Software developer · New Zealand

Work in New Zealand
as a software developer.

Every route here starts at the same gate, and it is not your qualification: the employer has to be one Immigration New Zealand has already accredited, and an offer from anyone else supports none of these visas. What changes after that gate is how you get from working here to living here, and the main residence visa stopped being a single points test in August 2026.

Recognition
Not regulated
Work permits sourced
4
Official sources
19
Last checked
2026-08-03
Build my roadmap →Compare the permits

The short answer

Two questions, and they are not the same question.

◎No licence decision

Recognition

Not regulated · no recognition decision required

No authority approves your qualification before you take this job in New Zealand. That is a sourced finding, not an absence of research: the links at the bottom of this page are what it rests on.

↗Always required

Work authorisation

Whatever the recognition branch says, you still need the legal right to work in New Zealand. We have sourced 4 routes for a qualification obtained outside the EU and EEA.

  • Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV)
  • Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa
  • Straight to Residence Visa (Green List, Tier 1)
  • Work to Residence Visa (Green List, Tier 2)

Qualified inside the EU or EEA? Free movement replaces this branch entirely — pick your country below and the answer changes accordingly.

Work authorisation

Every permit we can source,
side by side.

Open the full roadmap →

Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV)

Immigration New Zealand

Checklist
Qualification
Either 2 or more years of relevant job experience, or a qualification at level 4 or higher on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework (NZQCF), in the same field or industry as the job offered — except that a Bachelor's degree or higher qualifies for any field or industry.
Visa decision
80% within 7 weeks
Job check validity
6 months from approval, or until the employer's accreditation ends, whichever is sooner
AEWV visa application
From NZD $1,540
Employer accreditation and job check
Paid separately by the employer — the exact figures were not confirmed on the pages checked
Everything about Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) →
The procedure, step by step4 steps · 2 possible outcomes
  1. Confirm your prospective employer already holds AEWV accreditation from Immigration New Zealand and has an approved job check for your specific role before you rely on the offer.
  2. Provide copies of your qualifications with the application.Immigration New Zealand states you must also provide an International Qualification Assessment from NZQA if your qualification is below a Bachelor's degree and was obtained outside New Zealand. This requirement does not apply if you have already given Immigration New Zealand evidence of a level 4 or higher qualification, or of 2 or more years in a similar role, on a previous visa application.
  3. Check the pay rate against the figures Immigration New Zealand publishes for the AEWV. A job that pays at least NZD $67.12 an hour — 2 times the 2024 median wage, as published on this page — is exempt from having to provide separate evidence that the skill requirements are met.The sector agreements and wage exemptions that ran before 10 March 2025 no longer set a wage rate for this visa: Immigration New Zealand states they no longer apply, and only the exemption from the minimum SKILL requirements still survives, for some of the jobs that were covered. Separately, the median wage rate is recalculated every year from Stats NZ's labour market income statistics, and Immigration New Zealand publishes a median wage comparison calculator so the current figure can be checked before you rely on any cached number, including the ones on this page.
  4. Once the job check is approved, the migrant applies for the AEWV through Immigration Online.

Possible outcomes

  • An Accredited Employer Work Visa for up to 5 years where the role is at ANZSCO or NOL skill level 1 to 3, or up to 3 years where it is at skill level 4 or 5.
  • Refusal, where the employer's accreditation lapses, the job check is not approved, or the qualification, experience or pay evidence the specific role requires is not met.

Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa

Immigration New Zealand

Points-based
Salary floor
NZD 35.00 an hour (2026 figure)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.
Qualification
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.
Processing time
Not published as a single figure — Immigration New Zealand states cost and processing time depend on your country and where you apply from, and publishes them through a tool that asks for those details
Resident visa application
From NZD $6,450

Scored, not checked off. We explain the factors and link the official calculator — we never produce a score, because a score reads as a prediction.

Everything about Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa →
The procedure, step by step5 steps · 3 possible outcomes
  1. Be aged 55 or younger, and have skilled employment with, or a job offer from, an accredited employer. To count as skilled for this visa the job must be with an accredited employer, full-time (at least 30 hours a week), and permanent or fixed-term for at least 12 months, or a contract or continuous contracts for at least 6 months, in addition to meeting the pay requirement of the pathway you use.The age limit applies on the date you apply, and it applies on every pathway. Immigration New Zealand publishes an accredited employer list — an offer from an employer who is not on it does not support this visa.
  2. Work out which of the three pathways you qualify under. You only have to meet the requirements of one, and Immigration New Zealand states you may be eligible for more than one if your skills straddle them.Points-based, for people claiming skilled resident points from a qualification, a New Zealand occupational registration or income. Skilled Work Experience, for people whose skills came from years of work rather than a qualification; jobs on the Amber List carry higher requirements and jobs on the Red List cannot use it at all. Trades and Technician, for people in an occupation on Immigration New Zealand's own eligible list for that pathway. Self-employment does not count as relevant work experience on either of the last two.
  3. On the Points-based pathway, reach 6 skilled resident points. You claim 3 to 6 points from ONE skill category — your qualification, your New Zealand occupational registration, or your income — and up to 3 more from skilled work experience in New Zealand. Immigration New Zealand states the three skill categories cannot be combined with each other, only with work experience.The points Immigration New Zealand publishes for a qualification gained OUTSIDE New Zealand: 6 for a level 10 doctoral degree, 5 for a level 9 master's degree, 4 for a level 8 honours degree, postgraduate diploma or postgraduate certificate, and 4 for a level 7 bachelor's degree. The last three also require a bachelor's degree except where the qualification is itself a bachelor's, and no points can be claimed for a non-degree qualification at level 7 or below. Qualifications gained in New Zealand score on a separate and higher table. Occupational registration scores by the training it took: 6 points for 6 years, 5 for 5, 4 for 4, 3 for 2. Skilled work experience in New Zealand adds 3 points for 2 years, 2 for 1.5 years, 1 for 1 year.
  4. Where your qualification needs an International Qualification Assessment to support the points you are claiming, apply for it and include the IQA reference number in your Expression of Interest. Immigration New Zealand's own guidance is to allow enough time to get the assessment before you submit.A qualification on Immigration New Zealand's List of Qualifications Exempt from Assessment (LQEA), or already recognised as a New Zealand qualification, can be used to claim points without a fresh IQA — unless Immigration New Zealand asks for one when it processes the application. Washington Accord and Sydney Accord accredited engineering degrees are also outside the IQA requirement.
  5. Submit an Expression of Interest (EOI). Immigration New Zealand invites eligible candidates from the pool of expressions of interest to apply for the resident visa.The EOI date matters beyond queueing. Where your pathway does not count New Zealand work experience, the SMC wage threshold your job must meet is the one in force when you are invited to apply, which is usually the date you submit the EOI. Where it does count, the eligible window for setting your threshold is counted back from the EOI date, and is twice the length of the work experience your pathway requires.

Possible outcomes

  • A resident visa, granted once Immigration New Zealand invites an application from your Expression of Interest and that application is approved. It allows you to live, work and study in New Zealand indefinitely.
  • Travel conditions that expire 2 years after you first arrive as a resident, or after the visa is granted if you are already in New Zealand. A Permanent Resident Visa lifts them.
  • Refusal, where the skilled-employment definition, the age limit, your pathway's own threshold, the wage rule, the English-language requirement, or the visa's other conditions are not met.

Straight to Residence Visa (Green List, Tier 1)

Immigration New Zealand

Checklist
Qualification
Whatever qualification, registration, income or experience threshold Immigration New Zealand has published for the specific Tier 1 role — the requirement is set per role on the Green List, not by a single rule that applies to every Tier 1 role alike.
Visa decision
80% within 3 months
Resident visa application
From NZD $6,450
Everything about Straight to Residence Visa (Green List, Tier 1) →
The procedure, step by step4 steps · 3 possible outcomes
  1. Search the Green List for the specific role and confirm it is published at Tier 1 rather than Tier 2 — the two tiers lead to two different visas, published separately below.
  2. Be aged 55 or younger, and secure an offer of, or already be working in, that Tier 1 role with an Immigration New Zealand accredited employer, meeting the wage, qualification and registration conditions the Green List entry for that specific role publishes.The age limit applies on the date you apply, and Immigration New Zealand publishes it as a requirement of the visa rather than of the role.
  3. Where the role's qualification requirement was met by a qualification gained outside New Zealand, get an International Qualification Assessment from NZQA before you apply.Immigration New Zealand's own guidance: 'Some Green List jobs require you to have a qualification. If you did not gain this qualification in New Zealand, you may need an International Qualification Assessment.'
  4. Apply for the Straight to Residence Visa.

Possible outcomes

  • Residence in New Zealand on approval, without first having to hold a separate work visa.
  • A Permanent Resident Visa becomes available 2 years after this visa is granted, which removes the travel conditions attached to it.
  • Refusal, where the role is not genuinely Tier 1 on the Green List, the age limit, accredited-employer or wage condition is not met, or the role's own qualification or registration condition is not met.

Work to Residence Visa (Green List, Tier 2)

Immigration New Zealand

Checklist
Qualification
Whatever qualification, registration, income or experience threshold Immigration New Zealand has published for the specific Tier 2 role, plus completion of the 24-month work period this route requires before residence is granted.
Processing time
Not published as a single figure on the page checked — confirm the current timeline with Immigration New Zealand before you apply
Qualifying work period before residence
24 months of full-time work in the Tier 2 role
Resident visa application
From NZD $6,450
Everything about Work to Residence Visa (Green List, Tier 2) →
The procedure, step by step4 steps · 2 possible outcomes
  1. Search the Green List for the specific role and confirm it is published at Tier 2.
  2. Be aged 55 or younger, and secure an offer of, or already be working in, that Tier 2 role with an Immigration New Zealand accredited employer, full-time, and permanent or fixed-term for at least 12 months.The age limit applies on the date you apply, the same way it does on the Tier 1 visa and on the Skilled Migrant Category.
  3. Complete at least 24 months of full-time work in the Tier 2 role before you apply for residence under this route.Where the role's qualification requirement was met by a qualification gained outside New Zealand, Immigration New Zealand states you may need an International Qualification Assessment from NZQA.
  4. Apply for the Work to Residence Visa.

Possible outcomes

  • Residence in New Zealand after completing the 24-month qualifying work period in the Tier 2 role.
  • Refusal, where the role is not genuinely Tier 2 on the Green List, the age limit, accredited-employer, full-time or duration condition is not met, or the 24-month work period is not completed.

Document preparation

What you still have to prepare.

Ordered the way the procedure runs, from an origin outside the EU and EEA. Pick your own country of qualification below and the planner reorders it for you.

1

Prepare your documents

  1. Request certified copies of your degree and full academic transcripts from the Indian university or board that issued them.
  2. The Apostille Convention has been in force for India since 14 July 2005, so an apostille replaces consular legalisation. An Indian educational document cannot go straight to the apostille, though: it is authenticated first by the Regional Authentication Centre of the State or Union Territory whose authority signed it, and the Ministry of External Affairs apostilles it afterwards on the strength of that signature.Which office acts as the RAC, what it charges and how long it takes are set by each State or Union Territory, not by the MEA.
  3. Since July 2012 the MEA has not accepted documents directly from applicants. They go through one of the four authorised outsourced agencies — BLS International Services, Superb Enterprises, IVS Global Services or Alhind Tours & Travels — and since 1 January 2019 the service also runs from Branch Secretariats and Regional Passport Offices in 16 cities.The MEA advises applicants not to rely on unauthorised persons or touts. Nobody outside those channels can lodge an apostille for you.
  4. If your certificate already sits in an Indian digital depository — CBSE documents from 2014 onwards, or anything issued through the National Academic Depository — e-Sanad handles the apostille online and the physical route does not apply. CBSE physical copies from 2014 onwards are no longer accepted over the counter.
  5. An apostille certifies the signature and seal of the Indian authority that signed your document. It says nothing about what the document contains: the MEA states explicitly that it does not take responsibility for the contents.It is a check on the paperwork, never a statement about the level or the content of your qualification.

What it costs

MEA apostille
Rs 50 per apostille sticker
Authorised agency service charge
Rs 84 per document, plus Rs 3 per page for scanning
State authentication before the apostille
Set by the State or Union Territory that authenticates the document — confirm the current fee with the relevant RAC

Where you qualified

The answer changes
with your country.

Everything we cover →

Qualified outside the EU and EEA — permit required

Colombia → New ZealandOpen this roadmapArgentina → New ZealandOpen this roadmapIndia → New ZealandOpen this roadmapPhilippines → New ZealandOpen this roadmapNigeria → New ZealandOpen this roadmapBrazil → New ZealandOpen this roadmap

Qualified inside the EU or EEA — free movement applies

Spain → New ZealandDifferent answerGermany → New ZealandDifferent answerNetherlands → New ZealandDifferent answer

People reach this page looking for

  • Accredited Employer Work Visa for developers
  • Skilled Migrant Category points for software engineers
  • New Zealand Green List software roles
  • NZQA IQA for a New Zealand work visa
  • SMC wage threshold for IT jobs

Questions

Answered from the same sources.

Is software developer a regulated profession in New Zealand?

No. We verified that software developer is not a regulated profession in New Zealand, which means no authority has to approve your qualification before you may hold the job. You still need a legal right to work there.

Which work permits can a software developer apply for in New Zealand?

We have sourced 4: Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV), Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa, Straight to Residence Visa (Green List, Tier 1), Work to Residence Visa (Green List, Tier 2). Each one has its own conditions, and this page compares them side by side rather than recommending one.

What salary do you need to work in New Zealand as a software developer?

Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa: NZD 35.00 an hour (2026 figure, 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.).

Does QualiPath calculate my points score?

No. Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa is scored rather than checked against a list, and we explain the factors and link the official calculator instead of producing a number. Computing it here would be promising you an outcome we have no authority to promise.

Do you need your degree recognised for a New Zealand work permit?

Some routes ask for academic comparability, which is not the same thing as professional recognition. International Qualification Assessment (IQA) is issued by New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA). The permit pages above say which routes require it.

Is this page up to date?

The oldest source behind it was checked on 2026-08-03. Every claim links to the official page it came from, with its own check date, so you can verify any of it yourself in one click.

Evidence

Every claim on this page, and where it came from.

19 official pages, each with the jurisdiction it speaks for and the date a human last opened it. The oldest of them is 2026-08-03, and that is the date this page is only as fresh as.

Two minutes, no account

Your qualification, your country, your roadmap.

This page answers the pairing in general. The planner answers it for the country you actually qualified in, and prints the result with its sources attached.

Build my roadmap →How we verify this