Pass mark: 6 skilled resident points required, plus a hard age cap of 55 or younger.
How the real points structure breaks down
Occupational registration (by years of required training/experience): 3–6
Qualification (NZ or NZQA-assessed equivalent, doctorate to bachelor's honours): 3–6
Income relative to the median wage (NZD $35.00/hr from 9 Mar 2026): ≥3× = 6, ≥2× = 4, ≥1.5× = 3
Skilled NZ work experience: 1 pt/yr, max 3 (top-up only)
What VIO cannot assess from your profile alone: Occupational registration status, actual/expected NZ income, and NZ-specific (vs. global) work experience are not collected in your VIO profile — only your qualification tier loosely maps, which alone isn't enough to responsibly estimate a score.
Pending / confirmed reform: INZ has confirmed further Skilled Migrant Category changes take effect on 24 August 2026: a new work-experience-only residence pathway (separate from the points pathway), simplified median-wage settings, qualification points shifting to favour NZ-completed study, and clarified qualification requirements. The structure above reflects the rules in effect today — re-verify against the official page for any EOI intended after 24 Aug 2026.
Only where VIO can honestly compute one from what it asks you — Australia has a real calculator in the app. For the other corridors, key inputs (a job offer, an employer's workforce data, provincial nomination status) aren't things VIO collects, so it shows you the real structure and the official calculator link instead of guessing.
Is this page AI-generated?
No. Every category, point value, and pass mark above is individually sourced against an official government page, with a verification date.
Does VIO guarantee my visa or PR will be approved?
No. VIO is not a law firm or migration agency and no outcome is ever guaranteed.