General Indexation of Immigration Wage Thresholds and Accredited Employer / Green List Settings

Validated finding · five-country-2010-20260922-v118-evidence-presentation-fix

CountryNew Zealand

Operative dateMarch 9, 2026

CategoryLabor migration / threshold adjustments

Policy toolWage thresholds and criteria indexation

Affected groupLow-to-high skilled workers / accredited employer visa holders / skilled residence applicants

Policy effect

Updates the immigration median wage from NZD $33.56 to NZD $35.00 per hour across Immigration New Zealand instructions. Consequently adjusts indexed thresholds across work and skilled residence pathways: labour market testing / minimum skills advertising exemptions (adjusted to 2x median = NZD $70.00/hr), maximum stay thresholds for lower-skilled roles (1.5x median = NZD $52.50/hr), partner support wage criteria (Skill Levels 1–3 to NZD $28.00/hr; Skill Levels 4–5 to NZD $52.50/hr), Green List partner support threshold (NZD $35.00/hr), and adjustments to teaching pay steps under skilled residence.

Conditions and exceptions

Validated condition or limit: Consequently adjusts indexed thresholds across work and skilled residence pathways: labour market testing / minimum skills advertising exemptions (adjusted to 2x median = NZD $70.00/hr), maximum stay thresholds for lower-skilled roles (1.5x median = NZD $52.50/hr), partner support wage criteria (Skill Levels 1–3 to NZD $28.00/hr; Skill Levels 4–5 to NZD $52.50/hr), Green List partner support threshold (NZD $35.00/hr), and adjustments to teaching pay steps under skilled residence.

Official source excerpt

Quoted verbatim from the official source below. Ellipses indicate omitted text.

.15 Points Summary SR3.20 Skilled employment SR3.25 Skill categories SR3.35 Skilled work experience in New Zealand SR4.10 Acceptable employment in a Tier 1 Green List role SR5.10 Acceptable employment in a Tier 2 Green List role SR5.15 Requirements for 24 months of work in New Zealand in a Tier 2 Green List role SR5.20 Work in New Zealand earning at least twice the median wage SR7.10 Acceptable employment in a Transport Sector role SR7.15 Skilled Residence: Transport Sector Work to Residence requirements for 24 months of work in New Zealand Changes have been made to temporary and residence immigration instructions to reflect the annual adjustment to the median wage and the wage thresholds indexed to it. These changes come into effect on 9 March 2026. 1 Appendix 1: Amendments to Residence and Temporary Entry instructions effective on and after 9 March 2026 2 Appendix 7 –Occupations considered as ANZSCO skill level 3 under Accredited Employer instructions The occupations listed below can be considered as ANZSCO skill level 3 for the purpose of assessing the relevant ANZSCO skill level under Accredited Employer instructions. Part 1 - Occupations that are to be treated as ANZSCO skill … list; or ii. their new occupation is listed on the Green List (Appendix 13) and they meet the requirements of the list; or iii. they are being paid at least twice the median wage ($70.00) (WA3.20(a)(i)). The labour market test is met if: i. the employer has advertised the position; and ii. they did not find any suitable and available New Zealand workers for the job. Essential skills work visa holders seeking to change their occupation need to be suitably qualified by qualification and/or experience for the employment on offer as required by the occupation in the ANZSCO which substantially matches … visa which state that they must: i. work for an employer accredited under the AEWV scheme; and o in a role paid at or above the median wage; or o in a role earning the relevant wage threshold if a sector agreement is in place for that role; and ii. not work in a role covered by a capped sector agreement Variation of conditions may be granted to allow the holder to undertake employment in any role for any employer anywhere in New Zealand. In order to be granted a variation of conditions under (a) above, the applicant’s supporting partner must earn at least $28.00 per hour (80 percent of the median … skill level 4 or 5 role, or an applicant who is the partner of an 57 Essential Skills work visa holder, where the supporting partner is paid at least $26.85 per hour, if on 26 June 2025 the applicant: i. held a relationship-based visa supported by the Accredited Employer work visa holder; or ii. had an application in progress for a relationship-based visa supported by the Accredited Employer work visa holder and that application was subsequently granted. A work visa may be granted to an applicant who is the partner of an Essential Skills work visa holder paid at least $28.00 per hour. WF3.1.5. … , the principal applicant must: i. be aged 55 or younger at the time the residence application is made; and ii. meet the skilled employment requirements (see SR3.20), including holding current employment or an offer of employment in New Zealand with an accredited employer (see WA2) which pays at least the equivalent of: o the median wage (currently ($35.00 per hour) if their occupation is listed at ANZSCO skill level 1-3; or o 1.5 times the median wage (currently $52.50 per hour) if their occupation is listed at ANZSCO skill level 4-5, or not included in ANZSCO; and iii. qualify for the 6 points … of $35.00 for the Skilled Migrant Category reflects the June 2025 publication of median wage data by Statistics New Zealand. - The Immigration view of version 1.3 of the ANZSCO provided by Statistics New Zealand is available here: Aria Stats NZ - ANZSCO SR3.10.1 Evidence An immigration officer may consider evidence and information provided in previous visa applications and submissions to Immigration New Zealand to determine whether the applicant meets the requirements for a Skilled Migrant Category visa. In cases where any relevant details have changed since an applicant’s most recent visa application …

Immigration New Zealand / MBIEMinistry of Business, Innovation & Employment (MBIE), Immigration New Zealand Instructions: Amendment Circular No. 2026-01, published 19 February 2026, effective 9 March 2026.Open official source

Retrieved from https://www.immigration.govt.nz/assets/inz/documents/amendment-circulars/Amendment-Circular-2026-01.pdf

Review method

Two separate automated exact-claim source reviews

Automated source validation is not independent human legal review. The finding should not be treated as legal advice. Record fcp3-99aba484999ef9a3228b. Something wrong? Flag this record.

General Indexation of Immigration Wage Thresholds and Accredited Employer / Green List Settings

Policy effect

Conditions and exceptions

Official source excerpt

Review method

Other New Zealand changes operative in 2026