Check or change your student visa conditions

Your student visa will have conditions on it. Conditions describe what you can and cannot do on your visa.

You can find your visa conditions:

• in your eVisa
• on the visa label in your passport, if you have a label
• in the letter we sent you when we gave you the visa
• online using the Visa Verification Service.

The Visa Verification Service

To change any of your visa conditions, you will need to apply for a variation of conditions.

Working on your student visa

You can apply to change your visa conditions to allow you to work part-time or during your holidays, if your visa does not allow you to do this already.

To apply for a variation of conditions to work, you must meet the requirements for working on a student visa that are relevant to you.

Working on a student visa

Changing your course or where you are studying

You can apply to change your visa conditions to study a different or with a different education provider.

To be granted a variation of conditions to change your programme of study, education provider, or study location, we must be satisfied that you:

• meet student visa requirements
• have not breached your visa conditions
• would have been granted your current student visa if you had applied for the proposed new course, education provider, or study location in that application
• genuinely intend to study.

When assessing this, we check whether the level or subject area of the proposed course is significantly different from your current course.

You should apply for a new student visa instead or changing your conditions if:

• your new course is significantly different from your current course, for example you are changing from studying medicine to studying engineering
• your new course will finish on a date that is much sooner or much later than your current finish date
• your current course will finish soon — we cannot change your visa expiry date when you change your visa conditions, or
• you have a Pathway Student Visa and you want to change your education provider.

Explore study options

To apply to change your visa conditions, you will need evidence:

• of an 'offer of place' from the new education provider you want to study at
• that you have paid the course fees - you can provide this after your application is

Staying after scholarship funding ends

If your scholarship funding has stopped and you want to continue your study in New Zealand, before your visa expires you can:

• apply to change the conditions on your current visa - for example to change your course or provider, or
• submit a new student visa application.

If you apply to change your visa conditions, you will need proof that you can pay for your living expenses yourself and that any remaining course fees have been paid. Evidence can include:

• bank statements showing you have enough money to pay for your living expenses
• a letter from your education provider showing fees are paid or that you do not have to pay fees — you can provide evidence that you have paid the fees after your application is 
• proof of accommodation pre-payment.

If you apply for a new student visa, you will need to provide proof of:

• your previous student performance
• satisfactory attendance
• an assessment of your progress by your education provider.

Changing your travel conditions

If you need to change the travel conditions on your visa, you can apply on paper for a 'variation of travel conditions'.

For example, you can apply to change the date you must first enter New Zealand by.

In some cases, it is not possible to apply for a variation of conditions, and you will need a new visa.

The following are some examples of when you will need a new visa.

Studying part-time instead of full-time

Student visas are given for full-time study. If you want to change to part-time study, you will need to apply for a new visa.

In most cases, you can apply for a visitor visa then apply for a variation of conditions to let you study part-time.

Explore and select a visa

Studying by correspondence or distance learning

Most universities offer some correspondence courses - also known as distance learning - where you can do the whole course from anywhere without physically attending lessons in a classroom.

We normally do not give student visas for people to complete correspondence courses.

If you are overseas doing a New Zealand correspondence course and need to come to New Zealand for a practical or an exam, you will need to apply for a visitor visa (if you need to come for less than 3 months) or a student visa to allow you to do this part of your study.

Staying longer to finish your course

Sometimes, you may need to stay longer to finish your study, for example, if you have failed one of your courses.

You will need to apply for a new student visa.

In your visa application, you will need to provide proof of:

• your previous student performance
• satisfactory attendance
• an assessment of your progress by your education provider.

Staying after your course finishes

You must have a valid visa to stay in New Zealand after your course finishes. You cannot apply for a variation of conditions.

You can apply for a:

• general Visitor Visa or other visitor visa, if you want to stay for your graduation but plan to leave New Zealand afterwards
• Post Study Work Visa, if you plan to work after graduation
• different visa to visit, work, study, live or invest in New Zealand.

Visitor Visa

Staying to work after finishing your study

Post Study Work Visa