New Zealand's Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) Resident Visa is the main points-based pathway for skilled workers who want to settle permanently. If you are considering a move to Aotearoa for work, the SMC is usually the first route you will read about. Here is how it is structured today, and what you need in place before points start to matter.

A 6-point threshold, not a ranked pool

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) overhauled the SMC in October 2023. The version in use today is a threshold system, not a competition. On this route you need six points plus the prerequisites below. You are not ranked against other candidates, and you do not need to push your score as high as possible.

Points come from three main sources, plus a bonus for skilled work experience already in New Zealand.

• Occupational registration. Up to 6 points for being registered in an occupation that requires it, such as a registered engineer, lawyer, or health professional. The level of registration affects the points awarded.
• Recognised qualification. Up to 6 points, depending on the level of your highest qualification and whether you earned it in New Zealand or overseas. The scale is set out below.
• Income. Up to 6 points for a job or job offer paid at specific multiples of the New Zealand median wage, which INZ publishes and updates over time.
• Skilled New Zealand work experience. Up to 3 bonus points for skilled work already done in New Zealand.

You can hit six points in two ways. Either a single main category (registration, qualification, or income) gets you to six on its own, or you combine a lower main category with the New Zealand work experience bonus to reach the threshold.

How many points a qualification earns

Since 24 August 2026, qualification points depend on two things: the qualification's level on New Zealand's qualifications framework (a numbered scale on which a bachelor's degree is level 7 and a doctorate level 10), and whether you earned it in New Zealand or overseas. Immigration New Zealand sets out the points on its Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa page:

Level 8 means an honours degree, a postgraduate diploma or a postgraduate certificate, and it earns points only with a bachelor's degree. A master's degree earned in New Zealand earns 6 points with a bachelor's degree and at least 30 weeks of full-time study in New Zealand, and 5 otherwise; one earned overseas earns 5 points with a bachelor's degree.

So a qualification earned in New Zealand can be worth one point more than the same qualification earned overseas, as INZ said when it announced the change; a doctorate is worth 6 either way. The bachelor's degree behind a level 8 or 9 qualification can come from any country. A qualification at level 7 or below that is not a degree, such as a diploma or a trade certificate, earns no qualification points.

A qualification earned overseas usually needs an International Qualification Assessment from NZQA, New Zealand's qualifications authority, before it earns points. Our post on the NZQA qualification assessment walks through it.

If your qualification earns no points, registration or income may still earn them. And since 24 August 2026, the Skilled Migrant Category has two more pathways that use no points at all: the Skilled Work Experience pathway and the Trades and Technician pathway.

Prerequisites that sit under the points

The points only matter once you meet the entry conditions for the visa:

• A job or job offer in a skilled occupation in New Zealand.
• English language ability at IELTS 6.5 overall or an accepted equivalent.
• Aged 55 or younger when you apply.
• Health and character requirements, the same standard framework INZ applies to most residence visas.

How the application flows

The SMC is an EOI-based visa. The steps are:

1. Submit an Expression of Interest to INZ.
2. INZ checks your EOI and tells you straight away whether you meet the requirements.
3. If you do, you receive an Invitation to Apply.
4. You submit the full residence application with evidence.

Green List: a faster parallel route

Some occupations do not need to go through the SMC at all. The Green List lets eligible workers apply directly for residence, or move to residence after two years of work in the role, without collecting points. If your occupation is on it, that is usually the quicker door. We cover it in detail in New Zealand's Green List, explained.

A note on numbers

We do not publish specific income thresholds here because they are tied to the New Zealand median wage and are updated by INZ. Always check the current figures on the official SMC pay rates page before making a decision.

INZ changed parts of the Skilled Migrant Category with effect from 24 August 2026, including the qualification points above. Our post on the August 2026 Skilled Migrant Category changes sets out the other changes made that day.

What this means for your report

HowToMoveTo's report assesses the Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa as a New Zealand pathway. It works out your points from your questionnaire answers using the same calculator that sits behind our free SMC page, and sets the total against the six-point line. Around the points it compares your answers with the visa's other requirements: your age, a full-time job or offer from an accredited employer with the pay and skill-level conditions attached to it, English, health and character, and the partnership rules if a partner is coming with you.

Requirements you have not met yet come back as checklist steps rather than as failures: an International Qualification Assessment from NZQA for an overseas qualification, occupational registration where your occupation needs it, an English test result Immigration New Zealand accepts, the offer from an accredited employer, and the medical examination, chest X-ray and police certificates. The reason to answer one questionnaire rather than read route by route is that the SMC turns on several rules at once, and your answers are compared with every New Zealand route we cover at the same time.

The report does not submit an Expression of Interest, does not rank you, and does not tell you that you qualify. INZ decides. The New Zealand hub lists what the report covers.

Estimate your points

Want a quick read on where you sit? Try our SMC calculator. It walks through each category, shows the subtotals, and tells you whether you clear the six-point threshold. For the full policy, INZ's Skilled Migrant Category pathway is the authoritative source.

When you want the points read next to the rest of the requirements, the questionnaire is free, and so is the eligibility summary at the end of it. Payment unlocks the full report.