New Zealand recently announced some visa updates concerning international students wishing to study in this country.
The updates include clarity about some post-study work visa (PSWV) issues, new application requirements, and an increase in student visa fees, VisaGuide.World reports.
In a recent statement, authorities noted that most level eight postgraduates’ degrees will qualify for a one-year post-study work visa, while master’s graduates will be eligible for a three-year PSWV.
Who Can Apply for a New Zealand Post-Study Work Visa?
To qualify for a New Zealand post-study work visa, eligible students of the above categories must have completed a minimum of 30 weeks of full-time study in the specific program/qualification being presented for a PSWV.
In addition, applicants must hold or have held a student visa for that specific qualification and are required to apply within three months of the expiry date of the student visa.
However, some students who finished postgraduate studies (PG dip) and cross-credited directly into taught masters did not undertake full-time study in the master’s for at least 30 weeks full time in New Zealand.
Therefore, this caused issues for these students when they applied for a post-study work visa.
INZ is working directly with affected students and exploring options for them. However, it is important for agents and education providers to understand the PSWV rules.
Authorities further explained that even though the first classes of a master’s may be similar to, or the same as a postgraduate diploma, the two programmes require different entry conditions and are recognized as separate qualifications.
For students who want to cross-credit their PG Dip to a masters and undertake some extra study in order to gain a three-year PSWV for that masters, the student would need to have studied the masters itself full-time for at least 30 weeks.
As further noted, exam preparation time is included in study weeks, while holiday periods and time spent repeating failed components are not included in the study weeks.
Students Must Submit Applications 3 Months Before Planned Entry to New Zealand
As the time approaches when Zealand accepts the highest number of student visa applications, authorities have advised potential applicants to submit the necessary documentation three months before travelling to New Zealand.
As soon as they have all the documents they need to apply for their visa, students should submit their application three months before their intended travel date to give them the best chance of having their application decided in time.
Students can also apply earlier than three months if they manage to collect all necessary documents required for a student visa application.
Student Visa Fees to Double from October 1, 2024
New Zealand recently decided to increase visa fees for almost all migrant categories. The new policy, set to become effective on October 1, 2024, also includes student visas.
More specifically, the fee for a student visa application will increase from NZD 375 to NZD 750, while post-study work visa fees will climb from NZD 700 to NZD 1,670.
The increase in visa fees is expected to recover visa processing costs and help the country rebuild its economy, among other things.
Until now, the immigration system has been heavily subsidised by taxpayers. The new fees have been set at a rate to recover the costs of assessing and processing each visa type and more accurately reflect the total service surrounding the immigration system.
As further noted, student visa fees vary depending on where the application is submitted, so applicants are encouraged to check Immigration New Zealand’s official website for detailed information about new fees and levies.
However, New Zealand has visa fee waiver agreements with some countries, and this policy will remain unchanged.
In addition, refugees, refugee seekers, protected individuals, and victims of family violence are exempt from paying visa application fees or immigration levy in New Zealand.
Applications Submitted Before October 1 Will Be Charged Existing Fee
Since visa fees are set to double from October 1, some education representatives have raised questions about whether students can apply for visas now at the current cost and submit documents later after completing the application.
Regarding this issue, authorities noted that if applications are not available for evaluation because of missing documents, then this will result in “delays or disappointment” for the students.
INZ will not be contacting applicants if documents are missing from the application, and if the missing information is key to the assessment, then the applications may be declined.
Therefore, authorities called on the education sector to encourage students to apply once they complete the required application for a student visa.
New Zealand Received 124,000 Study Visa Applications Since August 2022
Citing official statistics, ICEF Monitor revealed that about 124,000 people have applied for a New Zealand student visa since August 2022, when the government re-opened the country’s borders to foreigners after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Of those, more than 119,000 applications have been processed to date, while 101,000 have been approved.