SMC changes 2026: what the 24 August 2026 Skilled Migrant Category changes mean for you

From 24 August 2026, the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) Resident Visa has three pathways instead of one: the existing Points-based pathway, a new Skilled Work Experience pathway and a new Trades and Technician pathway. This means many migrants who do not have a degree or a high salary, including people on an Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV), may now have a realistic route to New Zealand residence through their work experience or trade qualification.

This guide explains who qualifies for each pathway, the pay and experience rules, key dates, and what the changes mean for AEWV holders and employers, based on official Immigration New Zealand (INZ) information.

The SMC changes at a glance

• Two new pathways sit alongside the Points-based pathway. You only need to qualify under one.
• New Red and Amber Lists restrict or add requirements to the Skilled Work Experience pathway for certain jobs.
• Simpler wage rules: you generally only need to meet the SMC wage threshold that applied when you started gaining skilled work experience.
• New Zealand qualifications are generally worth 1 point more than overseas ones.
• Self-employment does not count as directly relevant work experience under the new pathways, and a clearer “genuine employment” test applies to all skilled residence visas.

All SMC applicants must still be aged 55 or younger, have a skilled job or job offer with an accredited employer, and meet health, character and English language requirements (INZ: SMC Resident Visa).

Points-based pathway

The Points-based pathway still requires 6 skilled resident points. You claim 3 to 6 points from one skill category — qualification, New Zealand occupational registration, or income — and, if needed, top up with up to 3 points for skilled work experience in New Zealand. You cannot combine two skill categories (for example, qualification plus income).

• Qualification: a New Zealand bachelor’s degree is worth 5 points and an overseas bachelor’s 4 points. A New Zealand master’s is worth 6 points if you studied full-time in New Zealand for at least 30 weeks and hold a bachelor’s degree; a doctorate is worth 6. Points for Level 8 or 9 qualifications generally require a supporting bachelor’s degree. Non-degree qualifications at Level 7 or below earn no points.
• Income: 3 times the SMC wage threshold = 6 points (currently $105.00 an hour); 2 times = 4 points; 1.5 times = 3 points.
• Occupational registration: 3 to 6 points depending on the training required (2 to 6 years). From 24 August 2026 this includes accountants with CPA Australia membership who can do the work of a Qualified Statutory Accountant in New Zealand.
• NZ skilled work experience top-up: 1 year = 1 point, 1.5 years = 2 points, 2 years = 3 points.

Your current job must pay at least the SMC wage threshold for ANZSCO skill level 1 to 3 roles, or 1.5 times it for skill level 4 or 5 roles.

Skilled Work Experience pathway

This pathway is for people who have built their skills through work rather than a formal qualification. You can qualify if you:

• work in, or have a job offer for, an ANZSCO skill level 1 to 3 occupation paid at least 1.1 times the SMC wage threshold
• have at least 3 years of relevant work experience in an ANZSCO skill level 1 to 3 occupation (this can be gained overseas, within the 10 years before you apply), and
• have an additional 2 years of skilled work experience in New Zealand in a skill level 1 to 3 occupation, paid at least 1.1 times the SMC wage threshold (gained within the 4 years before you apply).

That is 5 years of directly relevant experience in total. Self-employment does not count.

Amber List jobs (including chef, baker, café or restaurant manager, hotel or motel manager and office manager) must be paid at least 1.2 times the threshold, and all the experience must be in New Zealand: 3 years of relevant work experience plus an additional 2 years of skilled work experience paid at 1.2 times the threshold. Red List jobs (such as hairdresser, beauty therapist and retail manager) and skill level 4 or 5 jobs cannot use this pathway, but may still qualify under the Points-based pathway (INZ Red and Amber Lists).

Trades and Technician pathway

This pathway is for people in eligible trades and technician roles who combine a qualification with work experience. You can qualify if you:

• work in an occupation on the Trades and Technician occupation list (for example carpenter, motor or diesel mechanic, electrician-related trades, welder, metal fabricator, plasterer, tiler, draftsperson, veterinary nurse or network administrator) paid at least the SMC wage threshold
• hold a relevant qualification at Level 4 or higher (or comparable to Level 4) on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework
• have at least 2.5 years of relevant, post-qualification work experience in a skill level 1 to 3 occupation, and
• have an additional 1.5 years of post-qualification skilled work experience in New Zealand paid at least the SMC wage threshold.

That is 4 years of post-qualification experience in total. New Zealand qualifications must have at least 120 credits; this can be made up of more than one qualification where the lower one was a prerequisite for the higher one, but credits awarded for recognition of prior learning do not count. Overseas qualifications have no credit requirement but need an NZQA International Qualification Assessment (IQA) at Level 4 or higher. Only experience gained after you qualified counts, and self-employment does not count.

The new wage threshold rules

Under the new rules, your wage threshold is generally set when you start gaining skilled work experience in New Zealand, and it stays fixed. Your later experience, and the job you use to apply, must meet or exceed that rate — you will not have to keep up with annual increases. If your pay drops below it, that period will not count.

A grace period applies if the threshold increases after your work visa is granted: if you start skilled work within 5 months of the visa grant, and are paid at least the rate in place on the grant date, that earlier rate can be used. The grace period does not apply to a variation of conditions or an AEWV job change. Similar wage rules now apply to the Work to Residence, Care Workforce and Transport Work to Residence visas.

Worked examples

These examples are illustrations only. Your own eligibility depends on your full circumstances.

Example 1: Priya, a chef on an AEWV (Amber List)

Priya has worked as a chef for an accredited Auckland restaurant since November 2025 on an AEWV, paid $36 an hour, and has 6 years of chef experience overseas. Chef is not on the Trades and Technician list, and it is on the Amber List, so for the Skilled Work Experience pathway her overseas experience does not count: she needs at least 5 years of work experience in New Zealand, made up of 3 years of relevant chef experience plus an additional 2 years of skilled New Zealand experience paid at 1.2 times the threshold ($42.00 an hour if that experience starts on or after 9 March 2026). INZ does not let the same period of work count towards both, so the 2 years come on top of the 3 years rather than at the same time. At $36 an hour she would also need a pay rise. That means at least 5 years of work in New Zealand before she could qualify under this pathway.

Alternatively, under the Points-based pathway, if Priya were paid at least 1.5 times the threshold ($52.50 an hour at current rates) she could claim 3 income points, plus 3 points for 2 years of New Zealand skilled work experience at that rate — reaching 6 points sooner.

Example 2: Rajesh, a diesel motor mechanic (Trades and Technician)

Rajesh holds an overseas automotive qualification that NZQA has assessed at Level 4 through an IQA, and has 3 years of post-qualification experience overseas. He started with an accredited Auckland transport company on 1 December 2025, paid $34 an hour. Diesel motor mechanic is on the Trades and Technician list. The threshold when he started (18 August 2025 to 8 March 2026) was $33.56, which he meets. His overseas experience covers the 2.5-year requirement, so once he has 1.5 years of skilled New Zealand experience (around June 2027) and is still paid at least $33.56 an hour, he may be eligible to submit an expression of interest (EOI).

Example 3: Ana, a construction project manager without a degree (Skilled Work Experience)

Ana has 6 years of construction project management experience in the Philippines but no degree. She started on an AEWV with an accredited Auckland builder on 1 March 2025, paid $45 an hour, in a role that matches the ANZSCO description for Construction Project Manager (133111), a skill level 1 occupation that is not on the Red or Amber List. Her threshold for the Skilled Work Experience pathway is 1.1 times the rate in effect when she started: $34.77. Her overseas experience covers the 3-year requirement, so after 2 years of skilled New Zealand experience (around March 2027) she may be eligible. Without a degree, she would have needed $47.41 an hour to claim income points, so the new pathway opens a new route.

What this means if you are on an AEWV

• Check your ANZSCO occupation and skill level. This decides which pathways are open to you and whether the Red or Amber List applies. Your actual duties need to closely match the ANZSCO description, not just your job title.
• Know your wage threshold start date. Your experience counts from when you were first paid at or above the threshold for your pathway. Keep your employment agreements, job descriptions, payslips and IRD summaries of earnings.
• Watch your visa expiry. Your experience must be completed while you hold a valid visa. INZ plans to let AEWV holders who need up to 12 more months of skilled work experience extend their AEWV from 2027, but details are not yet available.
• Changing jobs: your threshold stays the same if you change employer or role, but your new job must be with an accredited employer and still meet that rate.
• Employers: residence applications rely on genuine, ongoing roles that need to be based in New Zealand. Accurate job descriptions and pay records help your staff show they meet the requirements.

• INZ — Final details about changes to the SMC (18 June 2026)
• INZ — Further changes to the SMC (5 March 2026)
• INZ — Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa
• INZ — Getting residence through the SMC
• INZ — The SMC wage threshold
• INZ — Eligible Trades and Technician occupations
• INZ — Red and Amber List occupations
• INZ — Amendment Circular 2026-16 (PDF)

This article is general information only and is not legal advice. Immigration rules change; check the official INZ sources linked above or speak with us about your situation. Last updated: 16 October 2026.