PTE Requirement for New Zealand Work and PR Visa

For a New Zealand work visa (AEWV), INZ asks for PTE Academic 29 overall, but only if the job is at skill level 3 to 5. For skilled residence (PR), the main applicant needs 58 overall, and a partner or child aged 16 or older needs 36. Checked against the INZ pages on 13 Oct 2026.

This page is about the visa rules and how to plan around them. For the full score summary, including student entry examples, see PTE score for New Zealand.

Work visa (AEWV): when you need a test at all

The INZ English page for the AEWV says English must be shown for jobs at ANZSCO or NOL skill level 3 to 5. Jobs at skill level 1 or 2 have no English requirement. If you hold an AEWV and can support them, your partner (on a visitor or work visa) and dependent children (on visitor or student visas) have no English requirement either. The minimum overall scores listed there for the principal applicant (checked 13 Oct 2026):

INZ also lists other tests, and you may choose which approved test to take. You may not need one at all if you already showed English for an earlier AEWV, or if your current AEWV expires on or before 1 December 2026 and you apply for another at skill level 3. Source: the AEWV page above.

Residence (PR): the higher bar

The INZ page for skilled residence visas lists these overall minimums (checked 13 Oct 2026):

Children under 16 have no English requirement. The Skilled Migrant Category page does not list a score itself; it says results must meet the minimum INZ sets, which is in the skilled residence table above. It also says your partner and children aged 16 or older must show English too, or you can buy English lessons for them to take in New Zealand. Lessons are only for partners and children, never the main applicant. On the skilled residence page, the lessons option is chosen at application, paid for only if the visa is approved, and taken in New Zealand.

Skilled Migrant Category: where English fits in the points

English is a pass-or-fail requirement in the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC), not a points category, so a PTE score above 58 earns you nothing extra. The SMC page (checked 13 Oct 2026) says the points come from your qualification, income or occupational registration, plus up to 3 more for skilled New Zealand work experience, and you need 6 in total on the Points-based pathway.

What every SMC pathway asks for, per the same page (checked 13 Oct 2026): age 55 or younger when you apply, a skilled job or job offer with an accredited employer, good health and character, and English. You first submit an expression of interest (EOI), and INZ invites you to apply if it is accepted. The English evidence, with the test result no more than 2 years old, goes in with the application you submit after the invitation, so time the test for that point. A future booking is not accepted. The three pathways (Points-based, Skilled Work Experience, Trades and Technician) all carry the same English rule.

The English page for skilled residence visas (checked 13 Oct 2026, source) applies the same rule to the Care Workforce, Straight to Residence, Transport and Work to Residence visas as well, and says a higher standard of English is required than for other residence visas. INZ may also ask for more proof of English during assessment, and can ask you or family members to sit a test.

How the English route follows your points claim

Rows 1 and 2 use the study exemption listed on the INZ English page; the SMC page says to supply certificates, transcripts and, for foreign qualifications, your International Qualification Assessment (IQA) statement. Rows 3 and 4 follow the INZ rules above. The IQA is also what lets a non-NZ qualification count for points at all, so it is a separate step from the English test.

Worked example: Ana holds an overseas bachelor's degree that an IQA places at level 7, and she is on a work visa with an accredited employer. She is not a citizen of Canada, Ireland, the UK or the US and did not study in the listed countries, so she needs PTE Academic 58 overall (checked 13 Oct 2026). Her husband needs 36, or the lessons. She sits the test in person after her EOI is accepted so the result is under 2 years old on the day the application is submitted. If she held a full New Zealand plumber registration that is eligible for SMC points, her own result could be up to 5 years old, with the certificate attached.

Not sure whether your plan clears 58 and 36? Run your numbers through the PTE eligibility checker, and if you are weighing a New Zealand degree first, browse universities and the student visa requirement.

Rules that apply to both

• In person only. The AEWV and skilled residence pages both say remote or at-home tests are not acceptable, and that you may choose which approved test to take.
• Result age. No more than 2 years old when you apply. The Skilled Migrant Category page allows up to 5 years for the person who holds an eligible full (not provisional or limited) New Zealand occupational registration, one that is eligible for Points-based pathway points, when you supply the certificate. It also says a future test booking is not accepted as evidence.
• Exemptions. The AEWV and skilled residence pages list citizenship of Canada, Ireland, the UK or the US with at least 5 years of work or study in those countries, Australia or New Zealand. They also list a bachelor's-level qualification gained in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK or the US with at least 2 years living there while studying, or a postgraduate one with at least 1 year. You may need the certificate, transcript and sometimes an International Qualification Assessment (IQA). The Skilled Migrant Category page also mentions citizenship, study at the stated levels and an IQA statement as ways to show English.

Decision table: which number is yours?

Worked example: a cook (check the job's skill level on the INZ or ANZSCO listing) applies for an AEWV, then later for residence. The first application needs 29. For residence the same person needs 58, so a result that was enough for the work visa is not enough for PR. If the AEWV test was taken more than 2 years before the residence application, a new test is needed.

Planning checklist

1. Confirm your job's skill level before you book anything.
2. Check the exemption lists on the INZ page for your visa.
3. For PR, aim comfortably above 58. Use the PTE score chart and the PTE to IELTS converter only as a rough guide, because INZ publishes its own tables.
4. Book an in-person centre slot and note when the 2-year window ends.
5. Practise your weak skill, for example speaking, and see the PTE passing score guide for how scores are built. Results must be in date when you apply, so read PTE score validity. If you are heading to study instead, see PTE requirement for a New Zealand student visa.

Not confirmed here

INZ pages change, so read the current INZ page for your visa before you apply. We did not verify any per-skill minimums for these visas; the INZ tables we read show overall scores only.