Skilled Migrant Category Residence Visa - New Points and Pathways Explained

The Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) has long been one of the pillars of New Zealand’s immigration system, providing a New Zealand residence option for applicants (and their families) who can show they possess the skills and expertise that New Zealand requires. 

From 24 August 2026, significant changes to the SMC take effect, expanding the category from the “6 points” system introduced in 2023 to a system comprising three separate pathways to residence:

• the Points-based pathway

• the Skilled Work Experience pathway

• the Trades and Technician pathway

 The Points-based pathway retains the existing 6 points framework, although with some important changes, while the Skilled Work Experience and Trades and Technician pathways provide alternative routes to residence based principally on an applicant’s occupation and work experience.

These changes potentially open the SMC to a wider range of skilled workers, particularly experienced workers and applicants in specified trade and technician occupations. 

However, don’t make the mistake of thinking the new system is “simple”. Each pathway has different requirements concerning skilled employment, occupation, remuneration, qualifications and work experience, with a number of potential fishhooks for the uninitiated.

The SMC application process 

The SMC involves a two-stage process, with the first stage being the preparation and lodgement of an online Expression of Interest (EOI) and, if invited to apply, the second stage being the lodgement of an online SMC residence visa application.

An applicant must apply under the pathway they were invited to apply under and generally has four months from the date of their Invitation to Apply to lodge their residence application.

General SMC requirements

Regardless of which pathway is used, all applicants must meet the applicable health, character and English language requirements. The principal applicant must also:

• be aged 55 or younger when the residence application is made; and

• meet the skilled employment, pathway and any applicable skilled work experience requirements for their chosen pathway.

The requirements then differ significantly depending on which of the three pathways is relied upon.

Pathway 1: Points-based pathway

The Points-based pathway requires applicants to obtain 6 points from either:

• one skill category — income, qualifications or specified New Zealand registration, licensing or certification; or

• a combination of one of those skill categories and qualifying skilled work experience in New Zealand.

Points from different skill categories cannot be combined. For example, an applicant cannot combine qualification points with income points.

Income points

Applicants can claim:

• 6 points for income at least 3 x the SMC wage threshold 

• 4 points for income at least 2 x the SMC wage threshold 

• 3 points for income at least 1.5 x the SMC wage threshold.

The SMC wage threshold is subject to change. As at 9 March 2026, it is $35 per hour.

Qualification points

Applicants can qualify for between 3 and 6 points depending upon the level, type and location of their qualification.

Importantly, New Zealand and overseas qualifications may attract different points. For example, a New Zealand Level 7 bachelor's degree attracts 5 points, whereas an overseas Level 7 bachelor's degree may attract 4 points.

The requirements for Level 8 and 9 qualifications are more complicated, with the points available potentially also depending upon whether the applicant holds a bachelor's degree. Doctoral degrees can attract the maximum 6 points.

New Zealand registration points

Specified New Zealand occupational registrations, licences and certifications attract between 3 and 6 points, depending upon the particular registration listed in the SMC instructions.

Skilled work experience points

Applicants who do not obtain 6 points from a single skill category may potentially obtain additional points for qualifying skilled work experience in New Zealand:

• 3 points for 2 years     

• 2 points for 18 months              

• 1 point for 1 year

Note that the work experience must also have been completed within specified periods before the residence application and meet the applicable skilled employment and remuneration requirements.

Pathway 2: Skilled Work Experience pathway

The Skilled Work Experience pathway provides an alternative route to residence which does not require applicants to obtain 6 points. Applicants must have current employment or an offer of employment in an ANZSCO skill level 1–3 occupation which is not on INZ’s “Red List”.

That employment must generally pay at least:

• times the SMC wage threshold; or

• times the SMC wage threshold if the occupation is on INZ’s “Amber List”.

Applicants must have at least five years of qualifying work experience, comprising:

• at least three years of directly relevant work experience; plus

• an additional two years of skilled work experience in New Zealand.

The same period of employment cannot be counted towards both requirements.

The three years of directly relevant work experience must be full-time, in an ANZSCO skill level 1–3 occupation, directly relevant to the applicant’s skilled employment and completed within the 10 years before the residence application.

That experience can generally have been obtained either overseas or in New Zealand. However, where the applicant's occupation is on the Amber List, the three years must have been obtained in New Zealand.

The additional two years of skilled work experience in New Zealand must have been completed within the four years before the residence application and meet the applicable remuneration requirements.

Pathway 3: Trades and Technician pathway

The Trades and Technician pathway provides a dedicated residence option for specified trade and technician occupations. Applicants must have current employment or an offer of employment:

• in an occupation included on INZ's Trades and Technician occupation list; and

• paying at least the SMC wage threshold.

Applicants must also hold a relevant Level 4 or higher qualification and have at least four years of qualifying work experience, comprising:

• at least 2 years and 6 months of directly relevant work experience; plus

• an additional 18 months of skilled work experience in New Zealand.

Importantly, all of the work experience relied upon must have been obtained after the applicant obtained their relevant Level 4 or higher qualification.

The additional 18 months of New Zealand work experience must also have been completed within the three years before the residence application and meet the applicable occupational and remuneration requirements.

The occupation lists

The Amber List, Red List and Trades and Technician occupation list affect which SMC pathways are available:

Occupation List	Available Pathways
Amber List	Points-based or Skilled Work Experience
Red List	Points- based only
Trades and Technician List	Points-based, Skilled Work Experience or Trades and Technician

Applicants using the Skilled Work Experience pathway for an Amber List occupation must also meet additional requirements.

Correctly identifying an applicant's occupation, and whether it appears on one of these lists, is therefore an important part of assessing SMC eligibility.

The SMC wage threshold

Different pathways and points claims require applicants to meet the SMC wage threshold or a specified multiple of it.

Depending upon the particular pathway or points claim, the requirement may be the SMC wage threshold or 1.1, 1.2, 1.5, 2 or 3 times that threshold.

The SMC wage threshold is subject to change. As at 9 March 2026, it is $35 per hour.

Importantly, applicants should not assume that the wage threshold in force when they apply for residence will necessarily apply.

Depending upon the circumstances, the relevant threshold may instead be the threshold that applied when the applicant began accruing the New Zealand skilled work experience relied upon for residence. In some circumstances, where that employment commenced within five months of the grant of a work visa, the threshold applying when that visa was granted may instead apply.

Given that identifying the relevant wage threshold for your circumstances can be critical to the success of an application, it is recommended that you seek professional advice.

Key issues and potential fishhooks

There are numerous issues to consider before determining whether someone is eligible under the SMC.

In particular:

• Occupation classification matters. Whether a role is ANZSCO skill level 1–3, and whether it appears on the Amber, Red or Trades and Technician lists, can determine which pathways are available.

• Work experience is not simply a question of how long you have worked. Different pathways impose requirements concerning when the experience was obtained, whether it was directly relevant, whether it was obtained in New Zealand, the remuneration received and, under the Trades and Technician pathway, whether it was obtained after the relevant qualification.

• The applicable wage threshold may be historical. It is necessary to identify when qualifying New Zealand work experience began and, in some cases, when the relevant work visa was granted.

• Qualification points have changed significantly. The number of points can depend not only upon the NZQCF level of a qualification but also its type, whether it was obtained in New Zealand or overseas, and whether the applicant also holds a bachelor's degree.

• ANZSCO remains central to the assessment. Job titles alone are not determinative, and INZ may examine whether the applicant's actual employment substantially corresponds with the relevant ANZSCO occupation.

• Different periods of work cannot always be double-counted. Both the Skilled Work Experience and Trades and Technician pathways require separate periods of work experience to satisfy different components of their respective pathways.

Conclusion

The changes taking effect from 24 August 2026 significantly expand the potential pathways to residence under the SMC.

The Points-based pathway means applicants with high-level qualifications, high remuneration or specified professional registrations may qualify under the points system. The Skilled Work Experience and Trades and Technician pathways provide alternative routes for applicants who may not be able to reach 6 points.

At the same time, the SMC is arguably becoming more complicated rather than less. There are three separate pathways, different occupation lists, different remuneration requirements, different work experience requirements and rules determining which historical SMC wage threshold applies.

INZ has also retained ANZSCO as a central assessment tool, meaning questions concerning an applicant's correct ANZSCO occupation and whether their employment and work experience meet the relevant requirements remain important – and sometimes contentious – aspects of SMC applications.

As such, I recommend that applicants carefully assess their eligibility and the most appropriate pathway before embarking on an SMC residence application and, where there is any uncertainty, seek professional immigration advice.