Published on: January 17th, 2022 By: RCIC Maher Dery
STUDY VISA TO NEW ZEALAND
Study Visa to New Zealand
You’ll need a student visa if you want to study full-time in New Zealand for more than 3 months.
When you need a student visa
Before you apply for a student visa, you must be accepted into a course with an approved educational provider.
Students who don’t need a visa
You don’t need a student visa to study full time if:
you’re an NZ citizen or resident
you’re an Australian citizen
you have a permanent residence visa or a resident return visa for Australia — without conditions.
Full-time study
Full-time study is:
for most tertiary institutions, at least 3 papers or equivalent, per semester
attending primary or secondary school.
Full-time study at Private Training Establishments (PTEs)
Full-time study at a PTE is:
a course that requires you to attend for at least 20 hours each week, or
if the course is Level 7 or above on the New Zealand Qualification Framework, studying at least 3 papers, or equivalent, each semester.
Applying for a student visa
Before you apply for a student visa
There are requirements you need to meet before applying for your student visa. You must be accepted into an approved course and show you have enough money to live on while you’re in NZ.
What you need before you apply
To qualify for a student visa, you’ll need:
to have been accepted into a course at an education institute approved by the Ministry of Education or NZQA
money for your tuition fees, or proof that they’ll be covered by a scholarship
proof you have enough money to live on while you’re in NZ
a ticket out of NZ, or enough money to buy one.
Supporting yourself financially
To support yourself while you study in NZ, you need to show you have one of the following:
NZD$1,250 for each month if your programme of study is less than 9 months
NZD$15,000 for each year if your programme of study is longer than 9 months
a scholarship, such as a New Zealand Aid Programme scholarship, or
a sponsor or family member who’s agreed to accept financial responsibility for you while you’re in NZ.
Insurance and health
You’ll also need:
approved medical and travel insurance, and
to be healthy and of good character.
Contact your education provider to get help with arranging medical and travel insurance.
Students under 13
If you’re under 13, you need to have a parent or legal guardian with you while you’re here.
Fees for domestic and international students
Most people who come to NZ to study are classed as international students and need to pay full fees.
If you qualify as a domestic student, your fees are usually less — but you’ll still need a student visa. You’re considered a domestic student instead of an international student if, for example:
you’re a PhD student who enrolled after April 2005
you’re studying at primary or secondary school under a government-approved exchange programme
you’re studying at primary or secondary school in NZ because your parent or legal guardian is here on a Work visa.
Character requirements for a student visa
You need to be of good character to study in New Zealand. If you want to come to NZ for more than 2 years, you’ll need to supply a police certificate.
If you’re over 17 and you’ll be in NZ for more than 2 years, you’ll need to provide a police certificate from:
your country of citizenship, and
any country you’ve lived in for longer than 5 years since you turned 17.
Police certificates must be less than 6 months old when you lodge your application with Immigration NZ. If you think you meet the requirements and you’ve collected your documents, you can usually apply online. Make sure you apply at least 6 weeks before you plan to come to NZ.
How to apply
You can apply online or fill out a paper form. If you apply online and supply all the information required, then you are likely to get a decision more quickly.
Applying for a visa online
Visas you can apply for using Immigration Online
You can apply for the following visas using Immigration Online:
Individual Student
Individual Work
Individual Visitor
Applying to extend your stay in New Zealand
Applying on behalf of an individual for student, work or visitor visa.
You are unable to apply for the following visas:
Groups (tour groups, sports teams etc.)
Family
Other categories.
What’s involved
Check the supporting documents you need to provide with your application
Create your Immigration ONLINE account
Complete all relevant fields in the application as fully as you can
Upload your documents and photo
Pay the application fee with your credit card
Submit the application
An Immigration New Zealander officer will begin assessing your application
A decision is made on your application and you are notified
Your eVisa is issued, or a physical label is placed on your passport.
What you need to apply online
To complete an online application you will need:
A valid credit card
A computer and reliable internet connection
A passport-style photo in jpeg format
PDF copies of your important documents OR a scanner to make copies.
eVisas
An eVisa is a visa issued without a physical label.
How to use Immigration Online
Information on how to answer questions, available languages and progress through an online application.
Security and privacy The security and privacy of your personal information are important to us. The system will allow information to be shared securely with other organizations online, subject to authorization from users, who will also be able to review and update their own online data.
What to send with your application
You’ll need to provide:
2 colour passport photos
all the required documents, and
a passport that’s valid for at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave NZ.
Documents you may need to send with your application include:
You can usually work up to 20 hours a week during term time, and full time over the holidays.
Who can work on a student visa
The visa in your passport will tell you if you can work, when and for how long.
You can usually work part-time for up to 20 hours per week as long as your full-time study programme is:
at least 2 years in duration, or
at least 1 full academic year, if you’re studying in NZ on an approved tertiary exchange scheme.
You must also be studying on a programme that:
leads to a New Zealand qualification that gives you points towards an application for a Skilled Migrant Category visa, or
is an English language course that meets conditions approved by Immigration NZ, or
is funded by a New Zealand Aid Programme scholarship and you’re studying under the:
New Zealand Development Scholarship
Commonwealth Scholarship
New Zealand Pacific Scholarship, or
New Zealand Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Scholars Award.
Hours you can work
Most NZ student visas let you work up to 20 hours a week during term-time and full time during holidays. Check your visa to confirm the hours you can work. If you have to complete work experience as part of your training, this can be added to your 20 hours a week. Masters by research and Ph.D. students can work as many hours as they like.
What you can’t do
International students aren’t allowed to be self-employed. You must work for an employer and have an employment agreement. You can’t provide commercial sexual services. This means you can’t:
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