Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has announced the final details of reforms to the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) and related work to residence visa settings, with the changes set to come into effect on August 24, 2026.
According to the announcement, the reforms are intended to simplify the skilled residence process, strengthen the integrity of New Zealand’s immigration system, and help employers attract and retain skilled workers to support long-term economic growth.
The final package includes changes to wage threshold rules, qualification requirements, the newly introduced Trades and Technician pathway, evidence requirements for work experience, and measures to strengthen genuine employment assessments across skilled residence visas.
The Skilled Migrant Category remains New Zealand’s primary residence pathway for skilled migrants. INZ noted that the Government had announced a broader package of reforms in September 2025, including the introduction of the Trades and Technician pathway and the Skilled Work Experience pathway, alongside measures recognising New Zealand qualifications and simplifying existing residence settings.
Wage threshold rules simplified
One of the key changes relates to how wage thresholds will be applied under the Skilled Migrant Category.
The announcement states that from August 24, 2026, most applicants will only need to satisfy one SMC wage threshold, instead of meeting one wage requirement while gaining work experience and another, potentially higher, threshold when applying for residence.
Applicants will continue to meet a wage threshold when submitting their residence application. However, this will generally be the wage threshold that applied when they first started accruing their skilled work experience, rather than the threshold in force when they are invited to apply for residence.
INZ also announced a five-month grace period where wage thresholds increase before a migrant starts employment. The announcement read, “If a migrant begins skilled work experience within five 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 required wage threshold has increased since then.”
According to INZ, the revised approach is intended to simplify the process while providing greater certainty for applicants as wage rates change over time.
Work to residence visas aligned
To ensure consistency, similar wage rate changes will also apply to the Work to Residence Visa, Care Workforce Work to Residence Visa, and Transport Work to Residence Visa.
Under the revised settings, applicants can begin counting their New Zealand work experience using the wage rate that applied to their occupation when their work visa was granted, provided they start earning at least that rate within five months of visa approval and within the prescribed timeframe for completing their qualifying work experience.
Applicants will not need to satisfy any higher wage rates introduced after they have begun accumulating eligible work experience. Instead, they must continue earning at least the wage rate that applied when they first started qualifying employment.
The announcement also confirms that applicants must still complete 24 months of qualifying work experience within the 30 months immediately before applying for residence.
Qualification evidence requirements updated
INZ has also clarified the evidence required for applicants claiming points based on qualifications.
Applicants claiming points for Level 8 or Level 9 qualifications, except those claiming five points for a New Zealand master’s degree, must also hold a supporting bachelor’s degree or an equivalent undergraduate qualification.
According to the announcement, applicants will need to provide qualification certificates and academic transcripts for both qualifications.
For overseas qualifications, an International Qualification Assessment (IQA) will generally continue to be required unless the qualification appears on the List of Qualifications Exempt from Assessment (LQEA). However, an IQA will not be required for supporting bachelor’s degrees.
Applicants claiming five points for a New Zealand master’s qualification will not need to provide evidence of a bachelor’s degree.
INZ has also updated the LQEA to reflect changes to the Skilled Migrant Category points system. Points awarded for bachelor’s degrees, as well as Washington Accord and Sydney Accord accredited qualifications, will increase from three to four, while points for master’s and doctoral qualifications remain unchanged.
Changes to the Trades and Technician pathway
The announcement also provides further clarification on qualification requirements under the Trades and Technician pathway.
Applicants must hold a relevant Level 4 or higher qualification recognised under the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework (NZQCF).
For New Zealand qualifications, applicants must hold qualifications totalling at least 120 credits. The announcement clarifies that these credits may be accumulated across multiple qualifications where lower-level qualifications are prerequisites for higher-level qualifications.
For example, a Level 3 qualification worth 80 credits may be combined with a Level 4 qualification worth at least 40 credits if the Level 3 programme is a prerequisite for the higher qualification.
For overseas applicants, however, the 120-credit requirement has been removed. Instead, overseas qualifications must receive an IQA confirming they are equivalent to Level 4 or above on the NZQCF.
Self-employment excluded from qualifying work experience
INZ has also clarified that self-employment cannot be counted as directly relevant work experience under either the Trades and Technician pathway or the Skilled Work Experience pathway.
According to the announcement, while tax records may support claims of self-employment, independently verifying the nature and skill level of such work can be difficult.
“To ensure the integrity of the new pathways, evidence of self-employment cannot be used to meet requirements for directly relevant work experience,” the announcement stated.
Stronger genuine employment requirements
The reforms also strengthen the assessment of genuine employment across all skilled residence categories, including the Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa, Work to Residence Visa and Straight to Residence Visa.
Immigration instructions have been updated to clarify that employment offers must be available and ongoing and demonstrate a genuine need to be based in New Zealand.
According to INZ, the revised definition broadly aligns with the existing genuine employment assessment used under the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV).
The announcement noted that the clarification is unlikely to affect the majority of genuine residence applications but will provide immigration officials with clearer grounds to decline applications where employment arrangements are found to be non-genuine.
