New Zealand · Work authorisation
Issued by Immigration New Zealand. It is scored rather than checked against a list, which is why this page explains the factors and links the official calculator instead of producing a number.
Conditions
As with the AEWV, the job behind this visa has to be with an employer Immigration New Zealand has already accredited, and you have to be aged 55 or younger when you apply. Since 24 August 2026 the SMC is not one points test but three pathways — Points-based, Skilled Work Experience, and Trades and Technician — and you only have to meet the requirements of one of them.
NZD 35.00 an hour
This is the SMC wage threshold in force from 9 March 2026, for a job at ANZSCO skill level 1 to 3. A job at skill level 4, 5 or unlisted needs 1.5 times it, NZD $52.50. Points claimed from income need 1.5 times it for 3 points, 2 times (NZD $70.00) for 4 points and 3 times (NZD $105.00) for 6 points. The rate that applies to you is not necessarily the current one: where your pathway counts skilled work experience in New Zealand, Immigration New Zealand sets your threshold at the rate in force when that experience started counting, and states that once set it does not change. Confirm the rate and the rule in force on the date you apply.
A figure without the year it belongs to and the condition attached to it is how someone rules themselves out of a permit they qualify for. Both are above.
A skilled job or job offer with an accredited employer, plus the requirements of ONE of the three pathways. Points-based: 6 skilled resident points. Skilled Work Experience: at least 5 years of directly relevant work experience, of which at least 2 are skilled work experience in New Zealand, in an ANZSCO skill level 1 to 3 job paid at least 1.1 times the SMC wage threshold. Trades and Technician: an eligible trades or technician occupation, a relevant qualification at level 4 or higher, and at least 4 years of post-qualification work experience of which at least 18 months are skilled work experience in New Zealand. We do not compute any of this: Immigration New Zealand publishes its own SMC points calculator, and its Expression of Interest process makes the decision.
International Qualification Assessment (IQA), issued by New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA).
This compares your degree to a local one. It is an academic statement and it does not authorise you to practise any profession.
Standard IQA (evaluates one qualification): NZD $445. 10 weeks
Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa awards points rather than checking a list. The steps below set out the factors the authority scores, and the sources at the bottom are the official pages they come from, including its own calculator where one is published. This page never produces a number: a score computed here would read as a prediction of a decision we have no authority to predict.
The procedure
Cost and time
Published processing times, not a prediction about your case.
Both halves together
Each one takes a profession into New Zealand and runs the recognition branch and the authorisation branch side by side, including what your country of qualification adds.
Evidence
3 official pages, each with the jurisdiction it speaks for and the date a human last opened it. The oldest is 2026-09-15, and that is the date this page is only as fresh as.
Is this the right permit for you?
The planner compares every route New Zealand opens to your country of qualification, and adds the recognition branch when your profession has one.