Getting New Zealand residence through the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC)

The Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) is a residence visa for people who have skills New Zealand needs.

You may be able to apply for an SMC Resident Visa if you have a skilled job or job offer in New Zealand and meet the requirements for 1 of the SMC pathways.

The SMC Resident Visa lets you:

• live, work and study in New Zealand indefinitely
• include your partner and dependent children aged 24 or younger in your application, and
• apply for a Permanent Resident Visa later, if you meet the requirements.

Is the Skilled Migrant Category right for you?

The SMC may be an option if you have a skilled job or job offer in New Zealand and 1 of the following applies to you:

• you have a recognised qualification, like a bachelor's degree, master's degree or PhD
• you have eligible occupational registration, like registration as a plumber or membership as a chartered accountant
• you earn enough to claim points from your pay (income)
• you have at least 5 years of work experience, or
• you work in an eligible trade or technician role.

The 3 SMC pathways

There are 3 ways to qualify for the Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa.

You only need to meet the requirements for 1 pathway.

Requirements all SMC applicants must meet

No matter which pathway you use, you must usually:

• have a job or job offer in New Zealand
• be paid a certain amount
• be in good health
• pass a character check (a police check), and
• be able to speak and understand English.

If you include your partner or dependent children in your application, they may also need to meet health, character and English requirements. 

Points-based pathway

The Points-based pathway is for people who can claim skilled resident points.

You need 6 points to be eligible. You can claim points from 1 of these skill categories:

• qualifications
• pay from your job or job offer.

Some people can get all 6 points from 1 category. For example, this may be possible if you have a PhD, a New Zealand master's degree that meets the requirements, an eligible occupational registration that requires significant training, or a very high income.

If you cannot get all 6 points from 1 category, you may be able to add points from skilled work experience in New Zealand.

Check your points

You can use our points calculator to find out how many points you can claim.

SMC points calculator

In general you will be able to claim points if you:

• have a qualification that is at least a or higher
• have an occupational registration that requires at least 2 years of training or experience (for example, if you are a registered accountant, electrician, or plumber), or
• are paid at least 1.5 times the SMC wage threshold.

Examples

You may be able to claim 6 points in different ways:

• if you have a bachelor's degree and some New Zealand skilled work experience
• if you have eligible occupational registration and some New Zealand work experience
• if you are paid at least 1.5 times the SMC wage threshold and have some New Zealand skilled work experience
• if you have a New Zealand master's degree that you studied full-time for 30 weeks.

You cannot mix points from different skill categories. For example, you cannot combine qualification points with income points. You can only combine 1 skill category with skilled work experience in New Zealand.

If you are using New Zealand skilled work experience to claim points, it will need to have been paid at the SMC wage threshold, or higher if you are also claiming points from income.

Skilled Work Experience pathway

The Skilled Work Experience pathway is for people who have built their skills through work experience.

This pathway may suit you if you work in a skilled role and have several years of experience in that type of work.

To use this pathway, you must have:

• a job or job offer in an skill level 1 to 3 occupation
• pay of at least 1.1 times the SMC wage threshold
• at least 3 years of relevant work experience, and
• an additional 2 years of skilled work experience in New Zealand.

Some jobs have extra rules. If your job is on the Amber List, you must meet higher requirements. If your job is on the Red List, you cannot use this pathway.

Red and Amber list occupations

You cannot count self-employment as relevant work experience for this pathway.

Trades and Technician pathway

The Trades and Technician pathway is for people in eligible trades and technician occupations.

This pathway may suit you if you work in a practical or technical role and have both a relevant qualification and work experience.

Eligible roles may include some jobs in areas like:

• construction
• engineering
• manufacturing
• automotive trades
• technical support roles.

Eligible occupations for the SMC Trades and Technician pathway

To use this pathway, you must have:

• a job in an eligible trades or technician occupation
• pay of at least the SMC wage threshold
• a relevant qualification at , or comparable to level 4 or higher
• at least 2.5 years of relevant post-qualification work experience, and
• an additional 1.5 years of post-qualification skilled work experience in New Zealand.

You cannot count self-employment as relevant work experience for this pathway.

How to know which pathway may fit you

The best SMC pathway for you will depend on what skills you have.

If you have a degree or occupational registration

The Points-based pathway may be the best place to start. Check how many points your qualification or registration is worth, then check whether you need New Zealand skilled work experience to reach 6 points.

If you are highly paid

The Points-based pathway may be the best place to start. Your income may give you enough points to apply, or it may give you some points that you can combine with skilled work experience in New Zealand.

If you have strong work experience but do not have a degree

The Skilled Work Experience pathway may be the best place to start. This pathway is designed for people who can show they have developed their skills through work experience.

If you work in a trades or technician role

The Trades and Technician pathway may be the best place to start. You need to check whether your occupation is eligible and whether your qualification and work experience meets the requirements.

If you are eligible for more than 1 pathway

If you have a combination of skills, for example if you have a master’s degree and a lot of work experience you may be eligible for more than 1 SMC pathway. 

You can find guidance on what to do in this situation, as well as information about other New Zealand residence pathways here:

Getting New Zealand residence through your skills

Common SMC terms

Accredited employer

An accredited employer is an employer approved by Immigration New Zealand to hire migrants. For SMC, your skilled job or job offer must be with an accredited employer.

ANZSCO (Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations)

ANZSCO is a system used to classify jobs by skill level. Many SMC requirements depend on whether your job is ANZSCO skill level 1 to 3, or ANZSCO skill level 4 to 5.

Find your job's skill level

SMC wage threshold

The SMC wage threshold is the pay rate used to check whether your job or work experience meets the wage requirements. Some pathways require you to be paid the SMC wage threshold. Others require a higher rate, such as 1.1, 1.2 or 1.5 times the SMC wage threshold. The SMC wage threshold that applies to you will depend on which pathway you are applying for, and when you started gaining skilled work experience in New Zealand (if applicable).

You can find which SMC wage threshold applies to you here:

The SMC wage threshold

Skilled resident points

For the SMC Points-based pathway, we use a points system called skilled resident points. You need 6 points to be eligible for an SMC Resident Visa.

Expression of interest (EOI)

An expression of interest is the first step in applying for the SMC Resident Visa. If your EOI shows you meet the requirements, you may be invited to apply for residence.

Relevant work experience

Relevant work experience is work experience related to your current job or job offer.

Skilled work experience

Skilled work experience is work experience related to your current job or job offer, completed in New Zealand, and paid at the required amount.

What to do next

1. Check which SMC pathway may fit you.
2. Check the full Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa requirements.
3. Gather evidence for the pathway you want to apply under.
4. Submit an EOI if you meet the requirements.

You can find all details of the SMC Resident Visa requirements, including what evidence you will need to apply on the Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa page.

Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa

If you are not sure if the SMC is the right option for you, compare all of our skilled residence options here:

Getting New Zealand residence through your skills