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Use these pages when the route family or current rule set still needs orientation.
Skilled migration
New Zealand skilled migration: SMC, Green List, and work to residence
Green List, Skilled Migrant Category, future rules, and document readiness in one hub so occupation evidence and sequencing stay coherent before any filing.
- SMC, Green List, and AEWV context
- Evidence-led occupation framing
- Structured next steps before filing
Skilled Migration is where work, occupation fit, employer evidence, registration, qualifications, English, health, character, and family timing need to be read together. RTNZ helps serious applicants move beyond route headlines and build a disciplined evidence story before they commit money, resign from work, or make household decisions.
Who this hub suits: Professionals, tradespeople, care and transport workers, and employer-backed applicants who need to understand whether SMC, Green List, AEWV, Work to Residence, or a staged plan is the right conversation for their facts.
Instructions and lists change. Use this hub to understand what should happen first, then confirm what this means for your situation before relying on any route.
Skilled residence pathways
These rows follow Immigration New Zealand’s current pathway split. A points total, a Green List tier, and a wage rule still have to be read for the exact role.
| Pathway | What the current instructions require | Job |
|---|---|---|
| Skilled Migrant Category, points-based | Six points and a skilled job or job offer. Points can come from income of at least 1.5 times the median wage, a level 7 bachelor degree or higher, or a listed New Zealand registration. From 24 August 2026, a New Zealand qualification generally scores one point more than the overseas equivalent, except a doctoral degree and some master’s degrees. Two further pathways, Skilled Work Experience and Trades and Technician, also opened on that date. | Skilled job or job offer |
| Green List Tier 1 | Straight to Residence when the job is the Tier 1 role and the qualification, registration, and pay rule for that role are met. The applicant must be 55 or younger. | Full-time job or offer with an accredited employer |
| Green List Tier 2 | Work to Residence after 24 months in that Tier 2 role during the 30 months before the application, at least 30 hours a week, while meeting the role rules for the whole period. | Full-time job or offer with an accredited employer |
Checked 15 October 2026 against Immigration New Zealand: Skilled Migrant Category 2026 changes, Green List pathway to residence, Straight to Residence Visa, and Work to Residence Visa. Care and transport roles are not one shared row. Read those sector pages separately.
SMC points-based grid from 24 August 2026
These cells are the same scoring engine as the SMC 6-Point Calculator. You still need 6 points and a skilled job or job offer. Use only one primary path — qualification, listed occupational registration, or income — then New Zealand skilled work can fill the rest.
| Category | Claim | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Qualification | Doctoral degree, New Zealand or overseas | 6 |
| Qualification | New Zealand master’s, bachelor’s already held, at least 30 weeks of full-time New Zealand study | 6 |
| Qualification | New Zealand master’s (standard) | 5 |
| Qualification | New Zealand bachelor’s | 5 |
| Qualification | New Zealand honours, postgraduate diploma, or postgraduate certificate, with a bachelor’s | 5 |
| Qualification | Overseas master’s, with a bachelor’s | 5 |
| Qualification | Overseas bachelor’s | 4 |
| Qualification | Overseas honours, postgraduate diploma, or postgraduate certificate, with a bachelor’s | 4 |
| Income | At least 3x median wage (NZD $105.00/hr from 9 Mar 2026) | 6 |
| Income | At least 2x median wage (NZD $70.00/hr from 9 Mar 2026) | 4 |
| Income | At least 1.5x median wage (NZD $52.50/hr from 9 Mar 2026) | 3 |
| New Zealand skilled work | At least 1 year | 1 |
| New Zealand skilled work | At least 18 months | 2 |
| New Zealand skilled work | At least 2 years | 3 |
| Occupational registration | A listed New Zealand registration on the calculator’s SR3.30 list, or CPA Australia membership that lets the person do Qualified Statutory Accountant work in New Zealand | 3, 4, 5 or 6 |
Same engine as /tools/smc-6-point-calculator. Qualification and New Zealand work cells are Tables 3 and 4 from https://www.immigration.govt.nz/live/resident-visas-to-live-in-new-zealand/skilled-residence-pathways-in-new-zealand/skilled-migrant-category-pathway-to-residence/2026-changes-to-the-skilled-migrant-category-resident-visa/ (effective 2026-08-24, snapshot inz-smc-2026-changes-table3-4-v1). Income cells are the calculator’s current median-wage bands from 9 March 2026. Listed registrations stay on the calculator, not this hub table.
Planning lens
If you are planning from Pakistan or overseas
Skilled routes are sensitive everywhere, but long-distance planning often surfaces the same issues: employment substance, payslip coherence, and household consistency across time zones. This section is guidance only, not a promise about outcomes.
- Treat employer evidence and role narrative as something you can defend under scrutiny, not something you optimise for keyword searches.
- If study or visitor history exists in the household, keep sequencing explicit so short-stay intent does not undermine a longer skilled plan.
- Use tools for orientation, then cross-check against official instructions; policy settings can change without the public site updating instantly.
Next steps: Skilled migration from Pakistan · Evidence checklist · Document readiness · Compliance & trust centre · How RTNZ tools work
Current routes · future rules · readiness
Use SMC and Green List for today’s framing. Future rules and document readiness sit beside them, never blended into current eligibility messaging.
- Skilled Migrant CategoryResidence planning through skilled employment, recognised skill evidence, English, health, character, and family facts. Start here when the wider skilled profile matters more than one occupation list row.Read SMC hub →
- Green ListListed occupation planning for roles that may connect to Straight to Residence or Work to Residence. Exact occupation wording, registration, qualification, pay, and employer context still matter.Read Green List hub →
- AEWV orientationEmployer-backed temporary work planning. Useful when a New Zealand work chapter is real, but not a residence promise and not a substitute for skilled-route review.Read AEWV orientation →
- Work to ResidenceStaged residence planning where New Zealand work history, employer continuity, Green List branch logic, pay, and evidence over time need careful sequencing.Read Work to Residence →
- Document readinessBundle quality for passports, names, employer letters, pay records, qualification evidence, relationship documents, and source-market inconsistencies before filing pressure builds.Check document readiness →
- Cost breakdownCategory-first budgeting for visa charges, assessments, registration, English tests, documents, medicals, police certificates, relocation, and advisory review without a fake universal total.Plan cost categories →
- Skilled Migration FAQRoute-neutral answers for applicants comparing SMC, Green List, AEWV, Work to Residence, tools, document readiness, and when to move into structured review.Read FAQ →
Orientation tools
Use tools alongside these hubs. Each tool is for orientation and opens the hub that matches the question.
- Pathway FinderA first-pass advisory flow when skilled work is only one part of the picture and you need to know which route family to open first.Open Pathway Finder →
- SMC 6-Point orientationA structured way to organise SMC themes before human review. It is orientation only and not official INZ scoring.Open SMC orientation →
- Green List CheckerAn advisory occupation-list check that points users toward the correct branch discussion without confirming eligibility or registration readiness.Open Green List Checker →
- NZ Green List Job IntelligenceEmployer-targeting and role-market context for Green List occupations after occupation/pathway orientation is clearer. Not a visa or job-offer guarantee.Open Job Intelligence →
- Work to Residence TrackerA preparation pass for employer continuity, staged evidence, pay, registration, and the timing pressure that builds across work-led residence planning.Open tracker →
- Care Workforce TrackerA care-sector preparation pass for duties, employer stability, registration awareness, shift-based evidence, and route-specific caution.Open Care tracker →
- Transport TrackerA transport-role preparation pass for licence class, roster evidence, safety context, employer facts, and staged work-route planning.Open Transport tracker →
- Student Journey MapUseful when study, post-study work, or a New Zealand qualification may later feed into skilled-route planning.Open Student Journey Map →
Readiness
- Write the job story first: title, duties, hours, pay, employer, location, and contract terms should all support the same skilled narrative.
- Check registration, qualification recognition, and English early when the pathway depends on them.
- Keep partner, dependent-child, health, character, travel, and refusal history in the same planning brief as the principal route.
- Use tools for orientation, then move to Check Eligibility or a strategy session before relying on a route conclusion.
FAQ
Skilled Migration hub
From 24 August 2026 the points-based Skilled Migrant Category still needs 6 points and a skilled job or job offer. The hub grid and the SMC 6-Point Calculator use the same engine: a New Zealand bachelor’s is 5 points, an overseas bachelor’s is 4, 1.5 times the median wage from 9 March 2026 is NZ$52.50 an hour for 3 points, and two years of New Zealand skilled work is 3 points.
No. The hub orients Skilled Migrant Category, Green List Tier 1 and Tier 2, and work-to-residence. Grant still depends on occupation, pay, accredited employment, and current instructions. Use the SMC calculator or Green List Checker as a self-assessment, then confirm the live INZ page for the class you will file.
Start with Green List when exact occupation-list fit is central. Start with SMC when the broader skilled profile, employment, qualification, income, registration, or New Zealand work history needs to be tested. Many applicants should read both.
AEWV can be a temporary employer-backed work chapter. It should not be treated as residence. If residence may matter later, the skilled route should be mapped separately before major commitments are made.
Because officers read duties, pay, qualifications, and registration as one story. A title that does not match Appendix 13 or the skilled-job definition will not inherit a Green List tier. Nursing Council, Medical Council, and Engineering New Zealand evidence must match the occupation row. Weak trails are a credibility issue, not a formatting issue.
Skilled routes need disciplined evidence
Check Eligibility structures your profile for review; Book Strategy Session is for a focused conversation when timing and employer context need a live pass.
Journey map
Choose the next skilled-migration step by journey stage
The full route set remains available, but the next step is grouped by starting point, comparison need, evidence readiness, tool use, and wider guidance.
Compare options
Use these when the question is between routes, rule states, or Green List branches.
Check evidence
Use these when the practical issue is readiness, documents, list fit, or future-rule separation.
Use a tool
Use tools for orientation, then return to route pages before treating results as decisions.
Read source-aware guidance
Use these supporting areas when skilled planning intersects with sector, destination, or household context.
Still deciding where to start?
Pathway Finder is a short advisory pass when skilled work is only part of the picture. Check Eligibility structures your profile for review; Book Strategy Session is for a live pass on timing and employer context.
Open Pathway Finder →