New Zealand
New Zealand visa salary thresholds
New Zealand Skilled Migrant Category residence requires skilled employment with an accredited employer and wage tests tied to the ANZSCO skill level and points framework. The temporary Accredited Employer Work Visa has no blanket wage floor since March 2025 - jobs must pay the New Zealand market rate - but median-wage-linked thresholds still govern family support and exemptions.
Last checked 30 July 2026. Every figure is mapped to a primary government source and re-verified over time; recorded changes appear in the changelog.
Source auto-reconfirmed 1 August 2026 by the daily automated check (figures unchanged since last review).
What salary do you need for a skilled-work visa in New Zealand?
The main skilled-work salary floor in New Zealand is NZ$35 / hour (SMC skilled job - ANZSCO levels 1 to 3), effective 9 March 2026. Occupation-specific going rates may bind higher.
Verified against Immigration New Zealand - Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa on 30 July 2026.
Threshold table
| Route | Amount | ~USD | In force since | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
SMC skilled job - ANZSCO levels 1 to 3# Minimum hourly pay for a skilled job or job offer at ANZSCO skill levels 1 to 3 under the SMC route page. INZ also uses NZD 52.50, NZD 70.00 and NZD 105.00 hourly bands for 1.5x, 2x and 3x median-wage income-point claims. No changes recorded for this figure since 9 March 2026. | NZ$35 / hour | $21 | 2026-03-09 | Immigration New Zealand - Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa |
SMC skilled job - ANZSCO levels 4 to 5# Minimum hourly pay for a skilled job or job offer at ANZSCO skill levels 4 to 5, equal to 1.5 times the NZD 35 reference rate on the route page. | NZ$53 / hour | $32 | 2026-03-09 | Immigration New Zealand - Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa |
AEWV - market rate test# No single numeric floor: the blanket median-wage requirement was removed in March 2025, and the job check instead requires pay at the New Zealand market rate for the role. The immigration median wage (NZD 35.00 per hour from 9 March 2026) still sets Green List pay rates and twice-median exemptions. | No fixed published floor | — | 2026-03-09 | Immigration New Zealand - Accredited Employer Work Visa |
AEWV - minimum income to support dependent children# Minimum gross annual income for AEWV and other eligible work visa holders to support dependent child visas, set at NZD 58,240 from 9 March 2026 in the INZ operational manual (80% of the median wage over a 40-hour week). Couples who both hold AEWVs can combine incomes. | NZ$58,240 / year | $35,000 | 2026-03-09 | Immigration New Zealand - Operational Manual U8.20 |
Cite or reuse this dataset
This figure is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Cite the Visa Atlas page for the compiled, dated dataset, and cite the official source for the underlying government rule.
Suggested citation
Visa Atlas, "New Zealand visa salary thresholds", https://visaatlas.org/salary-thresholds/new-zealand. Last verified 30 July 2026.
- JSON endpoint
- https://visaatlas.org/api/public/salary-thresholds
How often this changes
INZ can revise SMC wage references and points settings; the route page also flags policy changes from 24 August 2026. Median-wage-linked figures reset each March.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum salary to qualify for a work visa in New Zealand?
New Zealand Skilled Migrant Category residence requires skilled employment with an accredited employer and wage tests tied to the ANZSCO skill level and points framework. The temporary Accredited Employer Work Visa has no blanket wage floor since March 2025 - jobs must pay the New Zealand market rate - but median-wage-linked thresholds still govern family support and exemptions.
How often do New Zealand salary thresholds change?
INZ can revise SMC wage references and points settings; the route page also flags policy changes from 24 August 2026. Median-wage-linked figures reset each March.
Does meeting the headline threshold guarantee approval?
No. Headline floors are one of several criteria. Most jurisdictions also apply an occupation-specific going rate, character and health checks, and — for sponsored routes — employer/sponsor compliance. Failing any one of these can lead to refusal even where salary is above the threshold.
Related
Reviewed by Sam Parks, Editor and lead researcher.