Immigration New Zealand has released the final details of the upcoming changes to the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC), New Zealand’s main residence pathway for skilled migrants. The changes will take effect on 24 August 2026, and applications under the new settings can be made from that date.
The Skilled Migrant Category remains a 6-point system
The Skilled Migrant Category will continue to operate under the existing 6-point framework.
To qualify, applicants must:
- Have a total of 6 points;
- Have a job/job offer from an accredited employer that is full-time and pays at least the SMC median wage;
- Be 55 years old or younger at the time of application
- Meet the English language, health, character requirements.
However, from 24 August 2026, a number of important changes will take effect.
Two New Skilled Residence Pathways
Alongside the existing 6-point system, two new residence pathways will be introduced.
Skilled Work Experience Pathway
This pathway is designed for migrants with substantial work experience, regardless of qualification. Under this new pathway, two distinct components must both be met. To be eligible for the skilled work experience pathway on 24 August 2026, applicants will need to:
- Have at least 3 years of directly relevant work experience which can be gained in any country, and must fall within the 10 years immediately before applying for residence. The experience must be full-time and directly relevant to your skilled employment but cannot be self-employment.
- An additional 2 years of skilled work experience in New Zealand, separate from the three years above, paid at least 1.1 times the median wage (or 1.2 times if your role is on the Amber List) and completed within the 4 years immediately before applying for residence.
Your skilled employment itself must be in an occupation at ANZSCO skill level 1 to 3 that is not on the Red List.
Full Red and Amber list can be found here: Red and Amber list
Trades and Technician Pathway
This pathway is designed for migrants with a relevant trade qualification and post-qualification experience. To be eligible for the Trades and Technician pathway on 24 August 2026, applicants will need to:
- Work in an eligible trades and technician occupation paid at least the median wage (full list can be found here Trades and Technician occupation list);
- Have a relevant qualification that is level 4, comparable to level 4, or higher than level 4 on the New Zealand Qualifications Credentials Framework;
- Have at least 2 years and 6 months of relevant work experience, gained in any country, completed in the 10 years before applying for residence, and full-time (not self-employment).
- Have an additional 18 months of skilled work experience in New Zealand, paid at the standard SMC median wage, completed within the 3 years immediately before applying for residence.
All of this work experience (both components) must be accrued after you receive your level 4 (or higher) qualification.
Clarification on wage threshold
For all three pathways, the wage threshold you need to meet is generally the rate in effect when you began accruing the relevant work experience, rather than the rate in effect when you apply. This protects you from wage increases during your work experience period.
A grace period has been introduced to protect migrants from wage threshold increases that occur shortly before they start work. If your work visa was granted within 5 months before you began your skilled work experience, the wage rate in effect on the date the visa was granted will apply, even if the median wage changed before the work experience began.
However, this protection is not indefinite. The protection from the wage threshold in effect at the start only holds as long as you are invited to apply for residence within 4 years of when you started accruing that work experience (and you must apply within 4 months of the invitation). If too much time passes, the wage threshold resets.
Aligning Work to Residence Pathways
The Work to Residence, Care Workforce Work to Residence, and Transport Work to Residence pathways are being updated to align with the new SMC wage settings.
Under the changes, migrants can rely on the wage rate that applied when their work visa was granted, provided they start earning at least that rate within 5 months of their visa being granted, and this was within the maximum time they must complete their work experience (for example 30 months before their application for a Work to Residence visa).
Applicants will still need to complete 24 months of qualifying work experience in New Zealand before applying for residence.
Clarification on qualification requirements
Applicants claiming points for most Level 8 and Level 9 qualifications must now also hold a supporting bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) and provide evidence of both qualifications.
For overseas qualifications, an international qualification assessment is generally required unless the qualification is exempt.
An exception applies to applicants claiming 5 points for a New Zealand master’s degree, who do not need to provide evidence of a bachelor’s degree.
The points available for bachelor’s degrees and Washington or Sydney Accord accredited qualifications have increased from 3 points to 4 points. Points for master’s and doctoral degrees remain unchanged.
The new pathways will be welcome news for many migrants who have built up valuable work experience over the years. However, the final instructions are more complex than the initial announcements. In particular, it is crucial to make sure that your work experience falls within the relevant timeframes and meets the applicable wage requirements.
If you would like further information about these changes, please contact Richard Small and our friendly team at Pacific Legal.
Richard Small Director
23 June 2026
