Do IT occupations need professional registration or a specific degree for the Green List?

Neither. Software engineers and the other 11 Tier 1 ICT occupations have a single Green List requirement: remuneration at or above $72.80/hour (or the equivalent annual salary). Unlike nursing or teaching there is no registration body; unlike engineering there is no qualification requirement. It is a pure pay threshold.

What does $72.80/hour equal as an annual salary?

About $151,424 a year on a 40-hour, 52-week basis. That is base pay before tax: bonuses and equity do not count. It corresponds to mid-to-senior developer pay in New Zealand; graduate and junior salaries generally fall below it.

Can IT contractors use the Green List?

Yes, but the bar is much higher: for Straight to Residence, work under a contract for services must be paid at least $109.20/hour and requires at least 10 years of relevant work experience. Ordinary permanent or fixed-term employment only needs $72.80/hour.

What if I am a graduate or junior developer below $72.80?

The main route is the SMC six-point system: an overseas bachelor degree gives 4 points, a NZ bachelor's 5, a Master's 5, a PhD 6: plus skilled work in New Zealand (2 years = 3 points, 1.5 years = 2, 1 year = 1). On the income track, 1.5× the median wage ($52.50/h) scores 3 points and 2× ($70.00/h) scores 4.

What if my job title doesn't exactly match the Green List?

Duties matter, not titles. INZ matches against ANZSCO task descriptions: a 'Backend Developer' will usually map to 261312 Developer Programmer or 261313 Software Engineer. Use the Green List Checker to find the code whose description best fits your actual duties.

Guides

Software Engineer / IT in NZ: The Green List Pay Threshold, Explained

Updated: 2026-08-07 · Data verified: 2026-08-07

IT is the most unusual category on the Green List: software engineers, developer programmers, analyst programmers and nine other ICT occupations are all Tier 1 (Straight to Residence), yet the requirement involves no professional registration (unlike nursing or teaching) and no prescribed qualification (unlike engineering): just one pay line: $72.80/hour. Understand that line and you understand IT migration.

ICT occupations on the Green List

Under the 9 March 2026 version of INZ’s Appendix 13, there are 12 Tier 1 ICT occupations:

Chief Information Officer (135111), ICT Project Manager (135112), ICT Managers nec (135199)
Analyst Programmer (261311), Developer Programmer (261312), Software Engineer (261313), Software Tester (261314), Software and Applications Programmers nec (261399)
Database Administrator (262111), ICT Security Specialist (262112), Systems Administrator (262113)
Multimedia Specialist (261211)

Telecommunications Technician (342414) sits on Tier 2 (24 months of work before residence). All Tier 1 ICT occupations share one requirement:

Remuneration for the employment must be $72.80 per hour or above, or the equivalent annual salary.

The pay threshold in three scenarios

Employment type	Requirement	Visa
Permanent or fixed-term	≥ $72.80/hour (≈ $151,424/year)	Straight to Residence
Contract for services (contractor)	≥ $109.20/hour plus 10+ years of relevant experience	Straight to Residence only
Below the threshold	Not eligible for the Green List	Use the SMC six-point system

Key points:

$72.80 × 40 hours × 52 weeks ≈ $151,424/year: mid-to-senior developer territory in New Zealand; graduate and junior roles generally don’t reach it
The measure is base pay / hourly rate: bonuses, equity and allowances do not count
Matching is against ANZSCO task descriptions, not the title your employer gives you

Below the line? The SMC is the main track

For most IT applicants, the Skilled Migrant Category is the realistic pathway. Three points tracks (choose one, then add NZ skilled work experience):

Track	Typical IT score
Qualification	Overseas bachelor 4 pts / NZ bachelor 5 / Master’s 5 / PhD 6
Income	1.5× median ($52.50/h) 3 pts / 2× ($70.00/h) 4 / 3× ($105/h) 6
NZ skilled work experience	2 yrs = 3 pts / 1.5 yrs = 2 / 1 yr = 1

A useful link between the two systems: once your pay reaches the Green List line of $72.80/h, you have also crossed 2× the median wage ($70.00) (worth 4 income points) so 1.5 years of NZ experience (2 points) completes your 6 points. In other words, anyone who qualifies for the Green List almost certainly qualifies for the SMC too; and those below the line can often use qualification + experience first. Test your combination in the SMC points calculator.

The study pathway

New Zealand universities and polytechnics offer the full ladder in computing: 3-year bachelor’s (BSc/BIT), 1-year graduate diplomas (the classic career-switch route) and 1–1.5 year Master’s. Since IT has no registration requirement, the value of the degree is in SMC points and employability, not as a legal gate. See the NZ universities overview and the six-point system explained for how qualifications convert to points.

Practical notes

Check market pay before choosing a pathway: the Green List line is about $151k/year. Look up actual salary ranges for your target roles on Seek and Trade Me Jobs first: that tells you whether your first season in NZ should target the Green List or the SMC
Anchor negotiations at $72.80/h: one dollar below the line and the Green List does not apply; a guaranteed base rate in the contract beats variable bonuses
Think twice about contracting: the contractor threshold is nearly double ($109.20/h + 10 years) and applies to Straight to Residence only: don’t trade short-term day rates for visa ineligibility
Keep duty evidence: INZ assesses whether your role actually matches the ANZSCO code, so retain job descriptions, contracts and org charts

Common misconceptions

“IT on the Green List = residence on graduation”: wrong. The gate is $72.80/h in pay, not a degree: for graduates the realistic path is SMC qualification points + NZ experience
“Salary is just between me and the employer”: wrong. On the Green List pathway the pay line is the eligibility line
“Contracting pays more, so it’s better”: only if you clear $109.20/h with 10 years of experience: and contractor rules apply to Straight to Residence only
“My title must say Engineer”: INZ matches duties to codes; Backend Developer and Full-stack Developer can both map to 261312/261313

Next steps: check the exact wording of the 12 ICT codes in the Green List Checker, see what $151k means after tax in the take-home pay calculator, and compare both pathways in the SMC calculator.

Frequently asked questions

Do IT occupations need professional registration or a specific degree for the Green List?: Neither. Software engineers and the other 11 Tier 1 ICT occupations have a single Green List requirement: remuneration at or above $72.80/hour (or the equivalent annual salary). Unlike nursing or teaching there is no registration body; unlike engineering there is no qualification requirement. It is a pure pay threshold.
What does $72.80/hour equal as an annual salary?: About $151,424 a year on a 40-hour, 52-week basis. That is base pay before tax: bonuses and equity do not count. It corresponds to mid-to-senior developer pay in New Zealand; graduate and junior salaries generally fall below it.
Can IT contractors use the Green List?: Yes, but the bar is much higher: for Straight to Residence, work under a contract for services must be paid at least $109.20/hour and requires at least 10 years of relevant work experience. Ordinary permanent or fixed-term employment only needs $72.80/hour.
What if I am a graduate or junior developer below $72.80?: The main route is the SMC six-point system: an overseas bachelor degree gives 4 points, a NZ bachelor's 5, a Master's 5, a PhD 6: plus skilled work in New Zealand (2 years = 3 points, 1.5 years = 2, 1 year = 1). On the income track, 1.5× the median wage ($52.50/h) scores 3 points and 2× ($70.00/h) scores 4.
What if my job title doesn't exactly match the Green List?: Duties matter, not titles. INZ matches against ANZSCO task descriptions: a 'Backend Developer' will usually map to 261312 Developer Programmer or 261313 Software Engineer. Use the Green List Checker to find the code whose description best fits your actual duties.

Keep going with the tools

Green List Checker Open tool → SMC Points Calculator Open tool → Take-Home Pay Open tool → Score Converter Open tool →