The NZ System in One Paragraph
No points spreadsheet, no ranking against other applicants. Since October 2023 the Skilled Migrant Category is a simple threshold: 6 points from your highest single skill category (qualification, occupational registration, or income) plus up to 3 points for NZ skilled work experience — and a skilled job or offer from an accredited employer. Hit 6 and you're invited; 80% of applications decide in ~4 months.
Fastest lane: the Green List. Tier 1 occupations get Straight to Residence (no waiting); Tier 2 roles need 24 months' skilled work first. If your occupation is on it (IT, engineers, health, construction, teachers), it's the best route in the developed world on paper.
The 6-Point System (SMC)
Claim 3–6 points from ONE skill category, then top up with NZ work experience (1 pt/yr, max 3).
| Category | Criteria | Points |
|---|
| Qualification | Doctoral degree | 6 |
| NZ master's (30+ wks study + NZ bachelor's) | 6 |
| NZ master's / bachelor's (Honours/PGDip/PGCert) | 5 |
| Overseas master's / NZ bachelor's | 4–5 |
| Overseas bachelor's | 4 |
| Income | 3× median wage | 6 |
| 1.5× median wage | 3 |
| NZ skilled work experience | 1 pt per year (max 3) | 1–3 |
- Age limit: 55 or younger (far higher than Australia's 45)
- Job requirement: skilled employment or offer from an accredited employer; wage ≥ NZD $35.00/hr (levels 1–3) or $52.50/hr (levels 4–5)
- English, health and character checks apply; EOI is free, then 4 months to lodge after invitation
- Changes from 24 Aug 2026: NZ qualifications earn +1 over overseas, bachelor points rise 3→4, and new experience-only and trades pathways open
Green List — The Fast Lane
| Pathway | How it works | When |
|---|
| Straight to Residence (Tier 1) | Job/offer in a Tier 1 Green List role (IT, engineering, health, construction, teachers) meeting qualification/pay → residence directly | No waiting |
| Work to Residence (Tier 2) | 24 months of relevant skilled work in NZ on an acceptable visa over 30 months → apply for residence | After ~24 months |
Pay thresholds index to the median wage. Examples from the 9 March 2026 update (Appendix 13): CIO $72.80/hr, Database/Systems Admin $70.00/hr, Multimedia Specialist $57.75/hr, building associates and many trades at 1.15×–1.5× median. Green List roles also skip the AEWV labour-market test.
The AEWV Work Visa — Entry Without Points
| Item | Details (2026) |
|---|
| Who | Anyone with a job offer from an INZ-accredited employer (accreditation + approved Job Check) |
| No points test | Offer of full-time work (≥30 hrs/wk) at market rate is the core requirement |
| Experience/qualification | ≥2 years relevant experience OR NZQF Level 4+ qualification; registration if regulated |
| English | Required for skill levels 3–5 (IELTS ~4.0; extended to level 3 from 1 June 2026) |
| Max stay | Up to 5 years (levels 1–3); 3 years (levels 4–5); then 12 months outside NZ before another AEWV |
| Fee | NZD $1,540 worker application; employer accreditation ~$775 + job check ~$735 (cannot be passed to the worker) |
| Processing | 80% within ~7 weeks |
The median-wage requirement for AEWV was removed in March 2025 (pay the NZ market rate instead). AEWV is temporary — residence comes via SMC points or the Green List.
Other Routes: Investor, Family, Working Holiday
💰 Active Investor Plus
Growth: NZD $5M in higher-risk investments for 36 months (21 days in NZ). Balanced: NZD $10M for 60 months (105 days). No age/English/business-experience requirements. Fee NZD $27,470.
💍 Partner of a NZ citizen/resident
Genuine & stable relationship, 12+ months living together. Residence NZD $5,360; 80% in ~7 months. PRV (never expires) after 2 years as a resident.
🌍 Working Holiday
40+ countries, ages 18–30 (35 for some), 12-month visas (extendable for UK/Canada), any job. Caps apply (UK 15,000, Korea 3,000 in 2026).
🛫 Visitor
NZeTA for visa-waiver countries (~$17–23 + IVL); visitor visa NZD $441 total; ~4-day average processing.
Tourist & Visitor Visa — the Full Picture
Most visa-waiver visitors use an NZeTA; everyone else needs a visitor visa. Both are for visiting only — no paid work.
| Item | Details (2026) |
|---|
| NZeTA | For visa-waiver countries & Australian residents: NZD $17 (mobile app) or NZD $23 (website) + NZD $100 IVL. Valid 2 years, multiple entries, up to 90 days per visit. Australians don't need one |
| Visitor visa | For everyone else (and anyone wanting a longer stay): NZD $341 (fee + immigration levy) + NZD $100 IVL = NZD $441 total |
| Max stay | Usually 3–9 months; up to 9 months for a standard visitor visa, longer in special cases |
| Processing | Visitor visa ~4 days average; NZeTA usually minutes to a few days |
| Insurance | Not legally mandatory, but strongly recommended — NZ health cover for visitors is expensive |
| No work | Neither status allows paid employment in NZ; no switching to work in-country (work visas are applied for separately, usually offshore) |
Watch the IVL: the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy is NZD $100 and is charged with almost every NZeTA and visitor visa — budget it into the total.
Business Visitors
Short business activity runs on the visitor visa or NZeTA — there's no separate "business visa".
| Item | Details (2026) |
|---|
| Allowed activities | Meetings, conferences, negotiations, market research, site inspections and board activities for a foreign company |
| Cost & duration | Same as the visitor visa (NZD $441 total) / NZeTA; stays of up to 3–9 months |
| Requirements | Evidence of purpose (invitation letter), funds, return plans; visa-waiver nationals use an NZeTA |
| No local work | You may not be employed or paid by an NZ employer, sell goods/services to the public, or take up ongoing work — that needs an AEWV or other work visa |
More Work Routes: Global Impact & Seasonal
🌏 Global Impact Visa Innovators
Pilot run with the Edmund Hillary Fellowship for founders and investors creating global impact from NZ. 36-month work visa, then residence after 30 months (Global Impact Permanent Resident Visa, ~9.5 weeks). Maintenance funds NZD $36,000; capped pilot (400 places).
🌾 RSE — Recognised Seasonal Employer Seasonal
For seasonal horticulture and viticulture work, mainly from Pacific countries. Up to 7 months (9 for some Pacific countries); minimum wage + approved accommodation required. Genuine seasonal work — not a path to residence.
🔄 Essential Skills — replaced Historical
The old Essential Skills Work Visa was replaced by the AEWV in 2022. Anyone reading about "Essential Skills" is looking at pre-2022 guidance — the AEWV section above is the current employer-sponsored route.
🎓 Post-study work Graduates
NZ graduates get a Post Study Work Visa — up to 3 years (bachelor's or higher, level 7+) or 1 year (levels 4–6). Any job allowed; it's the bridge into SMC points or the Green List. See the section below.
Study → Post-Study Work → Residence
Study in NZ is a genuine route to settlement. Full guidance is on the Study in New Zealand page.
🎓 Student visa
Full-time study at an approved NZ provider; non-degree students may work up to 20 hrs/week during term (full-time in holidays), degree students unrestricted hours outside term. No work during the first term for some levels.
💼 Post Study Work Visa
1–3 years depending on qualification level and location. No employer sponsorship needed and you can work any job — then use the skilled-job requirement for SMC or Green List residence.
⭐ Green List / SMC residence
An NZ bachelor's earns 5 SMC points, an NZ master's 5–6, and NZ study earns +1 over overseas from August 2026. A Tier 1 Green List role can take you Straight to Residence with no wait.
🛂 Residence clock
Time on a student visa doesn't count toward the 5-year citizenship residence rule — post-study work and residence visa years do.
Family & Partner Reunification
| Category | Requirements & cost (2026) |
|---|
| Partner of a NZ citizen/resident | Genuine & stable relationship, 12+ months living together. Residence NZD $5,360; 80% decided in ~7 months |
| Dependent children | Unmarried children aged 24 or under can be included in a parent's residence application |
| Parent Resident Visa | Expression of Interest (EOI ~NZD $450 online) into a capped queue; residence when the queue reaches your EOI. Slow but the main parent route |
| Permanent Resident Visa (PRV) | After 2 years as a resident with acceptable time spent in NZ — PRV never expires and removes travel conditions |
Work & study rights: partners of NZ residents can usually work and study without restrictions while their residence application is processed, and partners included in a residence application get open work rights immediately.
Investor & Entrepreneur Routes
💰 Active Investor Plus Residence
Growth: NZD $5M in higher-risk investments for 36 months (21 days in NZ). Balanced: NZD $10M for 60 months (105 days). No age or English requirements. Fee NZD $27,470 — the page's headline investor route.
🏢 Business Investor Work Visa Business
Invest NZD $1M (3-year path) or NZD $2M (12-month fast-track) in an existing NZ business; age 55 or under, 3 yrs business experience, NZD $500K reserve funds. Maintain 5 jobs + create 1; 184 days/yr in NZ. Work visa NZD $12,380 → residence NZD $14,890.
🧑💼 Entrepreneur Work Visa Start-ups
For building a new NZ business: NZD $100K+ invested capital (exemptions apply), a viable business plan, then Entrepreneur Residence after ~2 years of trading. Lower spend than the Business Investor route.
🌏 Global Impact Pilot
Founders/investors accepted into the Edmund Hillary Fellowship get a 36-month work visa and a residence lane after 30 months — see the "More Work Routes" section.
Special & Other Categories
🌺 Pacific Access Category Ballot
Annual ballot (~1,350 places) for citizens of Fiji, Tonga and Tuvalu. Winners get residence in NZ without a job offer — then any work or study is open. Registration is cheap (~NZD $89).
🇼🇸 Samoan Quota Ballot
1,100 places per year drawn by ballot for Samoan citizens aged 18–45. Residence without a job offer; must have a job offer of at least 30 hrs/wk within 12 months of arrival to keep it.
🧓 Retirement visitor 55+
Temporary Retirement Visitor Visa for 55+ parents of NZ citizens/residents with NZD $750K funds to invest (fee NZD $7,750 + IVL $100); Parent Retirement Resident Visa needs NZD $1M invested over 4 years + NZD $60K/yr income.
🌍 Working Holiday Youth
40+ countries, ages 18–30 (35 for some), 12-month visas (extendable for UK/Canada), any job. The gateway for young travellers — and for some, a first step to a long-term path. Caps apply (UK 15,000, Korea 3,000 in 2026).
Permanent Residence & Citizenship
| Route | Requirement |
|---|
| Permanent Resident Visa (PRV) | 2 years as a resident (usually 184 days in NZ in each of those years); PRV has no expiry and no travel conditions |
| Citizenship by grant | 5 years' residence in NZ with at least 240 days in NZ in each of the last 5 years and 1,350+ days in total; must hold a residence class visa and intend to stay |
| Character & language | Good character required; English is assumed through residence — no separate language test |
Dual citizenship: New Zealand fully allows dual (and multiple) nationality — you do not renounce your current citizenship on becoming a Kiwi.
Fees at a Glance
| Application | Cost (2026, NZD) |
|---|
| NZeTA | NZD $17 (app) / $23 (website) + NZD $100 IVL |
| Visitor visa (tourist/business) | NZD $341 (fee + levy) + NZD $100 IVL = $441 total |
| AEWV work visa | NZD $1,540 (worker application) |
| Residence (SMC / Green List) | NZD $6,450 (EOI is free) |
| Partner residence | NZD $5,360 |
Immigration FAQs
How is NZ's points system different from Australia's?+
Australia scores you on age, English, experience, education and partner skills against everyone else in each round — the more points the better. NZ asks only that you reach a 6-point threshold: your highest qualification/registration/salary plus NZ experience, together with a skilled job. No ranking, no cut-offs, no per-round competition.
Do I need a job offer for NZ residence?+
Yes — both the SMC and the Green List require a skilled job or offer from an INZ-accredited employer. There's no "points-only" route like Australia's 189. The AEWV work visa is the standard door to get the job first, then the residence application.
What's the fastest way to NZ residency?+
A Tier 1 Green List job (Straight to Residence) — residence granted directly with no waiting period, 80% decided within ~5 months. Next is SMC at 6 points (a doctorate or NZ master's plus experience), then Tier 2 Green List after 24 months of skilled work.
Is studying in NZ a good route to residence?+
Yes. An NZ bachelor's earns 5 SMC points, an NZ master's earns 5–6 outright, and NZ study earns +1 over overseas qualifications from August 2026. The Post Study Work Visa (up to 3 years) gives you the skilled-job requirement. It's a cleaner path than Australia's for most people.
How much does NZ residence cost?+
The resident visa application is NZD $6,450 (EOI is free; you have 4 months after invitation to apply). The AEWV work visa that precedes it is NZD $1,540, plus the employer-side accreditation ($775) and job-check ($735) fees that the employer must pay.
Can I switch from a visitor visa to a work visa in NZ?+
Not on the visa itself — a visitor visa or NZeTA prohibits work and can't be converted in-country. You need a job offer and an AEWV, which is normally applied for from outside NZ (a few onshore pathways exist, e.g. for post-study work visa holders). Plan to apply offshore before the work starts.
Can I do business in New Zealand on an NZeTA?+
Yes for genuine short business activity — meetings, conferences, negotiations and scoping trips. You may not be employed or paid by an NZ employer, sell to the public, or do ongoing work. Any real employment needs an AEWV or other work visa.
How do the Pacific Access Category and Samoan Quota work?+
Both are annual ballots, not points-based. The Pacific Access Category draws ~1,350 citizens of Fiji, Tonga and Tuvalu each year; the Samoan Quota draws 1,100 Samoans aged 18–45. Successful applicants get residence without a job offer (Samoans need a job offer within 12 months of arrival).
Official Sources
🛂 Verify everything on official websites
