It can be argued that studying in New Zealand is a good option for international students because there are close to 50,000+ international students there each year out of a total of 150,000+ applications. Since only a limited number of international students are accepted, they also apply for a study visa. Students who receive an offer letter and accept it are qualified to submit a request for a student visa. The time required to process a visa application can range from 8 to 10 weeks, depending on how many applications are submitted for a given academic session.

There are four alternative ways to apply for student visas: online, offline, through an immigration advisor, or at a visa centre. If an application was submitted online, it can be followed through RealMe or NZeTA; if it was submitted offline, it can be tracked through the immigration advisors; and if it was submitted through a visa centre, it can be tracked by VAC. When an international student confirms their admission to a New Zealand university, they are advised to apply for the visa as soon as possible.

December 5, 2022: 

As more than 12,000 international students have applied for a student visa as of November 19 and New Zealand’s borders opened on July 31 of this year, New Zealand has sped up the evaluation of student visa applications. Applications for student visas have so far been approved for about 7,731 people. In just eight weeks, decisions on 95% of the applications for student visas were made.

April 12, 2022: Student and work visa holders in New Zealand can travel back from April 12, 2022, onwards. Students can visit New Zealand if they have valid study visas. In some cases, students must apply for a new visa if their present situation does not fit with their current scenario. If no changes are made to the course or institution, students will still be eligible to use the study visa that was first given to them.

Feb 4, 2022:

After two years, New Zealand decided to reopen its borders due to the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing its nationals who had been abroad, as well as foreign students, tourists, and skilled employees.

New Zealand Student Visa Details

Students who plan to study in New Zealand for a longer timeframe than three months must apply for a New Zealand Student Visa. An applicant with a student visa is able to enrol in full-time studies in New Zealand for a specified period of time. Check International Student Guide for New Zealand.

A student visa may have conditions you must meet – for example, it may include (not limited to):

  • The name of the program you are allowed to study
  • The name of the educational provider
  • The New Zealand location of the provider, and
  • The requirement to hold acceptable insurance

Qualifications for Student Visa in New Zealand

In order to travel to New Zealand with a student visa, an international student must fulfil the following criteria:

  • Applicant must have confirmed their offer letter for a course registered under the Ministry of Education of New Zealand or NZQA.
  • It is mandatory for the applicants to show proof of US $9,715.99 approx. for a year in order to stay in New Zealand for study.
  • An applicant must maintain NZD 1250 per month in order to survive in New Zealand.
  • A ticket not to New Zealand but elsewhere to prove that the applicant actually has enough expenses to study and stay in New Zealand.

Cost of New Zealand Student Visa Application

Cost of a New Zealand visa: Students who submit their student visa applications online must pay a visa fee of NZD 330 plus in receiving centre fees . Applicants who submit their applications for student visas by mail must pay USD 330 plus  in receiving centre fees. Applicants should be aware that the processing fees may vary based on the Visa Centre; therefore, before applying, candidates must check the official website for the current amount. 

Documents Required for New Zealand Student Visa Application

Candidates looking to apply for their New Zealand Student Visa must have the following documents as part of their visa application process: 

  • Valid passport – Your passport must be valid for at least three months beyond your period of stay in New Zealand
  • Completed Student Visa Application Form (INZ 1012)
  • Application fee payment receipt (fee as mentioned above)
  • An offer of a place – You need to have an offer of a place from a New Zealand institute/university. The forms are usually issued after the tuition fees have been received
  • Letter from your current institution confirming status as a study abroad student
  • Health insurance receipt
  • You may be required to show Health and Character certificates, to prove that your intention of staying in New Zealand is genuine
  • Two passport-sized photographs

Additional documentation may be required. The interviewer may ask for more documents during the personal interview. This could be proof of financial status or academic records documents.

  • Transcripts, diplomas, degrees, or certificates from schools you attended
  • Scores from tests that your college required, such as TOEFL, GRE, or GMAT scores
  • How you will pay for all educational, living and travel costs

How to apply for a New Zealand Student Visa online?

Applicants should be aware that submitting their New Zealand visa application online is the preferred option. In compared to post, the online method is not only quicker but also less expensive. Here’s how to use NZ Immigration Online to complete your application.

As noted above, gather your documents. Scan and prepare all of your primary and supporting documents in PDF format. Make sure to scan and include a photo of yourself. Applicants are advised to check the official website for photograph specifications required by the embassy.

Depending on the applicant’s background, the New Zealand High Commission usually needs 63 calendar days to process a visa application. Therefore, the students must apply for their visas at least three months before the start of their course. Finish your online application – You must register for a free account and complete the form.

NZ Student Visa Dependents

The majority of the time, a student’s spouse and dependent children will be given a visitor visa for the same period of time as their partner or parents. In NZ, spouses of students with work visas are permitted to work full-time. The dependents of students with visitor visas, however, are not permitted to work.

You must be in a genuine and stable relationship with your partner and you must hold a New Zealand student visa to study for:

  • A level seven (or higher) qualification on the New Zealand Qualification Framework in an area of absolute skill shortage as specified in the Long Term Skill Shortage List, or
  • A postgraduate qualification

Additional Information

You must finish your course as an international student within the time frame specified on your acceptance letter for the course. You can apply for a Post-study work visa even if you don’t yet have a job offer. The visas you are given are good for up to a year and let you work a temporary job while you look for work in your field.

You can work part-time for up to 20 hours per week if your program of study meets one of these criteria:

  • It is at least two years in duration.
  • It leads to a New Zealand qualification that qualifies for points towards an application for a Skilled Migrant visa.
  • It is a tertiary institution, and the main purpose is to develop English language skills – you must also have an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) overall band score of 5.0 or above in the general or academic modules.

If you are enrolled in a full-time program of study that exceeds one academic year, you are permitted to work full-time throughout all vacations. You can work full-time throughout the Christmas and New Year holidays if your full-time program of study is less than 120 credits, has a minimum of two semesters, and lasts at least eight months.

There are no limits to the number of hours you can work if you are enrolled in a Master’s by research or PhD degree program offered by a New Zealand academic institution.

 

New Zealand Study Visa Processing Time

International students’ student visa applications are usually processed in New Zealand between 30 to 90 days. Based on a schedule of three months beginning on August 31, 2022, and the amount of time needed to assess and process study visa applications in New Zealand:

Education Providers

50% Applications Processed in

75% Applications Processed in

90% Applications Processed in

ITPs

32 days

48 days

62 days

PTEs

30 days

47 days

67 days

Schools

21 days

31 days

45 days

Universities

22 days

39 days

66 days

If the New Zealand student visa application is approved or denied, the application is considered complete. The information above may vary based on data updates made to the official website.

Scholarships for Studying in New Zealand

International students are quite worried about arranging the necessary financial support to attend educational institutions in New Zealand. Nonetheless, a variety of scholarships are available for students to apply for and take advantage of from the New Zealand government and other universities.

We have listed out the top scholarships that students can apply to study in New Zealand. Other Scholarships include:

  • CCSE Graduate Scholarship
  • BrokerFish International student scholarship
  • Central Sector Scheme of National Overseas Scholarship for SC etc. candidates
  • Ritchie-Jennings Memorial Scholarship 

New Zealand Student Visa Guide FAQs

  • Q. What are the dependent visas in New Zealand?
    Relation based visas are the ones that for the student’s family or dependents. In New Zealand the following relationship based visas are acceptable from international student visa holders’ dependents:
  • Culturally Arranged Marriage Visitor Visa
  • Partner of a New Zealander Visitor Visa
  • Partner of a New Zealander Work Visa
  • Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa
  • Child of a New Zealander Visitor Visa
  • Dependent Child Student Visa
  • Dependent Child Resident Visa
  • Adoption Visitor Visa
  • Adoption Pre-citizenship Visitor Visa
  • Q. How long is a student visa in New Zealand?
    The student visa in New Zealand is for 12 months long. If the course opted by the student is for more than 1 year then he/she will have to apply again to renew the student visa. However, the students can stay up to 4 years while he/she completes their study in New Zealand.
  • Q. Is New Zealand accepting visa applications from students for 2023 session?
    Yes, New Zealand has started accepting visa applications from international students for the academic session starting from 2023. It was initially closed because the borders hadn’t opened for international students to return to New Zealand for their studies.
  • Q. When will student visa applications open in New Zealand?
    It is expected that by October 2022 New Zealand would start accepting student visa applications. And by the starting of 2023 applicants might receive their student visas as well.
  • Q. What is the average time for processing a student visa in New Zealand? 
    The average visa application processing time is between 3-4 months and varies in case some documents are missing or if the visa office requires more clarity about the applicant or his/her application.
  • Q. How to apply for a student visa in New Zealand?
    There are four ways of applying for a student visa in New Zealand:
  • Apply online
  • Apply using a paper form
  • Apply through an immigration advisor 
  • Apply at a visa application centre.
  • Q. How much bank balance is required for student visa in New Zealand?
    International students studying in New Zealand, holding a student visa would need NZD 15,000 to pay living costs for each year of study. If they apply after 31 July 2022 for New Zealand university admissions, they would need NZD 20,000, or NZD 17,000 per year if studying in compulsory education. This is the minimum amount needed to transfer to the FTS account.
  • Q. Is IELTS required from international students applying for a student visa in New Zealand?
    If international students are applying for admission to New Zealand universities and wish to get a student visa for the 2023 academic year, they’d need a minimum overall IELTS Band Score of 5.5. For New Zealand residence visas, the applicants would need a minimum score on an IELTS Band Score between 4.0 to 6.5.
  • Q. Is interview compulsory for NZ student visa?
    Yes, international students who qualify for admissions to New Zealand universities will have to appear for an interview after applying for a student visa. No matter how tough the interview may sound, its significant to qualify for the interview in order to be able to get a student visa to study in New Zealand. 
  • Q. Does New Zealand accept study gap while applying for a student visa?
    If an international student qualifies for admission to New Zealand university along with his/her study gap, then the student can apply for a visa to New Zealand. During the interview, the students can show credible information about what he/she has been doing in the aforementioned gap years in terms of work experience, studies and skill set, etc.