The New Zealand Government says they have recognised the need to have skilled migrants plug gaps in the workforce and are introducing more options for migrants in New Zealand to obtain residency. The aim is to help migrants regularise their immigration status and provide a more stable workforce for businesses to help them develop and grow.

One of the common complaints about the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) is that it can be hard for applicants to fit into the framework and allow them to obtain residency. As a reminder, SMC currently has 3 main pathways:

1. Occupational registration that requires at least 2 years of training;
2. Qualifications that are equivalent to a level 7 on the New Zealand Qualifications Framework or higher; or
3. Renumeration of at least 1.5x the median wage.

The above 3 pathways can be supplemented with skilled work experience in New Zealand but there are workers who don’t neatly fit into any of these three pathways.  In response to this, two new pathways will be available to help migrant workers apply for residence around August 2026. The first is the Skilled Work Experience pathway, aimed at migrants working in skilled roles. The second is the Trades and Technician Pathway, aimed at those working in specified trades.

While the exact details are not set in stone and could be changed before becoming live next year, currently the Skilled Work Experience pathway is available for those with 5 years of work experience (2 of which are in New Zealand) and being paid at least 1.1x the median wage. Similarly, the Trades and Technician Pathway is available for those holding a relevant qualification (which is at least level 4) and have at least 4 years of work experience after being qualified (18 months of this must be in New Zealand). They also need to be paid at the median wage.

SMC already offers 3 pathways, which means next year there are 5 possible pathways. SMC currently uses a point-based system, where you earn a number of points in one pathway. Once you can claim enough points, you can apply for residency. While we would need to wait for more details in the future, these two new pathways don’t seem to have points attached to them. They seem to be a more binary “you either meet the instructions, or you don’t” requirement, which is more clear-cut and easy to understand. For those that do not cleanly fit into any of the existing categories, this might give migrants already in New Zealand the pathway they need to move towards residency. This will also be welcome news for employers who want to retain their skilled and experienced staff – regularising their employees’ immigration status reduces staff turnover due to work visas expiring, which is more efficient than having to hire and train new staff from scratch constantly.

Queen City Law is an award winning law firm that specialises in litigation, commercial, property, and immigration law. Our team of experts would be more than happy to help you with your immigration needs. You can contact us at immigrationteam@queencitylaw.co.nz for more information.