How long you can work on a Post Study Work Visa

You can get a Post Study Work Visa for up to 3 years depending on your qualifications, if you are working towards occupational registration, and the dates that you held (or had applied) for your student visa.

If you applied for a student visa after 11 May 2022

The length of your Post Study Work Visa will depend on the qualification you completed in New Zealand. If you completed a Master’s or Doctoral level qualification in New Zealand, and studied here for at least 30 weeks you can work in New Zealand for 3 years.

If you completed a  qualification at level 8 or below your work visa will be for the same length of time as your study. We will use your offer of place to work this out. For example if your offer of place says that your study will take 32 weeks, your visa will be for 32 weeks.

If you fail a course or otherwise take longer to complete your study than what is stated on your offer of place this will not extend the length of your visa. If the actual length of your study is different from the offer of place, we may request further information from your education provider.

If you applied for a student visa on or before 11 May 2022

You may be eligible for a Post Study Work Visa for up to 3 years if, on 11 May 2022:

• you were already studying in New Zealand on a student visa, or
• we had accepted your application for a student visa, which was subsequently approved.

If you entered New Zealand as part of the border exception for 5,000 new and returning students (under cohort 4) you also may be eligible for a Post Study Work Visa.

In all cases, you must have studied an acceptable qualification to be eligible for a Post Study Work Visa.

Acceptable qualifications for a Post Study Work Visa (pre 12 May 2022)