Overview
- One pathway, Skilled Work Experience, will accept applicants in ANZSCO Level 1–3 roles with at least five years of relevant experience, including two years in New Zealand, earning at least 1.1 times the median wage.
- The Trades and Technician pathway targets specified ANZSCO Level 1–3 roles at or above the median wage and requires a Level 4 or higher qualification, four years of experience, and 18 months in New Zealand.
- The government says detailed occupation lists and operational guidance will be issued before applications open from mid-2026.
- Related Skilled Migrant Category updates include reducing the maximum New Zealand work-experience requirement from three years to two, increasing points for local university qualifications, and removing the need for an increased wage rate at residence application.
- Coalition partner New Zealand First has formally invoked an agree-to-disagree stance, citing risks of onward migration to Australia, as business groups broadly welcome the changes against a backdrop of weak growth and 73,400 citizens departing in the year to July 2025.