Green List vs Skilled Migrant Category
Both lead to a New Zealand resident visa and both cost NZ$6,450. The Green List is an occupation list: if your job is on it, your occupation itself qualifies you. The Skilled Migrant Category is a points test open to any skilled occupation. Green List membership is not a prerequisite for the Skilled Migrant Category, and most skilled occupations are not on the list.
Quick Facts
| Green List | Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) | |
|---|---|---|
| What qualifies you | Your occupation appearing in Appendix 13, plus the requirement attached to it | 6 skilled resident points from your own qualification, income or occupational registration |
| Occupations covered | 164 Tier 1 + 37 Tier 2 = 201 | Any skilled occupation, subject to skill level and pay tests |
| Prior NZ work needed | Tier 1: none. Tier 2: 24 months in the role within the prior 30 months | Only as a points top-up — up to 3 points, 1 per year |
| Cost | NZ$6,450 (NZ$2,880 + NZ$3,570 levy) | NZ$6,450 (NZ$2,880 + NZ$3,570 levy) |
| Processing | Straight to Residence: 7 weeks average, 80% within 3 months | 10 weeks average, 80% within 4 months |
| Age limit | 55 or younger | 55 or younger |
| Accredited employer | Required | Required |
| Leads to residence | Yes — directly | Yes — directly |
| Is there a draw? | No | No. It is a threshold, not a competitive pool |
Figures as at August 2026. The SMC restructures on 24 August 2026 — see the warning below.
They are not really rivals
The framing "Green List or Skilled Migrant Category" implies you pick one. In practice your occupation picks for you.
If your occupation is in Green List Tier 1, you can apply for the Straight to Residence Visa on a qualifying job offer, without ever having worked in New Zealand. Nothing about the SMC is faster or cheaper than that. If your occupation is in Tier 2, you can reach residence through the Work to Residence Visa after 24 months in the role.
If your occupation is on neither tier — which is true for most skilled occupations — the SMC points pathway is the main alternative, and the two lists have nothing to do with each other. You do not need to be on the Green List to use the SMC.
Where a genuine choice exists is at the margins: someone whose occupation is Tier 2 (24 months of New Zealand work first) but who also has a doctorate, or a very high salary, may reach 6 SMC points sooner than they reach 24 months. That is the one case where the two routes actually race.
What the Green List really is
The Green List is a schedule in the Immigration New Zealand Operational Manual, at Appendix 13, currently effective 23 March 2026. It is indexed by ANZSCO code. It has two tiers, and they behave completely differently.
Tier 1 — Straight to Residence. 164 occupations. A qualifying job offer from an accredited employer is enough to apply for residence, from anywhere in the world.
Tier 2 — Work to Residence. 37 occupations. You must work 24 months full-time in New Zealand in that occupation, within the 30 months immediately before you apply.
Tier 1 is, in practice, a health list
This is the fact that changes how people should read the Green List, and almost nobody publishes it.
| Tier 1 sector | Occupations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Health and Social Services | 120 | 73% |
| Engineering | 23 | 14% |
| ICT, Electronics and Telecommunications | 12 | 7% |
| Construction | 4 | 2% |
| Other (Primary Industries, Science) | 3 | 2% |
| Business Professionals | 2 | 1% |
Nearly three-quarters of the fastest residence route in New Zealand is doctors, nurses, midwives, dentists, therapists, psychologists, social workers and teachers. Construction is four occupations. The popular description of the Green List as "a broad skilled migration list" is not what the instrument says.
The 12 ICT roles are on the list but gated by salary — between NZ$57.75 and NZ$72.80 an hour depending on the role. That functions as a seniority filter rather than an open door.
Occupations with no Green List pathway at all
Some well-paid professions people assume are covered are not on either tier:
- Lawyers — no Green List occupation
- Chartered accountants — no Green List occupation (External and Internal Auditor are Tier 1, but their requirement is a pay threshold of NZ$45.50 an hour, not membership of an accounting body)
- Real estate agents — no Green List occupation
- Licensed Building Practitioners — no Green List occupation. Project Builder is Tier 1, satisfied by qualification rather than LBP licensing
If that is you, the Green List is simply not a route, and the SMC points pathway is where the published rules point. More detail in occupations with no Green List pathway.
What the SMC really is
The Skilled Migrant Category is a 6-point threshold. You need six points, and they come from a single primary claim plus a New Zealand work-experience top-up.
One primary claim, worth 3 to 6 points:
| Qualification | NZQCF level | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Doctorate | 10 | 6 |
| Master's degree | 9 | 5 |
| Bachelor honours degree or postgraduate diploma | 8 | 4 |
| Postgraduate certificate or bachelor's degree | 8 / 7 | 3 |
NZQCF Levels 3, 4, 5 and 6 earn zero points on the current points pathway. The ladder starts at Level 7. That is the single most misunderstood feature of the system and the reason the new Trades and Technician pathway matters so much.
Or by income, using multiples of the immigration median wage of NZ$35.00 an hour (effective 9 March 2026):
| Points | Multiple | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | 1.5× | NZ$52.50/hour |
| 4 | 2× | NZ$70.00/hour |
| 6 | 3× | NZ$105.00/hour |
Or by occupational registration, worth 3 to 6 points depending on the years of training or experience the registration requires: 6+ years earns 6 points, 5 years earns 5, 4 years earns 4, and 2 years earns 3.
Then the top-up: up to 3 further points for skilled work experience in New Zealand — 1 point per year, used only to close the gap to six. Three years within the past five earns 3 points; two years within the past four earns 2; one year within the past two earns 1.
A worked example INZ's own structure produces: a Level 7 bachelor's degree (3 points) plus three years of New Zealand skilled work experience (3 points) = 6 points.
Side by side on the things that actually differ
| Green List Tier 1 | Green List Tier 2 | SMC | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Can you apply from offshore? | Yes | No — 24 months NZ work first | In practice no, because the job must be current |
| What the occupation must be | One of 164 named ANZSCO occupations | One of 37 named ANZSCO occupations | Any occupation meeting skill level and pay tests |
| Pay test | NZ$35.00/hour or the role-specified rate | Occupation-specific: 1.15×, 1.3× or 1.5× median | ANZSCO 1–3: NZ$35.00/hr. ANZSCO 4–5 and unlisted: NZ$52.50/hr |
| Qualification required? | Only if the occupation specifies one | Only if the occupation specifies one | Yes, unless you claim income or registration instead |
| Processing (average / 80%) | 7 weeks / 3 months | 8 weeks / 3.5 months | 10 weeks / 4 months |
| Fee | NZ$6,450 | NZ$6,450 | NZ$6,450 |
| EOI stage? | No | No | Yes — free EOI, then an Invitation to Apply, then 4 months to lodge |
The Green List does not change on a schedule
The Green List has no fixed review cycle. Changes have been ad-hoc ministerial announcements, not calendar events. The verified history: additions in December 2022, March 2023 and May 2023; transport roles added in September 2023 and six of them removed in April 2024; ten trades occupations added to Tier 2 effective 18 August 2025; and a wage recalibration on 9 March 2026 that flowed through every wage-linked threshold.
The only change between the 9 March 2026 and 23 March 2026 versions of Appendix 13 was to a single Tier 2 occupation, Corrections Officer.
So do not plan around a coming update. If your occupation is not on the list today, there is no published date on which that might change. See Green List changes and review cycle.
The SMC has no draw either
The SMC has been a points-threshold system since October 2023. You either reach six points or you do not. There is no ranked pool, no cut-off score that moves, no invitation round and no quota.
There is an Expression of Interest stage — free for the SMC — followed by an Invitation to Apply and four months to lodge the full application. But the EOI is a filing step, not a competition.
The 24 August 2026 restructure — read this before you plan
From 24 August 2026, two new pathways sit alongside the existing points pathway:
- Skilled Work Experience pathway — a current job in an ANZSCO skill level 1–3 occupation paid at 1.1× the SMC wage threshold, which is NZ$38.50 an hour; three years of relevant experience in the preceding ten; and two years of New Zealand skilled work experience at that rate in the preceding four. Self-employment cannot be counted.
- Trades and Technician pathway — an eligible trades or technician occupation paid at the SMC wage threshold of NZ$35.00 an hour; a qualification at NZQF Level 4 or above; 2.5 years of relevant post-qualification experience within ten years; and 1.5 years of New Zealand post-qualification experience within three.
Also from that date: a red list of 6 occupations barred from the Skilled Work Experience pathway, an amber list of 14 requiring 1.2× the median wage and five years of experience all gained in New Zealand, and a rule that ANZSCO skill level 4–5 occupations are ineligible for the new pathways entirely.
Two things you need to know about this page. First, draft Expressions of Interest are deleted on 24 August 2026 — an EOI must be submitted, not merely drafted, before that date to be assessed under the current rules. Second, the full new points table is now published and set out at Skilled Migrant Category points, explained. Fuller treatment sits in Skilled Migrant Category changes explained and the three SMC pathways compared.
Where the answer flips
If you are a nurse, doctor, midwife or allied health professional. Tier 1 is built for you and the SMC adds nothing. Straight to Residence needs no prior New Zealand work at all, and health-sector AEWV applications are processed at 2 weeks average against 4 weeks for everything else.
If you are a welder, fitter, panel beater, electrician or plumber. You are Tier 2, so the Green List costs you 24 months. From 24 August 2026 the Trades and Technician pathway opens the SMC to NZQF Level 4+ qualifications for the first time, with 1.5 years of New Zealand experience rather than 24 months. Which arrives sooner depends on your qualification, and confirming that is a matter for INZ or a licensed adviser.
If you earn a very high salary in an occupation nobody lists. Income points do not care about the Green List. At NZ$105.00 an hour you reach 6 points on income alone with no New Zealand work experience required. That is a real route for senior people whose occupation appears nowhere.
If you are over 55. Both routes close. Straight to Residence, Work to Residence, Care Workforce, Transport Work to Residence and the SMC all require age 55 or younger. See residence age limit explained.
If your occupation is Tier 1 but you cannot meet its specific requirement. Tier 1 entries specify a qualification, an occupational registration, a pay threshold — sometimes more than one. Being an "ICT project manager" is not enough; the entry requires NZ$72.80 an hour. Read the actual entry, not the occupation title.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between the Green List and the SMC pathways?
The Green List qualifies you by occupation: if your ANZSCO occupation is in Appendix 13 and you meet the requirement attached to it, you can apply for residence. The Skilled Migrant Category qualifies you by points: six points from a qualification, income or occupational registration, topped up with New Zealand work experience. The Green List is a list; the SMC is a test.
Can I apply for a Green List resident visa from outside New Zealand?
Tier 1 (Straight to Residence) can be applied for from offshore on a qualifying job offer from an accredited employer, and you must arrive in New Zealand within 12 months of the visa being granted. Tier 2 cannot — it requires 24 months of New Zealand work in the occupation within the prior 30 months.
Do I need an accredited employer for a Green List visa?
Yes. Both Green List tiers require the employer to be accredited at the time of application, and the SMC requires it as well. You can check an employer's status — see how to check if an employer is accredited.
What jobs are on New Zealand's Green List?
164 occupations in Tier 1 and 37 in Tier 2, totalling 201. Tier 1 is 73% Health and Social Services, with 23 engineering occupations, 12 ICT occupations, 4 construction occupations and a handful of science and business roles. Tier 2 is trades-heavy: automotive and metal trades, electricians, plumbers, gasfitters, drainlayers, civil machinery operators, plus specialist education roles.
How many points do I need for New Zealand residence?
Six, under the current Skilled Migrant Category. Those six come from one primary claim worth 3 to 6 points, plus up to 3 points for skilled work experience in New Zealand. There is no ranking and no cut-off that moves with demand.
Does my work experience count towards residence?
Overseas skilled work experience does not earn SMC points on its own — the top-up is specifically for skilled work experience in New Zealand. Overseas experience matters for the new Skilled Work Experience pathway from 24 August 2026, where three of the five years may be overseas.
What happens if my wage falls below the required rate?
For Green List Tier 2, INZ's instructions stop the 24-month clock if pay falls below the applicable rate, or if you stop holding a qualifying visa, or if you change employer and the new pay is below the rate. There is a ratchet protection: if the required rate later increases, the clock does not stop, provided your income has not decreased and you have not changed employer.
Before you act on this page
This is general information about published New Zealand immigration rules. It is not immigration advice and does not assess whether you meet any requirement. Under the Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007, only a licensed immigration adviser or a New Zealand lawyer may advise on your individual circumstances — and the Act applies whether or not the advice is paid for. Check a licence on the public register at https://app.mbieregisters.govt.nz/iaa/ui/start/searchForAnOccupationalRegistration.
This page must be re-checked on or after 24 August 2026, when the Skilled Migrant Category restructures.
