Last updated: 13 August 2026
This information is current as of 24 August 2026. Immigration thresholds, fees, and instructions change regularly. Always confirm the latest specifics on immigration.govt.nz or talk to a licensed immigration adviser before acting on anything here.
The Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) changed in August 2026, making it possible for more people to qualify for residence, and for some people to qualify more quickly.
From August 2026:
- Two new residence pathways opened which do not require applicants to score points
- For the existing points-based pathway, more points are awarded for qualifications, and skilled work experience scores points more quickly
- Wage thresholds are frozen in time, meaning that you will not need a pay rise immediately before applying for residence
Two new pathways open alongside the points system
Until now, the SMC has had one pathway, called the points-based pathway, which required applicants to reach 6 points from either your qualification, your occupational registration or your income, claim points for your New Zealand work experience, plus hold a skilled job or job offer.
From 24 August 2026, that pathway has continued, and two new pathways sit alongside it.
The Skilled Work Experience pathway
This is for people whose case rests on your work history rather than a degree. To be eligible you need:
- A job, or job offer, in an ANZSCO skill level 1 to 3 occupation paid at least 1.1 times the SMC wage threshold
- At least 3 years of relevant work experience in a skill level 1 to 3 occupation
- A further 2 years of skilled work experience in New Zealand, in a skill level 1 to 3 occupation, paid at least 1.1 times the SMC wage threshold
Occupation matters here. If your role sits on the Amber List, additional requirements apply. If it sits on the Red List or is an ANZSCO skill level 4 or 5 occupation, this pathway is not open to you.
The Trades and Technician pathway
This opens residence to trades and technical roles that the points system has largely left out. To be eligible you need:
- A job in an eligible trades or technician occupation paid at least the SMC wage threshold
- A relevant qualification at Level 4 or higher
- At least 2.5 years of relevant work experience gained after that qualification, in an ANZSCO skill level 1 to 3 occupation
- A further 1.5 years of post-qualification skilled work experience in New Zealand, paid at least the SMC wage threshold
You can check whether your occupation is included on Immigration New Zealand’s list of eligible Trades and Technician occupations.
New Zealand qualifications must carry at least 120 credits, though these can be made up of more than one qualification where the lower one was a prerequisite for the higher. Overseas qualifications must be assessed at Level 4 or above, and there is no credit requirement, but you will need an International Qualification Assessment from the New Zealand Qualifications Authority.
What is changing in the points system
The existing points-based pathway is not going away. It is being adjusted in applicants’ favour.
- Qualifications completed in New Zealand will attract more points than the equivalent completed overseas
- Points for overseas bachelor’s degrees increase from 3 to 4
- You will be able to reach the 6-point threshold with less New Zealand work experience than before
- English language test results will stay valid for five years instead of two for applicants with eligible occupational registration (the same rule applies to partners included in their application)
There is a catch in the qualification rules. If you are claiming points for a Level 8 or Level 9 qualification, you will also need to hold a supporting bachelor’s degree, with one exception: applicants claiming 5 points for a New Zealand master’s do not.
Wage thresholds get simpler, and safer
This is the change that will quietly matter most to people already working here.
Under the old rules, you have to meet the SMC wage threshold twice: the rate that applied when you started gaining your skilled work experience, and the higher rate in place when you apply for residence. Because the threshold rises over time, people have been caught out by a moving target.
From 24 August, most applicants only need to meet one threshold, the one in effect when they started gaining their skilled work experience.
A grace period is also being introduced. If the threshold rises between your work visa being granted and you starting work, and you started within 5 months of that grant, the rate that applied on the day your visa was granted is the one that counts.
The SMC wage threshold you need to meet will be based on the median wage in place at the time you started your skilled work experience, which will vary from applicant to applicant.
A tighter test on genuine employment
Not everything in this package makes life easier.
Immigration New Zealand has updated its definition of genuine employment across all skilled residence visas, bringing it into line with the Accredited Employer Work Visa definition. Job offers must now be available and ongoing, and there must be a genuine need for the role to be based in New Zealand. Job offers made by a family member in New Zealand will also be given more scrutiny.
There are now more reasons for INZ to decide that employment is not genuine, and to decline applications for this reason.
For most applicants, nothing changes. Their employment is genuine and this will pass without comment. But it does mean that INZ will focus more closely on whether your job is genuine. A decline on this ground sits on your immigration record.
Two related restrictions are worth knowing:
- self-employment cannot be counted as directly relevant work experience under either new pathway; and
- where tax records are not available for overseas work experience, a certificate of service from your employer can be used instead, though not for New Zealand experience.
This also affects work to residence visas
The wage threshold changes are not limited to the SMC. The same rules apply to the Work to Residence Visa, the Care Workforce Work to Residence Visa, and the Transport Work to Residence Visa. If you are counting down 24 months of work experience on any of those, the rate you locked in when you started is now the rate that matters.
Immigration New Zealand has also signalled that from 2027 migrants who need up to another 12 months of skilled work experience will be able to extend their Accredited Employer Work Visa to complete it. The detail on that is still to come.
What to check now
If you are working in New Zealand and residence is the goal, there are a few things worth checking:
- Whether either of the new pathways opens a route that was closed to you before
- Where your occupation sits: its ANZSCO skill level, and whether it appears on the Red or Amber lists
- Whether your qualification will need an International Qualification Assessment
- What your pay rate was when you started your current role, and what it is today
Where this leaves you
Knowing what the rules say is not the same as knowing which pathway gives you the strongest application, or when to lodge it. These changes create genuine choices, and the right answer differs from person to person depending on occupation, qualification, pay history, and timing.
If you are unsure how the August 2026 changes affect you, book a Discovery Call. Ankur Sabharwal, Director and Principal Immigration Adviser, will gather information about your situation and, if it is possible that you could qualify, offer you a detailed written assessment of your eligibility for a New Zealand resident visa.
