Skilled Migrant Category Changes 2026: EOI Deadline

New Zealand Rewrites Its Residence Rules on 24 August — and Deletes Every Unsubmitted EOI

If you have a half-finished Skilled Migrant Category expression of interest sitting in your Immigration New Zealand account right now, you have days, not weeks. Immigration New Zealand has confirmed that draft expressions of interest will expire on 24 August 2026, and any draft that has not been submitted will be deleted. There is no grace period and no migration of your data to the new form.

That deletion is the smallest of the changes arriving that day — but it is the only one with a countdown attached.

What changes on 24 August 2026? Immigration New Zealand is adding two new residence pathways to the Skilled Migrant Category — the Skilled Work Experience pathway and the Trades and Technician pathway — alongside the existing Points-based pathway. It is also updating the points system, changing how the wage threshold is calculated, replacing the EOI form, and deleting all unsubmitted draft EOIs.

What actually changes on 24 August 2026

From 24 August 2026, INZ is changing the points system for the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) Resident Visa, adding two new pathways, and changing the SMC wage threshold rules. INZ names four affected groups: people already working in New Zealand who plan to apply for an SMC Resident Visa, people relying on a qualification to claim points, people who cannot currently reach the 6-point threshold, and people working in trades or technician roles.

The reform did not appear overnight. The changes were announced in September 2025, with further detail released in March 2026, and INZ published the final round of detail on 18 June 2026. What is new this month is only the switch being flipped.

Pathway	Who it is for	Core requirement
Points-based (existing)	Most applicants	Reach 6 points
Skilled Work Experience (new)	Long work history, no degree	5 years’ experience, 2 in NZ
Trades & Technician (new)	Listed trades and technical roles	Level 4 qualification + 4 years

That third row is the headline for a lot of readers. INZ’s own explanation is blunt about why: many highly skilled workers in these roles simply had no realistic route to residence under the existing settings, and there is a documented labour-market gap behind the recruitment history.

The deadline nobody is leading with: draft EOIs are deleted

The EOI form itself is being replaced on 24 August 2026. If you want your application assessed under the current rules, INZ says you must submit your EOI before that date. Any draft that is still unsubmitted will expire and be deleted, and you will have to start again on the new form.

Two practical consequences follow.

First, “saved” does not mean “safe.” Anything you have parked mid-form — half-entered work history, uploaded evidence, partner details — goes away. Rebuild time is real, especially for people who spent weeks assembling employment records.

Second, submitting before 24 August is a substantive choice, not just an administrative one, because it locks you into the current rule set. For some occupations that is the better deal. For others it is a costly mistake. The decision framework is further down this article.

One more piece of timing to be aware of: INZ has scheduled a system upgrade on the evening of 19 August 2026 during which some applications may not save or submit, and it is advising applicants to save and exit drafts beforehand. Do not leave your submission to the last night.

Skilled Work Experience pathway: residence without a degree

This is the pathway for people whose CV is stronger than their qualifications. To be eligible, you need a job or job offer in an ANZSCO skill level 1 to 3 occupation paid at least 1.1 times the SMC wage threshold, at least three years of relevant work experience in an ANZSCO skill level 1 to 3 occupation, and an additional two years of skilled work experience in New Zealand in a skill level 1 to 3 occupation, also paid at least 1.1 times the threshold.The SMC wage threshold moved to NZD $35.00 an hour on 9 March 2026

, so 1.1 times that figure is $38.50 an hour for the qualifying New Zealand portion.

No qualification is required for this route at all. Nor can you use self-employment as relevant work experience — a hard stop for contractors and sole traders who have been running their own operation in New Zealand.

Trades and Technician pathway: over 100 occupations, one qualification test

Eligibility here needs four things: an eligible trades or technician occupation paid at least the SMC wage threshold, a relevant qualification at Level 4 or comparable, at least 2.5 years of relevant post-qualification experience in an ANZSCO skill level 1 to 3 occupation, and an additional 1.5 years of post-qualification skilled work experience in New Zealand paid at least the SMC wage threshold.

Because the wage bar here is 1.0 times the median rather than 1.1, the qualifying rate is the flat $35.00 an hour.

The confirmed occupation list runs to well over a hundred roles with their ANZSCO codes, and its breadth is the surprise. It covers the obvious trades — Carpenter and Joiner, Welder, Motor Mechanic, Diesel Motor Mechanic, Metal Fabricator, Glazier, Stonemason, Wall and Floor Tiler, Roof Tiler, Lift Mechanic, Airconditioning and Refrigeration Mechanic — but also a long technician tail that many people will not think to check: Architectural Draftsperson, Building Inspector, Construction Estimator, Network Administrator, Radiocommunications Technician, Telecommunications Field Engineer, Chemistry Technician, Life Science Technician, Veterinary Nurse, Waste Water or Water Plant Operator, Butcher or Smallgoods Maker, Sound Technician, Camera Operator, Dressmaker or Tailor.

If your job title is anywhere near a trade or a technical support role, check the list before you assume you are on the points route.

The qualification rule that trips people up

The credit requirement is asymmetric, and this is where applications will fail.

A New Zealand qualification must carry at least 120 credits on the NZQCF, or be under 120 credits but supported by prerequisite qualifications that together reach 120. Credits awarded for recognition of prior learning do not count. An overseas qualification must be Level 4 or higher, but no credit requirement applies to it.INZ gave a worked example of stacking: a Level 4 qualification carrying at least 40 credits at Level 4, combined with an 80-credit Level 3 qualification that was a prerequisite for it, together satisfy the 120 credits.

Overseas qualifications instead need an International Qualification Assessment confirming Level 4 or higher — and while the IQA does not state a credit count, NZQA does weigh credit value during assessment.

“Is it four years or five and a half?” — clearing up the maths

This is the single most common misreading of the new rules, and it comes from INZ writing the same requirement two different ways in two different documents.

On the Trades and Technician pathway, INZ’s detail page lists 2.5 years plus an additional 1.5 years. Its March announcement describes the same thing as at least four years of directly relevant post-qualification experience, including 1.5 years in New Zealand at the SMC median wage. These are not two different rules. The total is four years, of which 1.5 must be in New Zealand — the “additional” 1.5 is part of the four, not stacked on top of it.

The Skilled Work Experience pathway works identically: three years plus an additional two reads as five and a half to nobody’s benefit, but INZ’s own summary is five years of directly relevant experience including two years in New Zealand at 1.1 times the median wage. Five years total, two of them in New Zealand.

There is also a shelf life on that experience. Relevant work experience must have been gained within the 10 years immediately before you apply. Skilled work experience must fall within a window twice as long as the amount required — so two years of skilled experience must sit inside the four years before you apply. immigration

Check the Red and Amber Lists before anything else

Before you work out wages or count years, find out whether your occupation is restricted. INZ says the lists were built from evidence of historic immigration risk, including indicators of role inflation and fraud, and that they will be reviewed regularly with occupations added and removed as risk changes.

Red List — excluded from both new pathways. Retail Manager; Hospitality, Retail and Service Manager nec; Beauty Therapist; Massage Therapist; Hairdresser; and Hair and Beauty Salon Manager. These applicants can only use the SMC if they can claim 6 points under an existing route — for example earning at least 1.5 times the SMC median wage, holding a Bachelor’s degree at Level 7 or above, or holding a recognised occupational registration, with the required New Zealand skilled work experience. At the current median that 1.5 times figure is $52.50 an hour.

Amber List — Skilled Work Experience pathway only, on harder terms. Accommodation and Hospitality Manager; Hotel or Motel Manager; Hotel Service Manager; Bed and Breakfast Operator; Caravan Park and Camping Ground Manager; Café/Restaurant Manager; Baker; Pastrycook; Chef; Customer Service Manager; Office Manager; ICT Customer Support Officer; ICT Support Technician; and Web Administrator.

Read the Amber terms carefully, because they are widely under-reported as simply a higher wage. INZ requires Amber List applicants to have at least five years of relevant eligible work experience in New Zealand, including two years of skilled work experience earning at least 1.2 times the SMC median wage. That is $42.00 an hour for the two-year portion — but the more consequential difference is the location of the other three years. A standard applicant can count overseas experience toward the five; on INZ’s Amber wording, that flexibility is gone. Amber occupations do remain eligible for the existing points route if they hit 1.5 times the median, hold a Bachelor’s or above, or hold a recognised registration.

The wage change that quietly helps the most people

The pathways are the news. This is the change that will decide more cases.

Under the current settings, applicants have to clear the threshold twice — the rate in force when their work experience began, and again the rate in force when they apply. Because the median wage rises, that second bar has been catching people who never got a pay rise. The threshold has climbed from $31.61 to $33.56 to $35.00 in barely two years.From 24 August 2026, most applicants will only need to meet one threshold: generally the one in effect when they started accruing skilled work experience. They will not have to meet the higher threshold in force when they are invited to apply for residence.

There is also a new safety net for the gap between visa approval and starting work. If a migrant begins skilled work experience within five months of their work visa being granted, the threshold that applied on the day the visa was granted is the one used, even if the required rate has since increased.If your pathway does not require skilled work experience at all — someone claiming six points for a doctoral degree, for example — you instead meet the threshold in effect when you are invited to apply.

Two related notes. Changing jobs will not usually push you to a higher threshold, unless you are on the Points-based pathway and moving from a skill level 1–3 occupation into a skill level 4 or 5 role. And the same wage-rule changes flow through to the Work to Residence Visa, the Transport Work to Residence Visa and the Care Workforce Work to Residence Visa — though the requirement to complete 24 months of New Zealand work experience within the 30 months before applying is unchanged.

Points-based pathway: what shifts for degree holders

The existing route survives, with adjustments.

From 24 August you can claim extra points for New Zealand qualifications, more points for overseas bachelor’s degrees and postgraduate certificates, and reach six points with less New Zealand work experience. Bachelor’s degrees move from 3 to 4 points, as do Washington and Sydney Accord accredited qualifications; master’s and doctoral points are unchanged. Qualifications completed in New Zealand are worth one point more than the overseas equivalent, other than doctorates and some master’s degrees.

There is a tightening alongside it. Applicants claiming points for a Level 8 or Level 9 qualification must now also hold a supporting bachelor’s or equivalent undergraduate degree, with certificate and transcript as evidence — the exception being applicants claiming 5 points for a New Zealand master’s. Claiming the full 6 points for a New Zealand master’s requires at least 30 weeks of full-time study in New Zealand plus a bachelor’s degree from any country.

Two smaller wins: accountants who can perform the work of a Qualified Statutory Accountant in New Zealand and hold CPA Australia membership can claim 6 points, and English language test results stretch from two years to five years of validity for applicants with an eligible occupational registration, including a partner included in the application.

The two changes that make things harder

Alongside the openings, INZ has closed two doors.

Self-employment cannot be used as evidence of directly relevant work experience under either new pathway. INZ’s reasoning is that while tax records may exist, other independent evidence of the nature and skill level of the work is often unavailable or hard to verify.The definition of genuine employment has also been rewritten across all skilled residence visas, requiring that a job offer be available and ongoing with a genuine need to be based in New Zealand, broadly aligning with the Accredited Employer Work Visa test. INZ expects no impact on the majority of applications, but says the change gives clearer grounds to decline where employment is identified as non-genuine.

One genuine easing on evidence: from 24 August, applicants who cannot obtain tax records for overseas work experience may provide a certificate of service from that employer instead, alongside other required evidence — recognising that tax records are simply not available in some countries. Certificates of service cannot be used for New Zealand work experience.

Submit before 24 August, or wait? A decision framework

INZ will not tell you which is better for your case. Here is how the trade-off actually falls.

Lean toward submitting before 24 August if:

• You already have six points comfortably and your paperwork is complete. Certainty beats novelty.
• You are claiming points for a Level 8 or Level 9 qualification and do not hold a supporting bachelor’s degree. That requirement bites from 24 August.
• Your occupation is on the Red List and you can already reach six points today.

Lean toward waiting until after 24 August if:

• You are in a listed trades or technician occupation and have never been able to reach six points. The new pathway is the first realistic route you have had.
• You have a long career but no degree — the Skilled Work Experience pathway exists precisely for you.
• You hold a New Zealand qualification, or an overseas bachelor’s degree, and the improved points would carry you over the line.
• You are worried about clearing a higher wage threshold at application time, which the single-threshold rule removes.
• You are a CPA Australia member working as an accountant in New Zealand.

If you are genuinely unsure: submitting a valid EOI under the current rules preserves an option that expires on 24 August, while the new pathways will still be there in September. But do not submit an EOI you cannot support with evidence — the strengthened genuine-employment test and the self-employment exclusion apply to how your case is assessed, not just to when you filed.

Because the numbers, lists and evidential standards here decide outcomes, treat this article as orientation and verify your own position against Immigration New Zealand’s published pages, or with a licensed immigration adviser, before you act.

What to do this week

1. Search your exact job title against the Trades and Technician occupation list, then against the Red and Amber Lists. Do this first — it determines which pathways exist for you.
2. Open your INZ account and check for draft EOIs. Submit or accept that you are rebuilding after 24 August.
3. Work out the hourly rate you need: $35.00 for Trades and Technician, $38.50 for standard Skilled Work Experience, $42.00 for Amber occupations, $52.50 for 1.5 times the median.
4. Pull your evidence together — employment agreements, job descriptions, tax records or certificates of service. Job descriptions and supporting evidence of relevant experience are explicitly required.
5. If you hold an overseas qualification, start the IQA now. It is not a same-week process.
6. Have the pay conversation with your employer if you are sitting under the threshold your pathway needs.

Key Takeaways

• 24 August 2026 is the switch date: two new SMC pathways, revised points, new wage rules, new EOI form.
• Unsubmitted draft EOIs are deleted that day. Submit before then to be assessed under current rules.
• Skilled Work Experience pathway: 5 years total, 2 in New Zealand at $38.50 an hour, no qualification needed.
• Trades and Technician pathway: Level 4 qualification, 4 years total, 1.5 in New Zealand at $35.00 an hour, 100+ eligible occupations.
• Six Red List occupations are locked out of both new pathways; 14 Amber List occupations face five years of New Zealand experience including two at $42.00 an hour.
• Most applicants will now clear only one wage threshold, plus a five-month grace period after visa grant.
• Self-employment no longer counts as relevant experience, and the genuine-employment test has been tightened.