Getting your Post-Study Work Visa (PSWV) feels like the finish line. It isn't. It's actually the starting gun for the most important decision you'll make in your New Zealand journey — which job you take.
Every role you accept from this point on either builds toward a residency pathway or doesn't. There's no neutral. This guide maps out exactly where each pathway leads, what it requires, and what traps to avoid. If you're still studying, or still choosing a course, start with the section on planning your study backwards from residence.
First: Which Type of PSWV Do You Have?
This matters enormously, so let's get it straight before anything else.
Open PSWV — granted to graduates of a Bachelor's degree, Postgraduate Diploma, Master's degree, or PhD (NZQCF Level 7 and above) studied in New Zealand. You can work for any employer, in any role, anywhere in the country. Duration: up to three years.
Closed (Restricted) PSWV — granted to graduates of eligible diplomas and certificates at Level 4–6 (the qualification must appear on the official eligible qualifications list). You must work in a role directly related to your field of study. Duration: matches your study period, usually one year.
From November 16, 2026: Graduate Diploma holders at Level 7 who also hold a bachelor's degree (from anywhere in the world) can access an open PSWV for the duration of their Graduate Diploma study, up to one year. On the same date, a new six-month Short Term Graduate Work Visa opens for Level 5–7 graduates whose qualification doesn't lead to a PSWV. Our guide to the new post-study work visa options covers both.
Important: You only ever get one PSWV in your lifetime. Every decision you make while holding it counts.
Still Studying? Plan Your Course Backwards From Residence
If you haven't finished your study yet, or haven't chosen a course, you have the most room to get this right.
Skilled employment is the anchor. Every residence pathway below depends on the job you hold after you graduate: the occupation, its skill level, the pay and whether the employer is accredited. Your qualification matters because of the job and the points it unlocks.
Choose your course for where it leads, not only for interest. Before you enrol, check whether the qualification:
- gives you a PSWV, and whether that visa is open or tied to an occupation
- leads to New Zealand occupational registration, a Green List role, or points under the Skilled Migrant Category
- prepares you for roles that realistically pay the wage thresholds below
Check the wage thresholds early. From 9 March 2026 the SMC wage threshold is $35.00 an hour for ANZSCO skill level 1–3 roles and $52.50 for skill level 4–5 roles. Our Median Wage NZ guide has the history and dates.
Look for accredited employers from the start. You can't get a skilled residence visa through a non-accredited employer. Check an employer's accreditation before you apply for, or accept, a role.
The Golden Rule
Before you accept any job offer, ask yourself one question: does this role map to a residency pathway?
If the answer is no — or you don't know — you're spending down your PSWV clock without building toward residence. The pathways below are your options. Read each one, identify where you fit, and work backwards from there.
Pathway 1: Green List — Straight to Residence (Tier 1)
This is the fastest route to a New Zealand resident visa — and if your qualification and job offer qualify, you can skip the work experience requirement entirely.
How it works: If your occupation appears on the Green List Tier 1 and you meet the qualification, registration, and wage requirements, you can apply for residence immediately upon receiving a qualifying job offer from an accredited employer.
Who this suits: Engineers, nurses, software developers, doctors, construction project managers, and other professionals in formally regulated or high-demand roles.
Current wage requirements (from March 9, 2026):
- Most Tier 1 roles: $35.00/hour (standard median wage)
- Software engineers: $72.80/hour
- Database and Systems Administrators: $70.00/hour
- Auditors: $45.50/hour
What you need to check: Your exact occupation code (ANZSCO), the specific qualification requirement for that role, and whether you hold — or can obtain — any required New Zealand professional registration (for example, Nursing Council registration for nurses, Engineering New Zealand membership for engineers).
If your qualification maps cleanly to a Tier 1 role and you can obtain a qualifying job offer, this pathway bypasses everything else below. It is the prize worth pursuing first.
Pathway 2: Green List — Work to Residence (Tier 2)
The Tier 2 pathway covers a broader range of occupations — trades, teachers, electricians, certain machinery operators — where 24 months of New Zealand work experience is required before applying for residence.
How it works: Work full-time in a Tier 2 occupation for an accredited employer, meet the wage floor for that role for 24 months within the 30 months before you apply, then apply for a Work to Residence visa.
Current wage requirements vary by role:
- Most Tier 2 roles: $35.00/hour (standard median)
- Excavator, backhoe, bulldozer, grader operators: $40.25/hour (1.15x median)
- Crane operators: $45.50/hour (1.3x median)
Key requirement: Your employer must be accredited with Immigration New Zealand. Verify this before signing any employment agreement.
Important from August 2026 — the wage lock-in rule: The wage rate you need is the one in force when you start counting your work experience. If the required rate rises later, you don't have to match the new rate, as long as you keep earning at least your original rate. Changing employer doesn't reset it. What stops your work from counting is changing occupation to one where your pay is below the required rate, or a pay cut below that rate. There is also a five-month grace period: if the rate increases before you start work, but you begin within five months of your visa being granted, the rate from your visa grant date applies.
Pathway 3: The SMC 6-Points Route (Bachelor's and Above)
If your qualification or occupation doesn't map directly to the Green List, the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) is New Zealand's primary points-based residence pathway. The August 2026 SMC overhaul makes this significantly better for graduates who studied in New Zealand.
How the points work (from August 24, 2026):
You need 6 points total. Points come from your qualification and your New Zealand skilled work experience combined. Work experience earns 1 point for 1 year, 2 points for 18 months and 3 points for 2 years.
| Qualification (completed in NZ) | Points | NZ work experience needed | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| PhD (Level 10) | 6 | None | 6 — apply immediately |
| Master's (Level 9) with a bachelor's, and at least 30 weeks' full-time study in NZ | 6 | None | 6 — apply immediately |
| Master's (Level 9) without the above | 5 | 1 year (1 point) | 6 after 12 months |
| Postgraduate Diploma, Postgraduate Certificate or Honours (Level 8) with a bachelor's | 5 | 1 year (1 point) | 6 after 12 months |
| Bachelor's (Level 7) | 5 | 1 year (1 point) | 6 after 12 months |
Key 2026 change: NZ qualifications earn one extra point compared to equivalent overseas degrees. An overseas bachelor's degree, for example, is worth 4 points and needs 18 months of NZ skilled work experience (2 points). This is a direct incentive for international students who studied here.
The wage you must earn: $35.00/hour minimum in an ANZSCO Level 1–3 skilled role. If your role is Level 4–5, the threshold rises to $52.50/hour. This is critical — if you take a junior or supervisory role that sits at skill level 4 or 5, the wage requirement jumps significantly and many graduates can't meet it.
The wage lock-in rule applies here too: Start earning $35.00/hour in a qualifying role and that rate locks in for your residence application, even if the threshold rises later.
Check your own numbers with our SMC Points Calculator.
The Trap: General Management Graduates
If you hold a Bachelor of Business, a Master of Management, or a similar general commercial qualification, pay careful attention here.
Your degree is valuable. The problem is that finding a role that pays $35.00/hour, is classified at ANZSCO Level 1–3 (genuine management or specialist), and genuinely matches your qualification is harder immediately after graduation than most graduates expect.
If you take an entry-level team leader or operational supervisor role (ANZSCO Level 4–5), the wage floor for that to count as skilled work rises to $52.50/hour. Most supervisory roles pay nowhere near that.
Your options if this is your situation:
- Target specialist corporate analyst, advisory, or coordinator roles classified at ANZSCO Level 1–3 from day one
- Or pivot strategically — the care sector pathway below exists precisely for situations like this
Pathway 4: The Care Sector Pivot
This pathway is underused and underappreciated. If you're on an open PSWV and struggling to find a role that maps to the Green List or meets the SMC skilled wage threshold, the care sector offers a legitimate, accessible, and well-defined route to residence.
How it works: Work full-time (at least 30 hours/week) in an eligible care sector role for a cumulative 24 months within a 30-month window. Apply for a Care Workforce Work to Residence visa.
The wage advantage: Care sector roles qualify at $28.25/hour — significantly below the $35.00 standard median wage. This makes entry-level positions accessible in a way that most skilled pathways aren't immediately after graduation.
Eligible roles include:
- Aged or Disabled Carer (ANZSCO 423111)
- Disabilities Services Officer (411712)
- Residential Care Officer (411715)
- Nursing Support Worker (423312)
- Kaiāwhina — Māori Health Assistant (411512)
The blending provision: Time in care sector roles can be combined with time in Tier 2 Green List roles or transport sector roles (each at their own wage floor) — so you're not locked into one employer or one role type for the full 24 months.
Your employer must be accredited. This is non-negotiable across all pathways.
Pathway 5: Heavy Machinery and Trades
For graduates of civil plant or engineering trade diplomas — or open PSWV holders willing to retrain — crane operators, excavator operators, and related heavy machinery roles offer clear, well-paid, defined pathways to residence under Green List Tier 2.
These roles have no degree requirement. They require New Zealand licensing and 24 months of experience at the specified wage floor.
Excavator, backhoe, bulldozer, grader operators:
- 24 months NZ experience
- $40.25/hour minimum (1.15x median)
- Class 2 heavy vehicle licence, T/W/R endorsements
- The 26-week NZ Certificate in Civil Plant Operation (Level 3) is the recommended training pathway
Crane operators:
- 24 months NZ experience
- $45.50/hour minimum (1.3x median)
- NZ Level 3 Certificate in Cranes with a Level 4 specialisation required at time of residence application
These are well-paid roles in an industry with persistent labour shortages. If you have a restricted PSWV in civil engineering or construction, this pathway deserves serious consideration. If you hold a relevant Level 4 trade qualification, also look at the SMC Trades and Technician pathway.
The Red and Amber Lists — Know Before You Sign
From August 2026, not all jobs are equal for residency purposes. Two new lists filter which roles can access the new experience-based pathways.
Red List — these occupations are completely blocked from the new Skilled Work Experience and Trades & Technician pathways. If you work in a Red List role, your only option is the traditional 6-point SMC — for example through a degree, recognised occupational registration, or earning 1.5x the median wage ($52.50/hour).
Red List includes: Retail Manager, Hospitality Manager, Hair and Beauty Salon Manager, and similar generic service-sector management roles.
Amber List — eligible for the Skilled Work Experience pathway, but with significantly stricter criteria: all five years of your experience must be gained in New Zealand (not just two), and two of those years must be at 1.2x the median wage ($42.00/hour).
Amber List includes: Customer Service Manager, Office Manager, Café/Restaurant Manager, and some intermediate ICT roles.
The practical implication: Before you accept a management role, look up its ANZSCO code and check whether it appears on the Red or Amber list. A job title that sounds good on a CV could cost you years of residency eligibility.
Your Decision at a Glance
| Your situation | Your pathway |
|---|---|
| PhD, or Master's with bachelor's and 30+ weeks' full-time NZ study | SMC 6 points — apply for residence now |
| Bachelor's in NZ, Level 1–3 skilled job at $35+/hr | SMC 6 points — 12 months work experience |
| Qualification maps to Green List Tier 1 | Straight to residence — apply immediately |
| Qualification maps to Green List Tier 2 | Work to residence — 24 months at qualifying wage |
| Can't meet $35/hr threshold yet | Care sector pivot — $28.25/hr, 24 months |
| Trade diploma, civil/engineering | Heavy machinery Tier 2 — 24 months, licensing required |
| General management, Red List role | Rethink the role — target Level 1–3 specialist position |
One Final Rule
Every pathway above requires your employer to be an INZ accredited employer.
Talk to Us Before You Sign
The decision you make in the next few months determines your residency timeline. A wrong step now can cost you a year or more. Our IAA Licensed advisers work with PSWV holders every week to map their specific qualification, job offer, and personal circumstances to the right pathway before they commit.
Book a 30-minute consultation ($99), call +64 9 213 1677, WhatsApp +64 21 227 4246, or email contactus@livinginnz.co.nz.
This article is general information based on Immigration New Zealand policy settings as at October 2026 and does not constitute immigration advice. Rules, wage thresholds, and occupation lists change — verify current settings before acting. For advice tailored to your circumstances, speak with an IAA Licensed Immigration Adviser.