From 24 August 2026, the rules for obtaining residence through New Zealand’s Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) are changing significantly. For over 2 years, there has been essentially one route into SMC residence: collect six points from your job, qualifications, registration or income. From August, there will be three separate routes, so even if the points route has never quite worked for you, one of the others might.
The points-based pathway
This is the existing route, and you still need to reach six points, drawn from your income, your qualifications, your New Zealand professional registration, or a combination of one of those plus your skilled work experience in New Zealand. What’s changed is how generously some of those points are now awarded.
Qualification points have gone up, especially for New Zealand qualifications.
See the table below:
| Qualification | Points now | Points from 24 August 2026 |
| New Zealand Level 7 Bachelor's degree | 3 | 5 |
| Overseas Level 7 Bachelor's degree | 3 | 4 |
| New Zealand Level 8 (honours, postgraduate diploma or certificate) held with a Bachelor's degree | 4 | 5 |
| Overseas Level 8 equivalent (with a Bachelor's degree) | 4 | 4 (no change) |
| New Zealand Level 9 Master's degree held with a Bachelor's degree | 5 | 6 |
| Overseas Level 9 Master's degree (with a Bachelor's degree) | 5 | 5 (no change, but a Bachelor's degree and an IQA are now expressly required as evidence) |
| Level 10 Doctoral degree (New Zealand or overseas) | 6 | 6 (no change) |
Let's understand the new point system with an example:
An applicant holds a New Zealand Bachelor’s degree and works in an ANZSCO Skill Level 1-3 role paid at the SMC wage threshold. Under the current rules, the degree is only worth 3 points, nowhere near enough on its own, meaning the applicant would need to find another 3 points elsewhere (for example, three years of skilled work experience in New Zealand) before they could apply. Under the new rules, the very same degree is worth 5 points. The applicant now only needs one more point, achievable with just one year of skilled work experience in New Zealand, to reach the full six points required.
Another example for overseas degree holders:
An applicant holds an overseas Bachelor’s degree and a New Zealand Master’s degree. Under the current rules, only the Master’s degree is assessed, worth 5 points, one short of the six needed. Under the new rules, because the applicant holds both the Master’s and the Bachelor’s degree, they qualify for the full 6 points on qualifications alone, with no need to top up with work experience or income at all.
The Skilled Work Experience Pathway (new)
This pathway is for people who have built up serious, hands-on experience in a skilled role but may not have a formal qualification to show for it, such as experienced managers, technicians, or specialists who learned on the job. To qualify, you need:
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A current job or job offer in New Zealand, in a skill level 1–3 occupation, paid at least 1.1 times the going SMC wage threshold (or 1.2 times if your occupation is on the new Amber List, more below); and
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Five years of relevant work experience in total: at least three years from anywhere in the world, plus a further two years worked in New Zealand at the median wage.
There’s no qualification requirement at all; experience alone can get you there.
Skilled work experience points are now easier to reach
| Skilled work experience in New Zealand | Points now | Points from 24 August 2026 |
| 3 years | 3 |
- |
| 2 years | 2 | 3 |
| 1 year 6 months | - | 2 |
| 1 year | 1 | 1 (no change) |
The Trades and Technician Pathway (new)
This pathway is squarely aimed at trades and technical occupations, including carpenters, electricians, fitters, and toolmakers, etc.
To qualify, you need:
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A current job or job offer in New Zealand in one of the listed trade occupations, paid at the standard SMC wage threshold;
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A Level 4 (or higher) qualification relevant to that occupation; and
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Four years of relevant work experience: two and a half years generally, plus a further 18 months actually worked in New Zealand, both completed after you gained the qualification.
A word of caution: not every occupation can use every pathway
Immigration New Zealand has sorted occupations into three lists:
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The Red List (e.g. hairdressers, beauty therapists, general retail managers. These occupations can only use the points-based pathway. The two new pathways aren’t available to them at all.
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The Amber List (e.g. café/restaurant managers, bakers, ICT support roles). These occupations can use the Skilled Work Experience pathway, but only at the higher wage (1.2x) and only if the New Zealand work experience itself is directly relevant.
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Appendix 23 trade occupations such as motor mechanics, tilers, and other trade workers can use any of the three pathways, whichever suits the applicant best.
Most importantly, before assuming a pathway is open to you, the occupation needs to be checked against these lists. The right approach will depend on the individual’s job, qualifications, work history, and the position of their occupation on the new Red, Amber, and trades lists.
If you’d like to know how these changes affect your situation or your employees’ situations, please get in touch with our immigration team: visa@gibsonsheat.com
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