New Zealand Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) Points Calculator
The Skilled Migrant Category is New Zealand's residence route for people with a skilled job or job offer there, and the one number that matters is 6: the minimum points you need before you can submit an Expression of Interest.
Last reviewed: 17 October 2026 · Cosmos Immigration case team
How the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) Works
New Zealand residence for skilled workers runs through the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC). To be eligible you need a skilled job (or a skilled job offer) in New Zealand and a minimum of 6 points from the SMC points table before you can submit an Expression of Interest (EOI).
| Factor | Points |
| Skilled job or skilled job offer in New Zealand | Required to qualify |
| Bachelor's degree | 3 |
| Master's degree or higher | 4 |
| Registration as a skilled tradesperson | 2 |
The three job-quality lists
- Green List — roles that can go straight to residence without needing the 6-point EOI process, generally paying at or above the median wage.
- Roles not on the Green List — these qualify through the standard SMC points route: skilled job or offer, then 6 points.
- Work to Residence / Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) — the usual first step for most skilled migrants: a job offer from an accredited employer that passes a Job Check, which can then lead to Green List or SMC residence.
New Zealand periodically updates the Green/Red list settings, SMC point values and AEWV wage thresholds — always confirm current figures on immigration.govt.nz before relying on a specific number. This page gives you the structure so an assessment with us can tell you exactly where you stand.
What changed in October 2026
Latest rounds in Australia and Canada (for comparison, as at 16 October 2026)
- Australia, subclass 189: round held on 15 October 2026; official results pending (Home Affairs publishes about three weeks after a round). Previous round 4 June 2026: 10,000 invitations (published).
- Canada, Express Entry: 15 October 2026 Canadian Experience Class, 2,500 invitations at CRS 519; 16 October 2026 French-language, 5,000 invitations at CRS 435.
What it means from Dubai. New Zealand is job-offer-led and has no invitation round; the Skilled Migrant Category opens once an accredited employer makes an offer. We list the Australian and Canadian rounds because most UAE residents weighing New Zealand are also weighing one of those two, and the comparison should rest on dated results. Nothing here is a forecast.
Sources: Home Affairs SkillSelect invitation rounds · IRCC Express Entry rounds. No predictions on this page.
As at 16 October 2026 our October review recorded no new official change to the Skilled Migrant Category; the 6-point threshold and the point values above carry the date we last checked them (July 2026). Immigration New Zealand publishes the current SMC points settings on its official site, and that page decides, not ours.
Other dated changes this month in Australia and Canada:
- As at 16 October 2026, Australian state nomination for 2026–27 is open in Tasmania (2,050 places) and the Northern Territory (1,850 places), while New South Wales has closed subclass 491 to new applicants.
- As at 16 October 2026, Canada announced extra CRS points for Canadian work experience or a high-wage job offer, effective 3 November 2026, with no LMIA needed for the offer to count.
Figures come from dated draw trackers. We re-check the official Immigration New Zealand, Home Affairs and IRCC pages at every review.
A pattern we see from the UAE
A Dubai-based civil engineer, 36, with a master's degree and nine years of experience asked us whether New Zealand or Australia fitted better. On paper the SMC gave 4 points for the degree before any job offer, so the honest answer was that New Zealand only opened once an accredited employer made an offer, while an Australian state route could start from the skills assessment alone. We mapped both and let the job search decide. That is a pattern we see, not a promise, and it is why we look at the job-offer question before the points.
New Zealand SMC points — quick answers
How many points do I need for New Zealand residence under the Skilled Migrant Category?
You need a minimum of 6 points from the SMC points table, plus a skilled job or skilled job offer in New Zealand, before you can submit an Expression of Interest. The job offer is a requirement, not a bonus.
Can I move to New Zealand from Dubai without a job offer?
Not under the Skilled Migrant Category, which needs a skilled job or job offer from an accredited New Zealand employer. From the UAE the usual order is: job offer, Accredited Employer Work Visa, then residence through the Green List or SMC. We look at the job-offer question before the points for exactly that reason.
What is the Green List and does it skip the points?
The Green List is Immigration New Zealand's list of roles that can go straight to residence without the 6-point Expression of Interest process, generally paying at or above the median wage. If your occupation is on it, the list route is normally faster than SMC points.
Will my UAE, Indian or Pakistani degree count for SMC points?
Only once it is recognised. Qualifications gained outside New Zealand normally need an International Qualification Assessment from the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA), which maps your degree to a level on the New Zealand framework; that level sets your points (a bachelor's degree gave 3 points and a master's 4 at our July 2026 check). Some qualifications on NZQA's exempt list skip the assessment. Order the assessment early, because it takes weeks and the job search runs in parallel.
Do I need a police clearance certificate for New Zealand, and how do I get the UAE one?
Yes. Immigration New Zealand asks for police certificates from your country of citizenship and from any country where you have lived for 12 months or more in the last 10 years, so UAE residents normally need the UAE certificate plus one from home. In the UAE it is the good-conduct certificate from Dubai Police or the Ministry of Interior, obtained through their apps or service centres against a valid Emirates ID. Confirm the current rule and validity period on the Immigration New Zealand page before you order.
Is proof of funds required for the Skilled Migrant Category?
Not as a settlement-funds test in the way Canada's Express Entry applies one. SMC is built on the job offer and the points, and your tax-free UAE salary is not assessed as funds. You still need to show you can meet the health, character and English requirements, and the Accredited Employer Work Visa stage has its own wage threshold. Confirm the current requirements on the Immigration New Zealand page, because settings change.
Is New Zealand easier than Australia or Canada for a UAE resident?
Different, not easier. New Zealand needs a job offer first and then a low points threshold. Australia's points-tested visas need no employer but run through competitive invitation rounds and state nomination (the 15 October 2026 round's results were still pending as at 16 October). Canada's Express Entry needs no job offer either and invited at CRS 519 for Canadian Experience Class and 435 for French speakers in mid-October 2026. Which fits depends on whether your occupation attracts New Zealand employers.
Can my partner and children come with me on a New Zealand skilled visa?
Yes. Partners and dependent children can be included in a Skilled Migrant Category residence application, subject to health, character and relationship evidence. We map the whole family's documents together at the start.
Reviewed by the Cosmos Immigration case team, 17 October 2026. Cosmos Immigration is a private consultancy, not a government body; program criteria are set by the relevant governments and change without notice.
Sources
- Immigration New Zealand
- Australian Department of Home Affairs — SkillSelect
- IRCC — Express Entry rounds of invitations
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