Skilled migration points, worked out properly.

Express Entry manages Canada’s Federal Skilled Worker, Federal Skilled Trades and Canadian Experience Class programs. Once you are eligible for one of them and create a profile, the Comprehensive Ranking System scores you out of 1,200: up to 500 for core human capital (age, education, official languages, Canadian work experience — 460 for you plus 40 for an accompanying spouse’s factors), up to 100 for skill transferability combinations (for example, a degree plus CLB 9 language scores), and up to 600 additional points, dominated by the 600 points for a provincial nomination.

There is no pass mark. IRCC holds rounds of invitations roughly every two weeks — general, program-specific and category-based (for example French speakers, healthcare or trades) — and invites the top-ranked profiles in each round. The cut-off is whatever the lowest invited score happens to be, so it changes every round. Since 25 March 2025, a job offer no longer adds CRS points; older guides that still award 50 or 200 points for arranged employment are out of date.

Australia’s points-tested visas — Skilled Independent (189), Skilled Nominated (190) and Skilled Work Regional (491) — all use the same points table. You must score at least 65 to submit an Expression of Interest in SkillSelect, be under 45 when invited, have a suitable skills assessment, and have an occupation on the relevant list. Points reward youth (the 25–32 band scores most), English (Superior English is worth 20), qualifications, skilled employment (overseas and Australian combined, capped at 20), Australian study, and partner skills — being single scores the same 10 partner points as having a fully skilled partner.

Meeting 65 points makes you eligible, not competitive: invitations go to the highest scores first, so the practical bar for many occupations is much higher. A state nomination adds 5 points on the 190, and state nomination or eligible family sponsorship adds 15 on the 491 — which is why those points are shown separately in the calculator above.

New Zealand replaced its old 160–180 point Skilled Migrant Category with a simple threshold in October 2023. On the points-based pathway you need 6 points: claim 3–6 points from one category only — a recognised qualification (a doctorate scores 6; a New Zealand bachelor’s degree scores 5; an overseas bachelor’s scores 4), an eligible New Zealand occupational registration (worth more the more training it requires), or income from a New Zealand job (6 points at three times the SMC wage threshold, currently NZD $35.00/hour) — then top up with 1 point per band of skilled work experience in New Zealand, to a maximum of 3 extra points.

Unlike Canada, this is a pass/fail threshold, not a ranking: meet 6 points and the other requirements (a skilled job or offer from an accredited employer, age 55 or under, English, health and character) and you can apply. The SMC also has two non-points routes — the Skilled Work Experience pathway (5+ years of relevant experience including 2 years skilled work in NZ) and the Trades and Technician pathway — which this calculator does not score.

Because points are only ever confirmed against evidence. A few of the most common reasons an official score comes out lower than a self-estimate: qualifications that have not been formally assessed (an ECA for Canada, an IQA for New Zealand, a skills assessment for Australia often decide which band you really fall in); language scores converted to the wrong benchmark band, or expired tests; work experience that is part-time, unpaid, self-employed, too old, or not in a qualifying occupation or skill level; and claiming points — such as partner or nomination points — before the underlying approval actually exists.

Timing matters too: Canada scores your age when you are invited, Australia scores age and points at invitation, and New Zealand’s wage threshold is updated periodically, which moves the income bands. Finally, rules genuinely change — Canada removed job-offer points in March 2025 and New Zealand revised its SMC settings in 2026 — which is why every calculator here carries an “as of October 2026” date.

For New Zealand, the answer is exact: 6 points. For Australia, 65 is the floor, not the target — check recent invitation rounds for your occupation and treat scores in the 85+ range as the competitive zone for many 189 occupations. For Canada, watch the cut-offs of the draw types you qualify for: general and Canadian Experience Class rounds have recently cut off above 500, while category-based rounds (French proficiency, healthcare, trades, education) have invited candidates with considerably lower scores. In all three systems, the cheapest points are usually a better language score; the biggest single lever is a provincial/state nomination.

No. VisaKit is an independent estimator that reproduces the published points tables so you can plan before paying for assessments or advice. It is not affiliated with IRCC, the Australian Department of Home Affairs, or Immigration New Zealand, and it cannot lodge an application. For anything that affects a real application, confirm the rule on the official website — canada.ca, immi.homeaffairs.gov.au or immigration.govt.nz — or use a licensed immigration adviser.