The Skilled Migrant Category Overhaul: What Changes on 24 August 2026
On 24 August 2026 New Zealand's Skilled Migrant Category becomes three pathways instead of one: the existing points system, a new Skilled Work Experience pathway, and a new Trades and Technician pathway. Two new occupation lists restrict who can use the new routes. Every unsubmitted draft expression of interest is deleted on that date.
Quick Facts
| What is changing | The Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa gains two new pathways alongside the existing points-based route |
| Effective date | Monday 24 August 2026 |
| Announced | 23 September 2025, with further detail released in 2026 |
| Hard deadline | Draft expressions of interest that have not been submitted are deleted on 24 August 2026 |
| New pathway 1 | Skilled Work Experience — 5 years' experience including 2 in New Zealand, paid at 1.1× the median wage (NZ$38.50 an hour) |
| New pathway 2 | Trades and Technician — 4 years including 18 months in New Zealand, paid at the median wage (NZ$35.00 an hour) |
| Barred occupations | A red list of 6 occupations cannot use the Skilled Work Experience pathway |
| Restricted occupations | An amber list of 14 occupations faces extra requirements |
| Fee | NZ$6,450 — NZ$2,880 application fee plus NZ$3,570 immigration levy (unchanged) |
| Processing | Average 10 weeks; 80% within 4 months (as published 20 August 2026) |
| Points table | Published in full — see SMC points explained |
Updated 21 August 2026. Immigration New Zealand has now published the full points table, both occupation lists and the per-pathway wage rates. Everything below is taken from those published tables. The operative instructions themselves publish on 24 August 2026.
The single most urgent fact: draft EOIs are deleted on 24 August
The Skilled Migrant Category runs on a two-stage process. You first lodge an expression of interest (an EOI — a free online form setting out your claims), and if you are invited you then lodge the full residence application.
An EOI you have started but not submitted is a draft. Drafts are held in your Immigration Online account.
All draft expressions of interest are deleted on 24 August 2026. They are not carried over, converted or held. An EOI must be submitted before that date to be assessed under the current rules.
This is the one fact on this page with a countdown attached to it. Everything else on this page describes rules; this one describes something that disappears. If you have a part-finished EOI sitting in your account, that is the item to deal with. How the EOI stage works is set out in the expression of interest, explained.
What the Skilled Migrant Category looks like today
Until 24 August 2026 there is one route. You must reach 6 skilled resident points. Points come from a single main claim — a qualification, your income, or an occupational registration — worth 3 to 6 points. If that main claim is worth fewer than 6, you make up the gap with skilled work experience in New Zealand, at 1 point per year, up to 3 points.
The design has one well-known consequence: qualifications below NZQCF Level 7 earn nothing at all. The ladder starts at a bachelor's degree. A tradesperson with a Level 4 certificate and fifteen years on the tools scores zero from their qualification, no matter how skilled the work.
That is the gap the two new pathways are built to fill. The current system is described in full in the Skilled Migrant Category, explained.
The three pathways from 24 August 2026
| Points-based | Skilled Work Experience | Trades and Technician | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Status | Continues, with changes | New | New |
| Main test | Reach 6 points | Length of experience plus pay | Qualification, experience and pay |
| Total experience required | Not expressed this way | 5 years, including 2 in New Zealand | 4 years, including 18 months in New Zealand |
| Pay required | Depends on the claim | 1.1× the median wage — NZ$38.50 an hour | The median wage — NZ$35.00 an hour |
| Qualification required | Yes, for a qualification claim | Not the basis of the claim | NZQCF Level 4 or above |
| Red / amber lists | Not affected | Apply — 6 red, 14 amber | Do not apply |
| Skill level 4–5 occupations | — | Not eligible | Not eligible |
| Self-employment counts | — | No | — |
A side-by-side comparison sits at the three SMC pathways compared.
Pathway 1: the points-based route, amended
The points route survives. Four changes to it are published:
- Maximum New Zealand work experience drops from 3 years to 2. This is the change that helps the largest number of people. Under the current rules a bachelor's degree holder needs three years of New Zealand skilled work to close the gap to 6 points. From 24 August 2026 the ceiling is two.
- New Zealand-gained qualifications earn one more point than the overseas equivalent. A New Zealand bachelor's degree rises from 3 points to 5.
- Accountants who are members of CPA Australia and can perform Qualified Statutory Accountant work can claim 6 points under a new occupational registration category.
- English test results become valid for 5 years instead of 2 for people holding an eligible occupational registration.
INZ has since published the full post-24-August points table. Both grids — qualifications and New Zealand work experience — are set out at Skilled Migrant Category points, explained. The headline moves: a New Zealand bachelor's degree rises from 3 points to 5, an overseas bachelor's from 3 to 4, and two years of New Zealand experience now earns the 3 points that used to take three years.
Pathway 2: Skilled Work Experience
This pathway removes the qualification from the equation and replaces it with time and pay.
What it requires:
- A current job in an occupation at skill level 1, 2 or 3
- 5 years of relevant work experience in total
- Of that, 2 years of skilled work experience in New Zealand
- Paid at 1.1× the median wage — NZ$38.50 an hour as at 20 August 2026
- Self-employment cannot be counted
The 1.1 multiplier is applied to the immigration median wage, which rose to NZ$35.00 an hour on 9 March 2026. If the median wage changes, the multiple changes with it — see the median wage rise to $35.00.
Two details are worth reading twice. First, skill level 4 and 5 occupations are not eligible for this pathway at all. Second, the New Zealand experience must be skilled work experience — the same definition the points route uses. Detail is at the Skilled Work Experience pathway, explained.
Pathway 3: Trades and Technician
This is the first Skilled Migrant Category route open to sub-degree qualifications, and it is the most significant change in the package for people in the trades.
What it requires:
- An eligible trades or technician occupation
- A qualification at NZQCF Level 4 or above. New Zealand qualifications must carry 120 credits; overseas Level 4+ qualifications have no credit minimum; credits gained through recognition of prior learning are excluded
- 4 years of relevant post-qualification experience in total
- Of that, 18 months of post-qualification skilled work experience in New Zealand
- Paid at the median wage — NZ$35.00 an hour as at 20 August 2026, with no multiplier
Note the pay difference between the two new pathways. Trades and Technician sits at the plain median wage; Skilled Work Experience sits 10% above it. Full detail is at the Trades and Technician pathway, explained.
The red list and the amber list
Both new pathways come with occupation restrictions. These are new, and they are the part most likely to affect a reader's plans.
They apply to the Skilled Work Experience pathway only. The Trades and Technician pathway has neither list — it runs on its own positive list of 109 eligible occupations.
The red list — 6 occupations, barred from the Skilled Work Experience pathway. The complete list:
- Beauty Therapist (451111)
- Hair or Beauty Salon Manager (142114)
- Hairdresser (391111)
- Hospitality, Retail and Service Manager nec (149999)
- Massage Therapist (411611)
- Retail Manager (General) (142111)
The amber list — 14 occupations, allowed but with extra requirements. The complete list:
- Accommodation and Hospitality Manager nec (141999)
- Hotel or Motel Manager (141311)
- Hotel Service Manager (431411)
- Baker (351111)
- Bed and Breakfast Operator (141911)
- Café or Restaurant Manager (141111)
- Caravan Park and Camping Ground Manager (141211)
- Chef (351311)
- Customer Service Manager (149212)
- ICT Customer Support Officer (313112)
- ICT Support Technicians nec (313199)
- Office Manager (512111)
- Pastrycook (351112)
- Web Administrator (313113)
An amber-list occupation is not barred, but the test is materially harder: 1.2× the wage threshold — NZ$42.00 an hour from 9 March 2026 — plus 3 years of relevant experience gained in New Zealand, plus a further 2 years of skilled New Zealand experience at 1.2×. The standard test accepts 3 years of relevant experience gained anywhere; the amber test does not.
Much of the coverage published after the March 2026 announcement had these two lists the wrong way round, putting chefs and café managers on the red list and hairdressers and retail managers on amber. The published tables are as set out above.
Two further points. Being on the red list does not bar you from the points-based pathway. And Immigration New Zealand has said the lists are reviewed, without stating how often, so treat them as a live document rather than a fixture. Full detail sits at the SMC red list and amber list.
The wage-threshold change that quietly helps a lot of people
Under the current rules your work experience is measured against the wage threshold in force now. That penalises anyone whose skilled work was done before the median wage rose to NZ$35.00 on 9 March 2026 — the work was paid at a compliant rate at the time, but is measured against a higher one today.
From 24 August 2026 you only need to meet the wage threshold that was in force when you started gaining that skilled work experience. A 5-month grace period also applies where the threshold rose between a work visa being granted and the person starting the job.
This extends beyond the Skilled Migrant Category to the Work to Residence Visa, Transport Work to Residence and Care Workforce Work to Residence. The threshold history and how it is applied is set out at SMC wage thresholds, explained.
One evidence change goes with it: from 24 August 2026 a certificate of service may be used instead of tax records to evidence overseas work experience. That substitution does not apply to New Zealand experience.
English language
From 24 August 2026 the Skilled Migrant Category English standard is reported as IELTS 6.5 or equivalent. Immigration New Zealand publishes a list of accepted tests and their equivalent scores, and that list is the authority — confirm your test and band on immigration.govt.nz rather than relying on an IELTS number quoted second-hand. What the residence categories require generally is covered at English requirements for New Zealand residence.
The related change, above, is that test results stay valid for 5 years instead of 2 where the applicant holds an eligible occupational registration.
What has not changed
This is the part most readers over-generalise, because headlines describe a "shake-up". The following are unchanged on 24 August 2026:
- The 6-point threshold on the points-based pathway. It is still 6 points.
- There is no periodic selection round. The Skilled Migrant Category has been a points-threshold system since October 2023. There are no scheduled selection dates to wait for and no queue position to hold.
- The fee. NZ$6,450 — an NZ$2,880 application fee plus an NZ$3,570 immigration levy. There has been no general fee or levy increase in 2025 or 2026; Immigration New Zealand's fee page still describes its rates as current "as of 1 October 2024". See the cost of New Zealand residence.
- The age limit. 55 or younger at the date of application. See the residence age limit, explained.
- The job requirements. An accredited employer, at least 30 hours a week, and permanent or fixed-term for at least 12 months (or contracts totalling at least 6 months).
- Health, character and police certificate requirements.
- The Green List. Straight to Residence and Work to Residence are separate products and are not part of this package. See the Green List, explained.
- Applications already submitted. A submitted EOI is assessed under the rules that applied when it was submitted.
Step 1: Submit any EOI you intend to have assessed under the current rules
An EOI must be submitted, not drafted, before 24 August 2026. There is no fee to submit a Skilled Migrant Category EOI.
Step 2: Wait for an invitation to apply
If your EOI is selected you receive an Invitation to Apply by email. This is not automatic and not immediate.
Step 3: Lodge the residence application within 4 months
An invitation gives you 4 months to lodge the full application and pay the NZ$6,450. Missing that window means starting again.
Step 4: Wait for the decision
As published on 20 August 2026, the Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa averages 10 weeks, with 80% of applications decided within 4 months. Immigration New Zealand updates these weekly and publishes no last-updated stamp, so check the current figures. See residence application processing times.
Where this leaves a reader on 20 August 2026
Four days out, the honest position is this. The pathways, the wage multiples, the experience lengths and the occupation restrictions are published and stable. The complete points table is not. Anyone whose plan depends on a specific point value should read the table on immigration.govt.nz once the instructions go live on 24 August, and anyone whose circumstances are finely balanced — a red or amber occupation, experience split across countries, a wage that sat just under a threshold — is in the territory where general information stops being enough. That is a question for a licensed immigration adviser or a New Zealand lawyer.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is changing in the Skilled Migrant Category from August 2026?
Two new pathways are added alongside the existing points system: Skilled Work Experience, and Trades and Technician. A red list of 6 occupations is barred from the Skilled Work Experience pathway and an amber list of 14 faces extra requirements; neither list applies to the Trades and Technician pathway. Maximum New Zealand work experience on the points route drops from 3 years to 2, and all unsubmitted draft expressions of interest are deleted on 24 August 2026.
What happens to my draft EOI on 24 August 2026?
It is deleted. Draft expressions of interest that have not been submitted do not carry over to the new rules. Only a submitted EOI is assessed.
How many points do I need for New Zealand residence?
Six, under the points-based pathway, both before and after 24 August 2026. What changes is how some of those points are earned — a New Zealand bachelor's degree moves from 3 points to 5, for example. The complete new table had not been published when this page was written. See how many points do I need for New Zealand residence?
How much New Zealand work experience do I need after August 2026?
On the points-based pathway, a maximum of 2 years, down from 3. On the Skilled Work Experience pathway, 2 years of New Zealand experience within a 5-year total. On the Trades and Technician pathway, 18 months of New Zealand experience within a 4-year total.
What wage do the new pathways require?
Skilled Work Experience requires 1.1× the immigration median wage, which is NZ$38.50 an hour while the median wage sits at NZ$35.00. Trades and Technician requires the median wage itself, NZ$35.00 an hour. Both figures are as at 20 August 2026 and move when the median wage is updated.
Which occupations are on the SMC red list?
Six occupations are barred from the Skilled Work Experience pathway: beauty therapist, hair or beauty salon manager, hairdresser, hospitality/retail and service manager nec, massage therapist, and retail manager (general). Chefs, café managers and ICT support technicians are on the amber list, not the red one — they can use the pathway on harder terms. See the SMC red list and amber list.
Can trades workers without a degree get residence now?
The Trades and Technician pathway is the first Skilled Migrant Category route that recognises a qualification at NZQCF Level 4 or above. Under the points-based route, qualifications below Level 7 earn no points. Whether any individual meets the pathway's requirements is a question about their own facts, and this page does not assess that.
Do the changes affect an application I have already submitted?
A submitted application or a submitted expression of interest is assessed under the rules that applied when it was lodged. The deletion on 24 August 2026 affects drafts only.
Is there an SMC selection round I need to wait for?
No. The Skilled Migrant Category has been a points-threshold system since October 2023 — you either meet the threshold or you do not, and there are no scheduled selection dates. That is different from the Parent Category, the Pacific Access Category and the Samoan Quota, which do use random selection.
Does the Green List change on 24 August 2026?
No. Straight to Residence and Work to Residence are separate residence products and are not part of this package. Ten trades occupations were added to Green List Tier 2 on 18 August 2025, but the Green List has no fixed review cycle — changes are announced ad hoc. See Green List changes and the review cycle.
This page is general information, not immigration advice. New Zealand regulates immigration advice under the Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007, and we do not assess anyone's individual circumstances. For advice about your own case, use a licensed immigration adviser or a New Zealand lawyer, and check the licence on the Immigration Advisers Authority register.
