Immigration New Zealand announced further changes to the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) for foreign workers interested in working and settling in the country. The modifications to the Skilled Migrant Category is to take effect from late August 2026.
A Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa lets a foreigner stay in New Zealand indefinitely. After you have had this visa for 2 years in a row, you can apply for a Permanent Resident Visa that lets you travel in and out of New Zealand indefinitely.
To apply for Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa, you must be aged 55 or younger, have an offer of, or be working in, a full-time skilled job with an accredited employer and have 6 skilled resident points from your skills and work in New Zealand.
One of the biggest changes is the confirmation of key occupation lists, including the Trades and Technician pathway list, and the red and amber lists, which determine eligibility for residence pathways.
Another big change is in the wage setting for foreign workers. Migrants will only need to meet the SMC median wage applicable at the time they start skilled work experience and must maintain that rate when applying for residence, eliminating the need for a higher wage threshold during the application process.
The SMC is New Zealand’s main residence pathway for skilled migrants. In September 2025, the Government announced changes to help New Zealand employers retain skilled workers and support long-term economic growth. These included new residence pathways for skilled migrants, changes to better reflect the value of qualifications completed in New Zealand, and changes to simplify existing settings.
Further, the qualification requirements for claiming points have been clarified, and the English language test validity for some applicants has been extended. From late August 2026, English language test results will be valid for 5 years for applicants who hold a recognised occupational registration.
A new recognised occupational registration for accountants has been introduced. From late August 2026, accountants who can undertake the work of a Qualified Statutory Accountant in New Zealand and who have membership with Certified Practicing Accountants (CPA) Australia will be eligible under the SMC pathway.
The ability to extend an Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) will now be a reality. Migrants who need up to 12 additional months of skilled work experience to meet SMC requirements will be able to apply to extend their AEWV to complete the skilled work experience they need to apply for residence. This ability to extend an AEWV is scheduled to be introduced in 2027.
Also, the list of eligible occupations for the Trades and Technician residence pathway has been confirmed.
This pathway is for migrants working in specified ANZSCO skill level 1 to 3 trades and technician occupations
who hold a relevant Level 4 or above qualification, and who have at least 4 years of directly relevant experience gained post qualification, including 1.5 years in New Zealand earning at least the SMC median wage.
Skilled work experience requirements
Relevant work experience must be directly relevant to an applicant’s skilled job or skilled job offer and be in an ANZSCO skill level 1 to 3 occupation.
Skilled work experience must be paid at the threshold required for an applicant’s SMC pathway. For the Skilled Work Experience pathway and Trades and Technician pathway, skilled work experience must also be in an ANZSCO 1 to 3 skill level occupation and be directly relevant to an applicant’s skilled job or job offer.
Wage assessment settings
The Government has implemented 2 changes to wage settings.
Migrants will only need to meet the SMC median wage (specific to their pathway) in effect when they start gaining skilled work experience and maintain at least that rate when applying for residence. They will no longer be required to meet a higher wage threshold when they apply for residence.
A grace period will now apply to the situations where the SMC median wage increases before a migrant starts work. If a migrant begins skilled work experience within 5 months of their work visa being granted, the wage threshold that applied on the day the visa was granted will be used, even if the median wage has increased since then.