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Studying in New Zealand is more than gaining an internationally recognised qualification. For many international students, it is the first strategic step toward long-term work opportunities and residence in New Zealand.
With the right course selection, post-study planning, and visa strategy, a New Zealand student visa can lead to skilled employment and, eventually, residence.
New Zealand is consistently ranked as one of the world’s most liveable and safest countries, offering:
High-quality education with globally recognised qualifications
Clear and transparent immigration policies
Strong demand for skilled workers across multiple industries
A supportive environment for international students and their families
Importantly, New Zealand offers structured post-study work rights, allowing graduates to gain local skilled work experience that may support future residence pathways.
While a student visa does not grant residence directly, it can form part of a long-term migration plan when combined with post-study work and skilled employment.
You enrol in an approved course at a New Zealand education provider. Course selection is critical and should take into account:
Qualification level (Level 4–10)
Industry relevance and skills demand
Eligibility for post-study work rights
After completing an eligible qualification, many graduates may apply for a Post-Study Work Visa, allowing them to work full-time in New Zealand.
This stage is crucial for:
Gaining New Zealand work experience
Securing skilled employment
Meeting salary and skill requirements for future visa options
Once employed in skilled work, graduates may become eligible for residence pathways such as:
Skilled residence categories
Employer-supported residence pathways
Occupation-specific residence routes, where available
Eligibility depends on factors including:
Job role and skill level
Pay rate
Work experience gained in New Zealand
Qualifications and any registration requirements
Not all courses offer the same migration outcomes. Strategic course selection can significantly improve your long-term prospects.
We assist with:
Identifying courses aligned with skills demand
Avoiding study pathways with limited employment outcomes
Planning qualification progression for long-term eligibility
A well-planned student visa application can save years of time and unnecessary expense.
University of Auckland | |
University of Otago | |
| University of Waikato | |
| Massey University | |
Victoria University of Wellington | |
University of Canterbury | |
| Lincoln University | |
| Auckland University of Technology |
UNITEC Institute of Technology | |
Manukau Institute of Technology | |
| Auckland Institute of Studies | |
| Queens Academic Group | |
Southern Institute of Technology | |
Eastern Institute of Technology | |
| Nelson Marlborough Insitute of Technology | |
| Otago Polytechnic | |
| Pacific International Hotel Management School | |
| Ara Institute of Canterbury at Christchurch | |
| Waikato Institute of Technology | |
| Wellington Institute of Technology | |
| Whitireia Community Polytechnic | |
| Universal College of Learning | |
| Yoobee School of Design | |
| North Tec | |
| International College of Auckland | |
| Media Design School | |
| Toi-Ohomai Institute of Technology | |
| Queenstown Resort College | |
| New Zealand Tertiary College | |
| ICL Education Group | |
| EDENZ Colleges | |
| National Tertiary Education Consortium | |
| Aspire 2 International | |
| Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki | |
| Newton College of Business and Technology |
This pathway may be suitable if you:
Wish to study and work in New Zealand on a long-term basis
Are open to building skills and experience over time
Prefer a lawful, transparent, and sustainable migration route
Understand that residence is not guaranteed, but can be planned for
Choosing a course without considering employment outcomes
Assuming any student visa leads to residence automatically
Studying at an inappropriate qualification level for your background
Failing to plan early for post-study work options
Professional guidance at the outset can make a significant difference.
We provide end-to-end guidance across education and migration planning, including:
Student visa strategy and eligibility assessment
Course and education provider selection aligned with migration goals
Post-study work and skilled employment planning
Long-term residence pathway advice
Our approach is realistic, compliant, and personalised, focusing on sustainable outcomes rather than shortcuts.
If you are considering studying in New Zealand with a view to future work and residence, early planning is essential.
Because every person’s circumstances are different, the first step is a paid one-on-one consultation. This consultation allows us to assess your education background, work experience, and immigration objectives, and to discuss potential study and post-study visa options relevant to your situation. We will explain possible pathways, outline key requirements, and identify any foreseeable risks, so you can make informed decisions before proceeding.
If you choose to engage us for visa assistance services following the consultation, the consultation fee may be credited towards our professional fees, subject to the terms agreed at engagement. This ensures transparency while allowing you to receive personalised advice before committing to further services.
This student visa will match those who primarily want to study in New Zealand. The visas of this type commonly allow limited employment hours, may be issued to cover a number of consecutive courses and are very specific in terms of what course of study the holder may be doing.
Whilst you may have multiple personal reasons to attend a course in New Zealand, a lot of people bear in mind prospective pathways leading them all the way from studying, through employment to residence.
In fact, getting a New Zealand qualification is the first step one might consider taking. Skills learnt locally are usually preferred, compared to overseas certificates of equal weight, as they come with a New Zealand focus on work values, necessary soft skills, as well as implying deeper knowledge of the rules of the game in the employment field, thus increasing employability.
Once you are in the country, you can take a look around and look for the best way to apply yourself. If, for some reason, your priorities change, you can, by all means, go on to study a second or subsequent course of study, as there is no cap on those for foreign students.
New Zealand is renowned for its high-quality education system. It is for this reason that degrees and diplomas are highly sought after by international students who also pursue long-standing goals of settling in the country, as well as securing themselves lucrative jobs in the meantime.
The best place to study by a long shot, New Zealand offers a range of options for students. The country’s most esteemed educational institutions open their door for you, offering a choice of diploma programmes. While on a student visa, you may be able to work part-time, bring your family, and, without doubt, enjoy the enviable quality of education, work-life balance and diverse culture, all of which are New Zealand staples.
The answer is – normally, you do.
Unless, however, you
On these occasions no student visa is necessary.
The visa duration will usually correlate with the length of the study you will be doing and will usually coincide with the tuition time which you have paid for. The maximum currency of this type of visa is 4 years.
The expiry of a student visa is usually set sometime after the course finishes, so that the students have time on their hands to get some rest, do some travelling if they like, and prepare for departure. Visas based on the New Zealand academic year will commonly expire on 31 March of the year which follows, whereas those under 1 year in duration will most likely allow the stay of up to 1 month after graduation.
At any public or private school, training establishment, polytechnic, university, or other, but only if the following important condition is met: all education providers who take international students must be signatories to the Education (Pastoral Care of International Students) Code of Practice 2016. In this way international students receive proper care and protection, as well as comprehensive information about their rights before the course of study begins.
To check whether the school you zooming in on is a signatory, you can follow this link on the NZQA website (https://www.nzqa.govt.nz/providers/index.do).
You can choose virtually any program approved for international students, which means it satisfies the provisions of the Education Act 1989. Your chosen school will normally confirm this in their offer of place; however, for peace of mind you can always ask NZQA.
For school-aged students there are also options to study at primary and secondary school, from Year 1 to Year 13.
If your long-term goal is to secure an Accredited Employer Work Visa, you may want to start with analysing the labour market and identifying its shortages. An initial step here may be to look at the Green List (see the link here) and find anything to your liking. With a job on such a list, the employer will not have to go the extra mile to prove that no New Zealanders are available for the job, and your visa may be issued sooner. With a local diploma on hand, you will not have a hard time proving you are suitably qualified for the job.
In this points-based category, New Zealand qualifications rate quite high, fetching from 40 (for levels 3-6 on the NZQF), 50 (for levels 7-8), and all the way to 70 points (levels 9-10).
On top of that, New Zealand qualifications starting from level 7 and up, may bring you additional, bonus points (10-15).
While it may feel like you are thrown in at the deep end when you have to settle into a totally new environment, culture, customs and weather conditions, you may reach out to us at your convenience for professional advice, and may rest assured your needs will be taken care of in the best possible manner.
You may
Although they would have a visa of the same type, not all students will have the right to undertake employment.
| You can only work if you are | - doing a full-time course of at least 2 academic years’ long, or - studying a full-time programme which leads to getting a New Zealand qualification that would qualify for point under the Skilled Migrant Category, or - studying full-time for at least 1 academic year and the programme that is part of an approved student exchange scheme; - engaged in a full-time programme that lasts for at least 24 weeks with the primary focus on furthering English language skills, and you have recent acceptable English language test results on hand (for example, 5.0 or higher in General or Academic module of IELTS). |
| You may be able to work during the scheduled breaks in your course if | - your course is a full-time one and lasts for at least 1 academic year, and - your course is worth at least 120 credits, and - its delivery takes place for at least 8 months (minimum two semesters). |
| You may also be able to work full-time during the Christmas and New Year holiday period if: | - you are studying full-time, and - your course lasts for a minimum of 2 semesters during a period of at least 8 month |
| You may be able to work during the scheduled breaks in your course if | - your course is a full-time one and lasts for at least 1 academic year, and - your course is worth at least 120 credits, and - its delivery takes place for at least 8 months (minimum two semesters). |
| You may also be able to work full-time during the Christmas and New Year holiday period if: | - you are studying full-time, and - your course lasts for a minimum of 2 semesters during a period of at least 8 month |
There are no restrictions on the hours these categories of students can work.
Talk to us to learn more about the work rights on your student visa, including secondary schools’ students and practical experience requirements. Book your 30-minute free consultation with our immigration consultant.
The set of supporting documents to accompany an application for a student visa will include
| offer of place or confirmation of enrolment (for returning students). It will have the name of the programme you intend to study, its duration and nature (full- or part-time), evidence that the education provider meets the requirements to educate international students, the assessment by the school that you are likely to meet the programme requirements, the specifics of the fee (amount, type); a confirmation of enrolment will usually contain some part of the above information; |
| evidence of payment of tuition fees (unless exempt or it is being paid for by a scholarship, government loan or other education scheme); if you are living outside New Zealand, this can be provided after approval in principle; |
| evidence that you have sufficient funds to maintain yourself and to travel back to your home country from New Zealand; alternatively, you may have to show proof of any bona fide sponsorship or financial undertaking, which will pay for your stay; the maintenance money requirement at the moment is set at $15000 a year (less prepaid living expenses) for study programmes of 36 weeks or longer, or $1250 a months for those under 36 weeks; |
| any medical and travel insurance arrangement (except PhD students and holders of New Zealand scholarship by MFAT) which will comply with the Education (Pastoral Care of International Students) Code of Practice 2016; |
| proof of being bona fide and |
| of good health and character. |
As common sense suggests, nobody can push you to complete the course of study if you have already decided otherwise. Circumstances change from time to time, as do our intentions and desires. You may be granted a further student visa or variation of conditions of your current one if you can make a convincing case for the Immigration Officer. Among other things you may need to show that you are still a bona fide applicant who is up for the suggested course of study and has no intentions of breaking the conditions of your visa.
You are most welcome to seek professional immigration advice from us at your fee-free 30-minute consultation. Our adviser will present your case to INZ, highlighting the genuineness of your determination to study in New Zealand further and to benefit the country with your skills.
