant and the start of work sit within five months of each other.

What this means in plain terms

If you started your qualifying work in New Zealand in 2023, the rate you must meet is the 2023 rate, not $35.00. Provided your pay does not drop below that rate, later increases to the median wage do not catch up with you.

That protection travels with you. You can change jobs and keep your original rate, as long as the new job pays at or above it. You can also stop working for a short time and restart at the same rate or higher. What matters is the rate you are paid, not the employer you are paid by.

This is why the historical table above is not just background. For a great many applicants it contains the number that actually applies to them.

The window rule

There is a limit on how far back this can reach. However long a period of skilled work experience you are claiming, it must have been completed within a window of double that length, counted backwards from the date you apply for residence.

• On the points-based pathway: 1 year of experience (1 point) within the last 2 years, 18 months (2 points) within the last 3 years, or 2 years (3 points) within the last 4 years
• On the Skilled Work Experience pathway: 2 years of New Zealand experience within the last 4 years
• On the Trades and Technician pathway: 18 months of New Zealand experience within the last 3 years

Directly relevant work experience gained anywhere has a longer window of 10 years before the application.

So an older, lower rate protects you, but not indefinitely. If you wait too long to apply, the early part of your work experience falls out of the window.

One exception

If you are claiming 6 points from a single skill category and your skilled employment is a contract for services, you must meet the threshold in effect when you began your work experience as a contractor, and also the threshold in effect when you are invited to apply.

The rate is reviewed annually, based on the June quarter figure published by Statistics New Zealand the previous year. That gives roughly nine months of notice before a new rate takes effect. Updates to immigration policies are usually made each February or March.

If you are planning an application around a threshold, the date the new rate takes effect matters more than the date it is announced. Applications lodged before the change date are assessed against the old rate.

No, and this is the most common misconception we encounter.

From 10 March 2025, INZ removed the general median wage requirement for AEWV and Specific Purpose Work Visa roles. Employers must now pay the New Zealand market rate for the role, meaning what a New Zealander doing substantially the same job in the same region would be paid, and at least the minimum wage.

What that change did not do is make the median wage irrelevant. A large number of settings remain indexed to it, including several that affect AEWV holders directly.

Market rate and median wage are not the same test

There is an important difference between work visa applications and residence visa applications:

• Your work visa is assessed against the market rate, which your employer must prove for that role, industry and region.
• Your residence application is assessed against median-indexed thresholds, which are fixed figures published by INZ.

A job offer that is perfectly acceptable for a work visa can therefore fall short for residence. If your employer sets your pay at a defensible market rate that happens to sit below the median wage, your work visa is fine and your residence pathway is quietly closing.

Advisers see this appear as requests for further information and as declines at the residence stage, on applications where nothing was wrong with the work visa. If residence is your goal, the rate to plan for is the residence threshold, not the one your work visa required.

For how the AEWV works now, see our Accredited Employer Work Visa Guide.

The median wage still sets or indexes thresholds across a wide range of settings:

• Skilled Migrant Category residence, where it defines skilled employment and income points
• Green List Straight to Residence and Work to Residence pay rates, many expressed as a percentage of the median
• Care Workforce Work to Residence
• Transport Sector Work to Residence, with a separate rate for bus drivers
• Parent Category residence
• Partner support thresholds, which decide whether your partner can work here
• The income needed to support a dependent child on a temporary visa
• Maximum AEWV duration for lower-skilled roles
• Job Check advertising exemptions for high-paying roles

The practical result is that an AEWV holder whose own visa has no median wage requirement can still find the median wage determining whether their partner can work, how long their visa runs, and whether they can qualify for residence.

Immigration instructions rarely refer to the median wage on its own. They refer to multiples of it. These are the ones you are most likely to meet.

Two of these catch people out more than the rest. The 1.5 times threshold at $52.50 an hour is a high bar for anyone in a skill level 4 or 5 role, and it is what stands between many workers in trades, hospitality and agriculture and their partner being able to work. And the 1.2 times threshold is easy to miss entirely, because it applies only to Amber List occupations on one specific pathway.

There is also a category people forget. If your occupation is not listed in ANZSCO at all, the threshold is 150 percent of the median wage, the same as skill level 4 and 5.

These are the rates in force from 9 March 2026. For Skilled Migrant Category purposes, the rate you must meet may be an earlier one. See Which median wage rate applies to you? above.

Income points use their own ladder

If you are claiming Skilled Migrant Category points for your income rather than a qualification or registration, the multiples work differently again.

If you are claiming points for income and for skilled work experience at the same time, you must meet the hourly rate throughout your work experience period, not only at the end. The same timing rule applies: which year’s median wage figure you need to meet depends on when you began accruing that experience. For example, if you began working in September 2024 paid $47.41 an hour, you were paid 1.5 times the median wage in place at that time. If you are still paid $47.41 an hour two years later, you can claim 3 points for your income and 3 points for 2 years of skilled work experience.

If you hold a work visa and want your partner to work in New Zealand, your own pay rate is what decides it.

• If your role is at skill level 1 to 3, you need to be paid at least $28.00 an hour, being 80 percent of the median wage
• If your role is at skill level 4 or 5, the threshold is $52.50 an hour

Supporting a dependent child

To support a dependent child on a temporary visa, an Accredited Employer Work Visa holder must earn a minimum gross annual income of $58,240. That figure is 80 percent of the current median wage, calculated as $35.00 an hour over a 40 hour week for 52 weeks, so it rises whenever the median wage does.

The timing is different here

This is worth understanding, because it works the opposite way to residence.

Skilled work experience for residence is assessed against the threshold that applied when you started the job, and later increases do not catch up with you. Partner and child applications are assessed against the rate in force when the partner or child’s first application as a dependant is submitted.

The word first matters. Once your partner or child has been approved their first visa as your dependant, their later visas can be renewed as long as you still meet the income requirement that was in place when they first applied. The rate does not reset with each renewal.

That means a pay rate that was sufficient when your own visa was granted may not be sufficient when you first apply to bring your partner or child, if the median wage has risen in between.

For skilled residence, the median wage sets the pay rate your employment must meet to count as skilled.

From 24 August 2026, the Skilled Migrant Category changed how this is assessed. Under the old rules you had to meet the threshold twice: the rate that applied when you started gaining your skilled work experience, and the higher rate in force when you applied. Now, most applicants only need to meet the threshold fixed at the point described in Which median wage rate applies to you? above.

This is a significant improvement. It means you do not need a pay rise immediately before applying for residence simply to keep pace with a threshold that has moved underneath you.

Changing jobs no longer resets your rate

Before 24 August 2026, moving to a new employer meant meeting the threshold in force at the time of the move. That rule has been abolished.

Now, if you met the threshold when you started accruing skilled work experience, you can change jobs and your experience keeps counting, as long as your new role pays at or above the rate you were on when you started. The only thing that stops the clock is your pay falling below that rate. The window rule described above still applies.

What counts as full-time

Skilled work experience must be full-time, which INZ defines as at least 30 guaranteed hours a week. Only complete weeks meeting that guarantee count toward a qualifying period.

The word guaranteed is doing the work in that sentence. Hours you regularly work but which are not guaranteed in your employment agreement may not count. The employment agreement is the key document, because it is what proves how many hours are guaranteed. A roster shows the hours that were planned, not the hours that were promised.

For the full picture of the residence pathways, see our Skilled Migrant Category Guide.

The Work to Residence pathways were brought into line with the Skilled Migrant Category on 24 August 2026, but they count time differently, and the difference matters.

On these pathways you are not meeting a threshold at a single moment. You are accumulating 24 months of qualifying work, and the wage rate determines when that clock starts and whether it keeps running.

When the clock starts

• If your Green List occupation has its own remuneration requirement, your work starts counting when your pay reaches the rate specified for that occupation, at the rate in effect at that time
• If your occupation has no remuneration requirement, your work starts counting when your pay reaches the median wage in effect at that time
• The same five month grace period applies. If your work visa was granted and you began accruing work experience within five months of the grant date, the rate in effect on the grant date is the one that applies

When the clock stops

Your qualifying period stops being counted if your pay falls below the rate that applied when you started: either the Green List rate specified for your occupation at that time, or, if no rate is specified, the median wage in place when you started. The window rule applies here too.

Changing occupation does not by itself stop the clock. It stops if you move from an ANZSCO skill level 1 to 3 occupation into a lower skilled one, or if the change meant you needed a new visa and you did not get one, in which case INZ will not treat the work as lawfully obtained.

Note what is not on that list. An increase in the specified rate does not stop your clock. As long as your income does not fall below your starting rate, you keep counting.

The 24 months does not have to be continuous. It can be made up of separate periods, and it can combine different kinds of qualifying work, for example 18 months in a Tier 2 Green List role and 6 months in a role paid at twice the median wage.

Occupation-specific Green List rates are set out in INZ’s Green List occupation list. The same structure applies to the Care Workforce and Transport Sector Work to Residence pathways. For the full picture, see our Work to Residence Visa Guide.

Thresholds are expressed as hourly rates, so a salary has to be converted before it can be compared.

INZ calculates remuneration as guaranteed payment per hour, using the hours of work stated in your employment agreement. If your agreement states a salary and a number of hours, the hourly rate is the salary divided by those hours.

What counts, and what does not

Remuneration includes any reasonable deduction from your wages for goods or services that is specified in your employment agreement, and, where accommodation is provided with the job, either the reasonable deduction for it or the accommodation allowance, again as specified in the agreement.

Remuneration excludes other employment-related deductions or allowances, such as tool or uniform allowances, and piece rates, commissions or bonuses that depend on performance and are not guaranteed, even if they are reasonable.

This catches people whose total earnings clearly exceed the threshold but whose guaranteed base rate does not. If a meaningful part of your income comes from overtime, commission or incentives, the rate INZ assesses may be lower than the figure on your payslip. Variable hours raise the same problem. The full rules, including how INZ treats variable hours, are in the operational manual at SR2.5.

It depends which threshold, and what you are applying for.

If you are building toward residence

Your skilled work experience only counts for the periods where your pay met the applicable threshold. A period below it does not count, which can leave a gap in the middle of an otherwise continuous work history.

Check which rate actually applies to you before concluding that you fall short. People assume they need today’s figure when the rate fixed to the start of their employment is often lower.

If you are supporting a partner or child

The threshold has to be met at the time of their first application as your dependant. Some people negotiate a pay adjustment before applying, which is a legitimate step provided the rate is genuine and reflected in the employment agreement.

If your occupation is on the Green List

Where a Green List occupation specifies its own pay rate, that rate sits above the median wage. Where no rate is specified, the median wage in place when you started accruing work experience is the one that applies. Either way, check the rate for your occupation rather than assuming the general figure.

A rate that falls short by a small margin is worth taking advice on before you apply rather than after. The options available before lodging are considerably wider than the options available once a decision has been made.

What is the median wage in New Zealand for immigration in 2026?
$35.00 an hour from 9 March 2026, up from $33.56 an hour.

Do I have to meet the current median wage?
Not necessarily. For the Skilled Migrant Category, the rate that applies is generally the one in effect when you began accruing your skilled work experience in New Zealand, not today’s rate. For partner and child applications, it is the rate in force when they first apply as your dependants.

Is the median wage the same as the market rate?
No. The market rate is what a New Zealander would be paid for the same role in the same region, evidenced by your employer, and it governs work visas. The median wage is a fixed figure in immigration instructions, and it governs residence thresholds. Confusing the two is a common cause of trouble at the residence stage.

If I change jobs, do I keep my old wage threshold?
Yes. Since 24 August 2026, changing jobs does not reset your rate. Your skilled work experience keeps counting as long as your new role pays at or above the rate you were on when you started accruing it, and your experience still falls within the window for the points you are claiming.

What is 1.1 times the median wage?
$38.50 an hour from 9 March 2026. It is the pay rate required on the SMC Skilled Work Experience pathway, rising to 1.2 times, or $42.00 an hour, if your occupation is on the Amber List.

What is 1.5 times the median wage?
$52.50 an hour from 9 March 2026. It applies to skilled employment at ANZSCO skill level 4 or 5, to occupations not listed in ANZSCO, to partner support for those roles, and to maximum visa duration for lower-skilled roles.

What if my occupation is not in ANZSCO?
The threshold is 150 percent of the median wage, the same as skill level 4 and 5 roles.

How much do I need to earn to support my child?
An Accredited Employer Work Visa holder needs a minimum gross annual income of $58,240 to support a dependent child on a temporary visa.

Does the AEWV still have a median wage requirement?
No. Since 10 March 2025, AEWV roles must be paid the market rate rather than the median wage. Other settings that affect AEWV holders are still indexed to it.

When will the median wage change again?
It is reviewed annually using Statistics New Zealand June quarter data from the previous year. The date has moved in recent years, so check the current rate rather than assuming a February update.

Is there a median wage calculator?
INZ publishes wage rate tables for each visa type. A calculator can tell you whether a number clears a threshold, but not which year’s threshold applies to you, whether INZ will accept your role’s skill level, or whether your guaranteed hours and rate support the figure you are claiming. Those are the points applications turn on.