New Zealand Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa Checklist

Updated September 2026 · Everything a Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) Resident Visa application actually turns on: which of the three pathways you qualify under, how the 6 skilled resident points add up, and the qualification, work-experience, registration, income, health and character evidence to prepare — plus what Immigration New Zealand has not published and you should not assume. Verified against immigration.govt.nz, September 2026 — see the SMC Resident Visa page for the authoritative word.

NZ skilled migrant documents — the short answer

The documents required for a New Zealand Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa are built around proving one thing: that you qualify under one of the three SMC pathways. In practice that means a qualification assessment (IQA) or a qualification on the LQEA, work experience evidence, occupational registration evidence if you are claiming points that way, income evidence if you are claiming pay points, and the standard health and character documents. What exactly you file depends on the pathway and the points you claim, so this checklist is organised by pathway rather than as one flat list.

The three SMC pathways at a glance

The SMC Resident Visa offers three routes to residence. Each recognises a different mix of skills, experience and contribution to New Zealand's workforce, and each has its own eligibility bar.

The Skilled Work Experience pathway is for people who built their skills through work rather than a formal degree; the Trades and Technician pathway is for eligible trades and technician roles that combine a qualification with hands-on experience.

Pathway 1: the Points-based route and the 6-point bar

To be eligible for the Points-based pathway you must be able to claim 6 skilled resident points. You can claim those 6 points from a single skill category — your qualification, your income (pay), or your New Zealand occupational registration. If you cannot reach 6 from one category alone, you may be able to add 1 to 3 points from skilled work experience in New Zealand, combined with the points from your qualification, income or registration, to reach the 6 you need.

A key restriction to understand before you build your evidence folder: the "top-up" points come only from skilled work experience in New Zealand. You cannot top up a shortfall using a second qualification, a second registration or extra income — the additional points must come from New Zealand work experience.

If you are invited to apply, you must provide evidence that you qualify for the points you are claiming. That is why the documents below are matched to the exact points you claim rather than filed as a generic bundle.

Points from your qualification — the exact tables

You can use a qualification to claim points if it is a New Zealand qualification recognised in the system, if it has had an International Qualification Assessment (IQA), or if it is on the List of Qualifications Exempt from Assessment (LQEA). You can claim between 4 and 6 points depending on the highest level you hold and whether it was gained in New Zealand or internationally.

New Zealand qualifications. More than one higher-level qualification also requires you to hold a bachelor's degree (from any country).

A New Zealand master's degree is worth 6 points only if you completed at least 30 weeks of full-time study in New Zealand and hold a bachelor's degree. If either condition fails, the same master's is worth 5 points.

International qualifications. These are scored slightly lower, and you must have an IQA that recognises the qualification on the NZQCF unless it is on the LQEA. A bachelor's degree is required for some higher-level qualifications.

You cannot claim points for a non-degree qualification at level 7 or below. In other words, a level 7 diploma or certificate earns nothing on its own.

Evidence of your qualification

• International Qualification Assessment (IQA) from the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA), if your qualification is not on the List of Qualifications Exempt from Assessment. The assessment must recognise the qualification on the NZQCF.
• LQEA confirmation — if your qualification is on the List of Qualifications Exempt from Assessment, you rely on that listing instead of a fresh IQA.
• Your degree, diploma or certificate — the award document itself, plus where relevant evidence that the bachelor's-degree requirement for a higher qualification is met.
• Evidence of the New Zealand study — for a master's claimed at 6 points, proof of at least 30 weeks of full-time study in New Zealand.

If you are unsure whether your overseas qualification needs an IQA, check the "check if you need an International Qualification Assessment" page linked from the official SMC page before you pay for an assessment you may not need.

Pathway 2: Skilled Work Experience evidence

This pathway is for people who developed their skills through work experience rather than a formal qualification such as a university degree, diploma or trade certificate. To be eligible you need at least 5 years of directly relevant work experience, including at least 2 years of skilled work experience in New Zealand. Because residence here rests on experience rather than a qualification, the evidence folder leans on employment documentation:

• Employment records — letters, contracts, job descriptions and payslips that show your role, dates and duties across the full period claimed.
• Evidence the work was skilled — that it was full-time (at least 30 hours a week), paid at the required rate, and closely matched the job title and description for your occupation.
• Evidence of the New Zealand portion — the at least 2 years of skilled work experience completed in New Zealand.

Two definitions matter here. Relevant work experience is experience related to your current job or job offer; self-employment cannot be counted as relevant work experience. Skilled work experience is work related to your current job or job offer, completed in New Zealand and paid at the required amount.

Pathway 3: Trades and Technician evidence

This pathway is for people in eligible trades or technician roles who have combined a qualification with hands-on experience. To be eligible you need a relevant qualification and at least 4 years of post-qualification work experience, including at least 18 months of skilled work experience in New Zealand. Your evidence therefore combines both halves:

• The relevant qualification — and, if it is from New Zealand, it must normally be at least 120 credits on the NZQCF (or less than 120 credits but made up of multiple prerequisite qualifications totalling at least 120 credits). Credits awarded for prior learning do not count towards the 120-credit requirement.
• An IQA for an overseas qualification — if your trades qualification is from outside New Zealand there is no credit requirement, but you must have an International Qualification Assessment from NZQA.
• Post-qualification work experience — the at least 4 years of experience gained after the qualification, including the at least 18 months completed in New Zealand.

Points from occupational registration

You can use your occupational registration to claim points if it is on Immigration New Zealand's list of eligible New Zealand occupational registrations — for example, a chartered accountant or a registered plumber. Registrations that require more training are worth more points, so the band you fall into depends on the minimum years of experience or training the registration demands.

• Registration evidence — proof of your current registration on the eligible list, showing what the registration required to obtain.
• Work-experience timing rule — if you use skilled work experience to top your registration points up to 6, you can count only skilled work experience gained after you obtained the registration.
• Where the points come from — if registration does not reach 6, the additional points must come from skilled work experience in New Zealand; you cannot use qualifications or income to top it up.

Points from income (pay)

You can use the income or pay from your current New Zealand job or job offer to claim points if that income is at least 1.5 times the SMC wage threshold. You can claim between 3 and 6 points from your income, and the level you claim scales with how far above the threshold you are paid. If your pay is an annual salary, you calculate the rate from the hours you work each week. The exact SMC wage threshold that applies to you depends on when you started gaining your skilled work experience and whether it falls within the eligible timeframe — confirm the current rate on the official SMC wage threshold page before you claim.

• Income evidence — payslips, an employment agreement or a job offer letter that show your pay rate and hours, and that the income comes from a New Zealand job or job offer.
• Work-experience top-up — if you cannot claim 6 points from income, the extra points must come from skilled work experience in New Zealand, not from your registration or qualification.
• Minimum pay for the skill level — if you are claiming points for a qualification or registration, the minimum pay depends on your job's skill level, so keep pay evidence consistent with the occupation you are claiming.

Extra points for skilled work experience in New Zealand

You can claim extra points for skilled work experience in New Zealand up to a maximum of 3 points, and this is the only source of top-up points across the Points-based pathway. Skilled work experience must be in a full-time job (at least 30 hours a week), meet the minimum pay requirement for the job's skill level (or the income multiple if you are claiming income points), and closely match the job title and description for your occupation in ANZSCO. If you took an extended period of leave, that time may still count if it was parental leave, ACC leave or sick leave.

Health and character documents

Beyond the pathway-specific evidence, a residence application rests on the standard health and character documents. Prepare them for every applicant, and make sure certificates and translations are current before you apply, because they expire.

• Medical certificates — completed by an approved panel physician for each person applying, where a medical examination is required for a residence application.
• Chest X-ray certificate — where required for the residence application, again through an approved provider.
• Police or character certificates — a police certificate from each country where you have lived for the required period, plus any other character documents requested.
• Identity documents — passports or certificates of identity for each applicant, and evidence of your family relationships if dependants are included.

What is not published — do not assume

This checklist was built only from the facts published on the official SMC Resident Visa page. Three practical figures were not published there at the time of writing, so treat them as unknown rather than guessing:

• The application fee amount — not published — do not assume. No fee figure is given on the SMC Resident Visa page, so do not budget from a number seen on a forum or an older page.
• The processing time — not published — do not assume. No timeline is stated, so plan for the decision to take as long as Immigration New Zealand takes, not a fixed number of weeks.
• A detailed file checklist — not published — do not assume. The official page points you to its "Documents you need" section for the exact list; there is no separate exhaustive item list to copy, so match your evidence to the points you claim.

Fees, processing times and document lists change. The immigration.govt.nz SMC Resident Visa page and its "Documents you need" section are the authoritative word for your situation — confirm there before you apply.

Before you apply — 60-second check

• Decide which of the three pathways you qualify under: Points-based, Skilled Work Experience, or Trades and Technician.
• For the Points-based pathway, confirm you can claim 6 points from one skill category, and only use New Zealand skilled work experience for any top-up.
• Get an IQA (or confirm LQEA cover) unless you hold a New Zealand qualification — and remember non-degree qualifications at level 7 or below earn no points.
• Gather work-experience evidence that proves full-time hours, the pay rate and the ANZSCO match.
• If you claim registration points, only count skilled work experience gained after registration.
• If you claim income points, confirm the current SMC wage threshold that applies to you.
• Prepare health and character documents for every applicant, and check they are in date.
• Treat the fee and the processing time as unknown until you read them on the official page.

Frequently asked questions

How many points do I need for the Skilled Migrant Category?
You need 6 skilled resident points. You can claim them from one skill category — your qualification, your income (pay), or your New Zealand occupational registration — and, if you cannot reach 6 from that one category, add 1 to 3 points from skilled work experience in New Zealand.

Can I claim all 6 points from my qualification?
Yes. A New Zealand Level 10 doctorate is worth 6 points, and a New Zealand Level 9 master's is worth 6 points if you completed at least 30 weeks of full-time study in New Zealand and hold a bachelor's degree. Otherwise a New Zealand master's, a Level 8 honours degree or postgraduate diploma, and a Level 7 bachelor's are each worth 5 points.

Do I need an IQA for my qualification?
Not always. You need an International Qualification Assessment (IQA) from the New Zealand Qualifications Authority only if your qualification is not a recognised New Zealand qualification and is not on the List of Qualifications Exempt from Assessment (LQEA). If it is on the LQEA, that listing stands in for a fresh assessment.

How many points is my overseas degree worth?
An international Level 10 doctorate is worth 6 points; an international Level 9 master's is worth 5 points with a bachelor's degree; an international Level 8 honours degree, postgraduate diploma or postgraduate certificate is worth 4 points with a bachelor's; and an international Level 7 bachelor's is worth 4 points. You cannot claim points for a non-degree qualification at level 7 or below.

How is skilled work experience in New Zealand counted?
You can claim up to 3 extra points for skilled work experience in New Zealand, and it is the only source of top-up points. The experience must be in a full-time job of at least 30 hours a week, paid at the required rate, and closely match the job title and description for your occupation in ANZSCO.

What are the three SMC pathways?
The three pathways are the Points-based pathway (6 points from one skill category, plus up to 3 from New Zealand skilled work experience if needed), the Skilled Work Experience pathway (at least 5 years of directly relevant work experience, including at least 2 years skilled in New Zealand), and the Trades and Technician pathway (a relevant qualification plus at least 4 years of post-qualification experience, including at least 18 months skilled in New Zealand).

What is the income (pay) requirement for SMC points?
You can claim between 3 and 6 points from the income of your current New Zealand job or job offer if it pays at least 1.5 times the SMC wage threshold. The exact threshold that applies to you depends on when you started gaining your skilled work experience and whether it falls within the eligible timeframe.

What health and character documents do I need?
Prepare medical certificates completed by an approved panel physician, a chest X-ray certificate where required, police or character certificates from each country where you have lived for the required period, and identity documents for every applicant, plus relationship evidence if dependants are included.

How much does the SMC Resident Visa cost and how long does it take?
That is not published on the official SMC Resident Visa page, so do not assume a figure. Neither the application fee amount nor the processing time is stated there; confirm both on immigration.govt.nz before you apply.

Do I need a job offer for the Skilled Migrant Category?
It depends on the pathway. The Points-based pathway lets you claim points from qualification, income or occupational registration, and the income category is based on your current New Zealand job or job offer. The Skilled Work Experience and Trades and Technician pathways both require skilled work experience completed in New Zealand, so evidence of New Zealand work is central. Always check your own pathway's requirements on the official SMC page.

Fees, processing times and document lists change, and the official page is the authoritative word for your situation. Moving on from a residence application? The visitor route is lighter — see the NZ visitor visa checklist — and if you are still on a work visa, compare the NZ post study work visa documents and the NZ Accredited Employer Work Visa checklist. Travelling first? That is the NZeTA, and the longer-term route is explained in NZ permanent resident visa and commitment. Photos and sizing live at New Zealand visa photo sizes. Every country's checklist lives on the visa checklists hub.

See all visa checklists →  NZ permanent residence guide →