Note: this page describes ANZSCO, the classification New Zealand used before the National Occupation List. Newer information is in New Zealand's National Occupation List and skill levels, explained, which covers the occupation codes and skill levels in use today. ANZSCO has not disappeared, and the newer post sets out where it still applies.

If you've looked into New Zealand immigration for work, you've almost certainly run into the acronym ANZSCO. It is the classification Immigration New Zealand (INZ) uses to decide which occupation a role falls under, and at what skill level. Your ANZSCO code quietly drives pay thresholds, eligibility for specific visas, and whether an occupation shows up on shortlists. Here is what it means.

What ANZSCO is

ANZSCO stands for the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations. It is jointly developed by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and Stats NZ, and gives every occupation a 6-digit code, a description, a list of typical tasks, and an assigned skill level. INZ uses it to classify jobs across most work-based immigration decisions.

How the code is structured

The 6-digit code sits inside a hierarchy that narrows from broad to specific: major group, sub-major group, minor group, unit group, and finally the occupation. In practice you only need your own 6-digit code. The hierarchy is background context.

The 5 skill levels

Every ANZSCO occupation is assigned exactly one skill level, from 1 to 5. The level summarises the typical education or training needed to enter the role.

Skill Levels 1 to 3 are broadly treated as skilled for New Zealand immigration purposes. Skill Levels 4 and 5 face different pay thresholds and stay limits.

How to find your code

Don't pick your code from the job title. ANZSCO matches on the tasks and duties actually performed, and two people with the same title can sit under different codes depending on the work they do.

Start with the official search tools: the Stats NZ ANZSCO page for New Zealand, and the ABS ANZSCO page for the cross-border reference. Read the lead statement and list of tasks for any code before you rely on it.

Where it matters for New Zealand immigration

ANZSCO shows up across most of the work-based routes.

• AEWV Job Check. The ANZSCO code for the role determines the applicable pay threshold and conditions. See New Zealand's AEWV, explained.
• Skilled Migrant Category. The code and skill level influence whether work experience and the role count toward SMC. See New Zealand's Skilled Migrant Category, explained, or estimate your score with our SMC calculator.
• Green List. Every Green List occupation is defined by its ANZSCO code. See New Zealand's Green List, explained.

A note on the future classification

The ABS is rolling out a successor classification called OSCA (Occupation Standard Classification for Australia) from 2024, covered on the ABS OSCA page. For New Zealand immigration, ANZSCO continues to be what INZ relies on. Treat the Stats NZ ANZSCO page as the source of truth until INZ says otherwise.

What this means for your report

HowToMoveTo's report does not ask you for an ANZSCO code. It asks you to match each job in your work history to a New Zealand occupation code from the National Occupation List, the classification described in our newer post, and works the skill level out from the code you pick. That skill level is then what the Skilled Migrant Category's skilled employment requirement and the Accredited Employer Work Visa's wage requirement compare against the pay you entered, and what the Skilled Work Experience pathway checks when it asks whether your occupation sits at skill level 1 to 3.

Where your occupation needs a licence to practise, the report hands you a checklist step to obtain occupational registration, beside the offer from an accredited employer, the medical certificates and the police certificates.

What it does not do is translate between the two classifications for you, or tell you which code Immigration New Zealand will accept on a particular application. Where the government asks for an ANZSCO code, read it off the official pages linked above.

Where to go from here

For a quick read on the points side, our free SMC calculator shows where your answers land against the Skilled Migrant Category threshold.

Then the questionnaire compares your answers with every New Zealand route in one pass. The questionnaire is free, the eligibility summary at the end of it is free, and payment unlocks the full report.