Education New Zealand (ENZ), in cooperation with the Immigration Department, has launched a three-minute video with instructions on how to apply for a Student Visa.
According to the official press release of ENZ, the video includes tips that, if followed, increase the chances for candidates to obtain a student visa in the country, VisaGuide.World reports.
Some of the tips included in this video guide are as follows:
- Start the preparation of all required documents at least three months ahead of the application date.
- Make sure to prove that you have enough funds to cover your expenses during your stay in New Zealand.
- Ensure that you submit all the required documents and those that are not in English must be translated.
The state’s immigration department, INZ, has advised students to apply for visas ahead of time in order to avoid delays and any other inconveniences.
INZ recommends that students apply at least three months before their intended travel date to give them the best chance of having their application decided in time.
Peak Volume of Visa Applications Are Expected, Immigration Department Reveals
The INZ has revealed that the period between October and March is the busiest time for visa applications, considering that most people apply for student visas.
For this reason, it is important for students to apply for their visas as early as possible, which would be three months ahead of the start of their academic year.
In addition, INZ highlights that by applying for a visa early, students take their time filling out the application and make sure that there are no errors in their request. Therefore, the authorities can also process their application way quicker than they would during the period between October and March.
We strongly encourage students to get their applications in three months prior to their intended travel dates. It is important you make sure you have all the required documents and meet our thorough funds assessment in your application. Not having your application in early with all the required documents, including a valid Offer of Place, means you might not be able to start your intended course and can be incredibly disappointing.
Depending on the type of education, student candidates to New Zealand could wait between four (school students) and six (Te Pukenga students) weeks for their visa to get processed.
Over 24,000 Student Visa Applications Were Received by INZ in 2024
According to the INZ website, between January and July of 2024, INZ received 24,541 student visa applications. Around 20,369 applications have already been processed, while 15,242 are approved. This means that 74.8 percent of visa applications for study purposes have received a positive response.
However, Indian students are not among those who are easily granted student visas in New Zealand. Despite India being the largest source of market for international students to New Zealand, the latter has been refusing more applications than usual.
Immigration New Zealand figures show it has refused 49 percent of 2,694 study visa applications filed from Indian candidates in the first three months of this year, up from 42 percent in the full year of 2023.