SMC Wage Thresholds and the Immigration Median Wage
New Zealand's immigration median wage is NZ$35.00 an hour, in force since 9 March 2026. For the Skilled Migrant Category, a job at ANZSCO skill levels 1–3 must pay at least that. Skill levels 4–5 and unlisted occupations must pay NZ$52.50 — 1.5× the median. Income points start at the same 1.5× band.
Quick Facts
| Immigration median wage | NZ$35.00 an hour, from 9 March 2026 |
| Based on | Stats NZ June 2025 data |
| Annual equivalent | About NZ$72,800 on INZ's 40-hour-week convention |
| Skilled work threshold, ANZSCO skill levels 1–3 | NZ$35.00/hr (1.0× median) |
| Skilled work threshold, skill levels 4–5 and unlisted | NZ$52.50/hr (1.5× median) |
| Income points: 3 points | NZ$52.50/hr (1.5× median) |
| Income points: 4 points | NZ$70.00/hr (2× median) |
| Income points: 6 points | NZ$105.00/hr (3× median) |
| New pathway rates from 24 Aug 2026 | Skilled Work Experience NZ$38.50/hr (1.1×); Trades and Technician NZ$35.00/hr (1.0×) |
| Update frequency | About once a year. The month is not fixed |
| Visa cost | NZ$6,450 = NZ$2,880 fee + NZ$3,570 immigration levy (Band A/C) |
| Applies to | Skilled residence pathways, not work-visa pay rules |
What the immigration median wage is
The immigration median wage is a single hourly figure that New Zealand uses as a benchmark across its immigration system. It is derived from Stats NZ's measure of median hourly earnings, and INZ announces when a new rate takes effect.
As at August 2026 it is NZ$35.00 an hour, in force since 9 March 2026, and based on Stats NZ June 2025 data.
Almost nothing in the skilled residence system is priced in dollars directly. Instead it is priced in multiples of this one number. That is why a single announcement re-prices dozens of thresholds at once, and why an article written before 9 March 2026 has every dollar figure wrong.
INZ annualises on a 40-hour week. On that convention NZ$35.00 an hour is roughly NZ$72,800 a year. That is a conversion convention, not a promise that a salaried role will be assessed at exactly that figure.
See also what the immigration median wage is.
The two different thresholds people confuse
There are two separate wage tests in the Skilled Migrant Category and they do different jobs. Mixing them up is the single most common error in this area.
Test one — does the job count as skilled work at all? This is a gate. Fail it and the job simply does not qualify, whatever else is true.
| Job's ANZSCO skill level | Minimum pay for the job to count as skilled |
|---|---|
| Skill levels 1–3 | NZ$35.00 an hour (1.0× median) |
| Skill levels 4–5, and occupations not on the list | NZ$52.50 an hour (1.5× median) |
Test two — how many points does your income earn? This is a scoring table, and it only matters if income is the primary claim you are making.
| Income | Multiple | Hourly | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5× to under 2× median | 1.5× | NZ$52.50 | 3 |
| 2× to under 3× median | 2× | NZ$70.00 | 4 |
| 3× median and above | 3× | NZ$105.00 | 6 |
Notice that NZ$52.50 appears in both tables meaning two different things. For a skill level 4–5 occupation it is the bare minimum for the job to count. For income points it is the entry point of the lowest scoring band. A person in a skill level 4 occupation earning exactly NZ$52.50 has met the skilled-work gate and earned 3 points — which is not the same as having qualified.
The full points system is in how Skilled Migrant Category points work.
Why the same job can face two different thresholds
The skill level of the occupation, not the job title or the employer, sets which threshold applies.
ANZSCO — the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations — assigns every occupation a skill level from 1 to 5, where 1 is the most skilled. New Zealand still uses ANZSCO for skilled residence, even though it has published a separate National Occupation List used for work visas. The two run in parallel and do not always agree.
The logic behind the split threshold is straightforward: for occupations New Zealand already classifies as highly skilled, the median wage is enough to show the role is genuinely skilled. For occupations classified at skill level 4 or 5 — and for occupations that appear on neither classification — the system demands a 50% premium as proof that the role really is skilled in practice.
See what ANZSCO is and ANZSCO vs NOL skill levels.
The new pathway rates from 24 August 2026
The 24 August 2026 restructure adds two pathways with their own wage rules.
| Pathway | Multiple | Rate at the NZ$35.00 median |
|---|---|---|
| Skilled Work Experience | 1.1× | NZ$38.50 an hour |
| Trades and Technician | 1.0× — no multiplier | NZ$35.00 an hour |
| Amber list occupations, either pathway | 1.2× for 2 of the 5 years | Our arithmetic gives NZ$42.00 — confirm on INZ |
The pattern is deliberate. The route with no qualification requirement asks for 10% more pay. The route that requires a Level 4 qualification asks for the plain threshold. And occupations on the amber list pay a 20% premium on either.
The fairness rule: which year's threshold you have to meet
This is the most consequential wage change in the restructure, and it is the one most likely to rescue an application that would otherwise fail.
The problem it fixes. Under the current rules, work has to meet the threshold as it stands when you apply. The median wage rises. So a person who worked three years at a rate that comfortably cleared the threshold at the time could find that same work no longer counted, because the threshold had moved up underneath them. Nothing about their work changed; the benchmark did.
The fix, from 24 August 2026. Applicants only need to meet the SMC wage threshold that was in force when they started gaining the relevant skilled work experience — not the current rate.
The grace period. A separate 5-month grace period applies where the threshold rose between the grant of a work visa and the day the person actually started work. Visa processing and start dates rarely line up neatly, and this covers the gap.
It is not limited to the Skilled Migrant Category. The same rule extends to:
For anyone whose qualifying period straddles a threshold increase, this is the change to read twice.
Where the median wage does not apply
The immigration median wage governs residence pathways. It is not a general pay rule for every visa, and treating it as one produces confidently wrong advice.
The clearest example is New Zealand's main employer-sponsored work visa. The median wage stopped being a pay rule for the Accredited Employer Work Visa on 10 March 2025. It was replaced by a market-rate test — the employer must pay what the role genuinely pays in the New Zealand market, with the minimum wage as the floor. A great many third-party sites have never updated this, and still describe a pay rule that has not existed since early 2025.
That correction is covered in the removed work-visa pay rule, with the current rules in pay and wage requirements for work visas and what the market rate is.
The median wage does still index a range of other settings, including partner support thresholds for work visas and the pay conditions attached to some Green List occupations — see Green List pay thresholds explained.
When the median wage changes
The immigration median wage is updated about once a year, and INZ announces the effective date.
The month is not fixed, and we will not tell you it is. Recent updates have landed in different months in different years, and the interval between them has been anything but regular. A page that promises an update "every February" is describing a pattern that has already broken.
The only safe statement is the one INZ effectively makes itself: the rate is derived from Stats NZ median hourly earnings data, and the effective date is announced by INZ when it is set. If you need to know whether a change is coming, watch INZ's news centre rather than a calendar.
Why we are not publishing the historical rate series
You will find tables of past median wage rates on other sites. We are not publishing one.
Two INZ sources give conflicting effective dates for the rates that preceded NZ$35.00. We could not reconcile them against a single authoritative source, and the historical dates now matter more than they used to — because the 24 August 2026 fairness rule turns on exactly which rate was in force when a person started particular work.
Publishing a date series we cannot stand behind, in the one place where a wrong date could cost someone an application, is not a trade we are willing to make. The current rate — NZ$35.00 an hour from 9 March 2026 — is well confirmed. For any earlier rate, get the effective date from INZ's own pay-rates page.
Step 1: Find your occupation's ANZSCO skill level
This determines which skilled-work threshold applies — NZ$35.00 for skill levels 1–3, NZ$52.50 for skill levels 4–5 and unlisted occupations.
Step 2: Convert your pay to an hourly rate
INZ works in hourly rates and annualises on a 40-hour week. A salary has to be tested against the hours actually worked, not against a notional full-time figure.
Step 3: Check the threshold that applied when the work started
From 24 August 2026 this is the operative test for experience-based claims. Identify the start date of each relevant period of work and the median wage rate in force then.
Step 4: If income is your points claim, check which band you are in
1.5× for 3 points, 2× for 4 points, 3× for 6 points. There is no 5-point income band.
Where this stops being general information
We can tell you what the published thresholds are. We cannot tell you whether a particular employment agreement, allowance structure, piece rate, commission arrangement or set of hours meets one.
That is an assessment of an individual's circumstances, and under the Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007 it is immigration advice — which only a licensed immigration adviser or a New Zealand lawyer may give. Pay structure questions are exactly where this line falls, because the answer usually turns on how a specific contract is written rather than on what the rule says.
The public register of licensed advisers is at app.mbieregisters.govt.nz.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the immigration median wage in New Zealand?
NZ$35.00 an hour, in force since 9 March 2026 and based on Stats NZ June 2025 data. On INZ's 40-hour-week convention that is roughly NZ$72,800 a year.
What salary do I need for the Skilled Migrant Category?
It depends on the occupation's ANZSCO skill level. Skill levels 1–3 must be paid at least NZ$35.00 an hour for the job to count as skilled work. Skill levels 4–5 and occupations not on the classification must be paid at least NZ$52.50 an hour, which is 1.5 times the median.
How much do I need to earn for income points?
NZ$52.50 an hour (1.5× median) is worth 3 points, NZ$70.00 (2× median) is worth 4 points, and NZ$105.00 (3× median) is worth 6 points. There is no income band worth 5 points.
Does the median wage still apply to work visas?
Not as a pay rule for the main employer-sponsored work visa. That requirement was removed on 10 March 2025 and replaced with a market-rate test. The median wage continues to index residence pathways and several other settings.
When does the median wage go up?
About once a year, but the month is not fixed and has moved between years. INZ announces the effective date when it is set. Do not plan around a fixed annual month.
What happens to my application if the median wage rises before I apply?
From 24 August 2026 you only need to meet the threshold in force when you started gaining the relevant skilled work experience, not the current rate. A 5-month grace period also applies where the threshold rose between a work visa being granted and work actually starting.
What is 1.1× the median wage?
NZ$38.50 an hour, against the NZ$35.00 median in force since 9 March 2026. It is the rate required for the New Zealand experience component of the Skilled Work Experience pathway from 24 August 2026.
Is the median wage the same as the minimum wage?
No. They are different figures set for different purposes by different processes. The minimum wage is the legal floor for all employment in New Zealand and is reviewed on 1 April each year. The immigration median wage is a benchmark used to set immigration thresholds and is updated on a schedule INZ announces.
