The New Trades and Technician Pathway: What It Actually Means for You
Immigration New Zealand has made some significant changes to the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) Resident Visa, and one of the biggest is the new category called the Trades and Technician Pathway. If you work in a trade, this could be your route to residence.
Who is this pathway for?
In short, it is for trades professionals. To qualify, you need to tick all four of these boxes:
You work in an eligible trades or technician job, and you are paid at least the SMC wage threshold.
You hold a relevant qualification that is Level 4 or higher (or something comparable to Level 4).
You have at least 2.5 years of relevant work experience, gained after you finished your qualification, in a job that sits at ANZSCO skill level 1, 2 or 3.
On top of that, you have another 1.5 years of skilled work experience here in New Zealand, again paid at the SMC wage threshold.
A couple of quick definitions, because the wording matters here.
Relevant work experience just means experience that connects to your current job or the job you have been offered.
Skilled work experience means the same thing, but it has to be done in New Zealand and paid at the required amount.
One important thing to remember: you cannot count self-employment as relevant work experience.
Which occupations are eligible under the Trades and Technician Pathway?
A bit more about qualification requirements
Your qualification needs to be Level 4 or higher and recognised on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework (NZQCF). How that gets checked depends on where you studied.
If your qualification is from New Zealand
It needs to have at least 120 credits. The 120 credits do not have to come from a single qualification. You can combine more than one, as long as the lower qualification was a prerequisite for the higher one.
If your qualification is from overseas
Overseas qualifications need an International Qualifications Assessment (IQA) that confirms they are Level 4 or higher. The 120-credit rule does not apply here.
Not sure where you stand?
These changes open a real door for tradespeople who have been building experience here in New Zealand, but may not have been earning enough for the Green List Tier 2, or may hold a level 5 qualification instead of a level 4 Trade certificate.
If you would like a hand working out whether this pathway fits your situation, that is exactly what we are here for. Get in touch with the team at Noth & Co.
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