The SMC is New Zealand's main residence visa for skilled workers. Under the rules Immigration New Zealand applies from August 24, 2026, you need at least 6 points from one core skill basis (qualification, occupational registration, or income) plus optional NZ work experience points. You also need to meet mandatory requirements for English, health, character, and have a job offer from an accredited employer. There are also two other ways to qualify for the same visa on work experience alone, which the free assessment checks for you.

A single-country report costs €99. If you want to explore additional countries, each extra country is just €18, up to a maximum of €199 total. You see your eligibility summary free first, and you only pay to unlock the full report. If the free summary shows that nothing fits, you pay nothing.

Yes. Under the current SMC rules, you need a full-time job or job offer (30 or more hours a week) from an accredited employer, meaning one Immigration New Zealand has approved to hire from overseas. The role must be permanent, or on a fixed-term contract of at least 12 months. Pay matters too: a job at skill levels 1 to 3 on New Zealand's occupation classification, the official list that ranks every job by skill, must pay at least the median wage, which is the hourly pay sitting in the middle of what New Zealand workers earn. A job at skill levels 4 or 5 must pay 1.5 times that. Other New Zealand routes do not need an offer at all, and our guide to job offers for New Zealand walks through each one.

Only degree-level qualifications earn points: level 7 and above on the New Zealand Qualifications Framework (NZQF), the scale that ranks every qualification recognized in the country. A bachelor's degree sits at level 7 and earns the fewest of these points, while a doctorate sits at level 10 and earns the most. A qualification earned in another country has to be assessed by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA), the body that decides what it is worth in New Zealand, and that decision sets the points it earns.

Processing times vary by visa type. SMC residence applications typically take 3 to 6 months once submitted. However, you may need time beforehand to gather documents, get qualifications assessed, and secure a job offer from an accredited employer.