People still talk about “getting 180 points” for New Zealand residence. That system is gone. The Skilled Migrant Category work visa words, now runs on 6 points, and from 24 August 2026 the way those points are earned changed again. If you are counting an overseas master’s degree as if it were worth the same as a New Zealand one, or stacking a salary on top of a degree, the arithmetic is wrong before you start.
There is also more than one door. The points-based pathway is the one most skilled workers mean. Alongside it, from August 2026, sit a skilled work experience pathway and a trades and technician pathway. You only need to fit one.
The rules that apply to every SMC pathway
You need a skilled job or a skilled job offer with an accredited employer, for at least 30 hours a week. You must be 55 or under when you apply. The principal applicant needs to meet the English standard, generally an IELTS overall 6.5 or an accepted equivalent, from a test sat in person and no more than two years old. Health and character requirements still apply. The visa application fee for this residence category starts from about $6,450, before levies and any partner or child fees, so a speculative expression of interest is not a cheap way to “see what happens”.
Pay has a floor. From 9 March 2026 the SMC wage threshold is $35 an hour, which is the median figure INZ is using. A skill level 1 to 3 job must meet at least that rate where the pathway requires the standard threshold. A skill level 4 or 5 job, or a job that is not on the list, generally has to be paid at least 1.5 times that figure — $52.50 an hour — if you are using it for points-based residence. Income points use higher multiples, covered below.
How the 6 points are built
On the points-based pathway you claim 3 to 6 points from one skill category only: a qualification, a recognised New Zealand occupational registration, or income. You then add up to 3 points for skilled work experience in New Zealand. You cannot add a degree to a high salary and claim both. INZ takes the single category you nominate.
Skilled work in New Zealand is what closes the gap for most people. The current settings reward time in a skilled job here more efficiently than the pre-August 2026 tables did. In broad terms, one year of eligible New Zealand skilled work is 1 point, 18 months is 2 points, and 2 years is 3 points. The work has to be skilled, paid at the right rate for that period, and fall inside the timeframe INZ allows — generally twice the length of experience you need, counted back from the expression of interest.
Qualification points from 24 August 2026
New Zealand study is worth more than the same level completed overseas, except for doctoral degrees and some master’s cases.
- Doctoral degree, level 10: 6 points, whether it was completed here or overseas. No extra work points required.
- Master’s degree, level 9: 6 points if it is a New Zealand master’s, you studied full-time for at least 30 weeks in New Zealand, and you also hold a bachelor’s degree from any country. Otherwise a New Zealand master’s is 5. An overseas master’s is 5, and you need a bachelor’s as well.
- Honours degree, postgraduate diploma, or postgraduate certificate, level 8: 5 points if completed in New Zealand, 4 if overseas. A bachelor’s is required.
- Bachelor’s degree, level 7: 5 points if completed in New Zealand, 4 if overseas.
An overseas qualification usually needs an International Qualification Assessment unless it sits on the list of qualifications exempt from assessment. A level 8 or 9 qualification without the underlying bachelor’s does not sit in the band people expect. Check that before you pay for the assessment.
Income points
Income is measured against the SMC median of $35 an hour from 9 March 2026.
- At least 1.5 times the median ($52.50 an hour): 3 points
- At least 2 times ($70 an hour): 4 points
- At least 3 times ($105 an hour): 6 points
Six income points means you do not need New Zealand work experience on top. Three or four income points means you still need New Zealand skilled work to reach 6. The rate is the one that applies to the period you are claiming, and INZ looks at whether the pay was actually received at that level, not at a figure in an offer that was never paid.
Occupational registration
A New Zealand registration that INZ recognises, in an occupation that requires at least six years of training, can be worth 6 points on its own. Shorter registration paths are worth fewer points and need New Zealand skilled work beside them. Registration with an overseas body is not a substitute unless the New Zealand authority has recognised it in the way the instructions require. Nurses, doctors, teachers, and several engineering and trade registrations fall into this area, but each council has its own process. The residence points do not replace that process.
The two newer pathways
From 24 August 2026, some people do not need to build 6 points in the old way.
The skilled work experience pathway is aimed at people in skill level 1 to 3 roles with at least five years of directly relevant experience, including two years in New Zealand, paid at least 1.1 times the median during the New Zealand portion. You still need the accredited-employer job and the age and English settings.
The trades and technician pathway covers specified skill level 1 to 3 trades and technician roles. You need a relevant level 4 or higher qualification of at least 120 credits, and at least four years of post-qualification experience that is directly relevant, including 18 months in New Zealand paid at or above the median.
Occupations INZ has placed on a “red list” are shut out of these two newer pathways. People in those roles can still look at the points-based route if they can reach 6 points through income at 1.5 times the median or more, a bachelor’s degree or higher, or a recognised registration, plus the New Zealand work the points table requires.
Where the calculation goes wrong
The job title matches a residence occupation, but the tasks do not. A “project coordinator” offer that is mostly rostering and customer email will not be assessed as a skill level 1 role because the contract says it is.
The pay dipped. If you are claiming two years of skilled work and four months of that period were under the threshold, those months may not count. Pull the payslips before you claim the point.
The qualification is one level short, or it is a level 8 diploma with no bachelor’s underneath. That is a different points number, and sometimes no claim at all.
English is left until the end. A test booked after the invitation arrives is how otherwise solid files miss a deadline.
Ask for an eligibility assessment before you lodge
A points count on a website calculator is a start. It is not a read of your payslips, your ANZSCO match, or your IQA. Immigration Matters offers an eligibility assessment for SMC residence from the Papatoetoe office, for clients across Auckland and further afield.
Start with the resident visa service, or go straight to the contact page. Jagjeet Singh Sidhu (IAA licence 201400260) leads the practice. Phone 09 392 0079 or 029 770 7979.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need 6 points exactly?
You need at least 6 on the points-based pathway, from one skill category plus any New Zealand skilled work required to get there, and a skilled job or offer. More points do not create a queue priority by themselves.
Is a New Zealand diploma worth the same as a degree?
No. A level 7 bachelor’s is the degree band. Lower certificates and diplomas are not a substitute on the qualification table, though a level 4 qualification can matter on the trades and technician pathway if the rest of that pathway fits.
Can my partner’s job count toward my points?
No. Points attach to the principal applicant’s skill category and their own New Zealand skilled work.
