Visa guide
New Zealand Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa
SMC works best when you treat it as a full eligibility check, not a generic visa summary. It is most useful when a candidate can show skilled employment or a credible skilled job offer, qualification value, wage alignment, and enough points for residence rather than only temporary work.
Country
New Zealand
Skilled Migrant Category
Country
Visa guide
Who should start here
Skilled professionals who can connect their qualifications and work history to New Zealand skilled employment.
Candidates with a job offer or a clear job-search plan who want to test their residence chances early.
Profiles comparing New Zealand against Canada or Australia and needing a clearer points-style read.
Checks before you rely on this option
A strong overseas career does not automatically create a residence option without a clear New Zealand role match.
Job offer quality, wage level, and qualification recognition can matter more than country preference.
SMC should be checked alongside Green List and AEWV options so one visa does not have to do every job.
How to check this option
Open this section to see the official checklist and source links.
Open
How to check this option
Open this section to see the official checklist and source links.
Check the official SMC criteria and points rules before treating New Zealand as residence-first; the current visa uses a 6-point structure plus skilled employment and wage rules.
Map qualification, registration, skilled employment, wage, and experience into one eligibility picture.
Use employer-work or study-first options if the SMC path to residence is not yet strong enough.
Correction
See something that needs fixing?
If a date, score, visa summary, translation, or factual detail looks wrong or outdated, send the exact page link and, if possible, the official source that shows the change.