Working on a student visa

Check your visa conditions

Your visa's conditions, including your work rights, are recorded on your eVisa, the visa label in your passport, or in our visa letter to you. 

If you are allowed to work in New Zealand, you will have work rights.

If you work when you you have no work rights, it is a breach of your visa conditions. This can affect your ability to stay in New Zealand, or our decision on your next visa application.

Deportation and how you can appeal

Types of students who can work

You may be able to work part-time or full-time if you are:

• a tertiary student
• a PhD or Masters student
• some English language students
• secondary school students in Years 12 and 13 who have school and parent permission
• completing practical experience for your study.

Working as a tertiary student

Part-time work while studying

You can work part-time up to 20 hours a week if you are doing a full-time course that:

• is for at least 2 academic years
• results in a New Zealand qualification at Level 4 or above on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework (NZQCF), or
• is at least 1 academic year long and is part of an approved tertiary student exchange scheme.

You generally need to be studying full-time to be eligible for in-study work rights, however this does not apply if you are:

• in your final semester of a programme of study in New Zealand, resulting in a New Zealand qualification at Level 4 or higher on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework, or
• studying part-time, and are in the final semester of a programme that is at least 2 academic years duration.

About the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework (NZQCF) — NZQA website

You can also work part-time up to 20 hours a week if you are aged 18 or older, enrolled full-time and are included in a 2021 Resident Visa application as a dependent child.

You cannot work part-time if you are:

• a study abroad student, or
• a tertiary exchange student studying a course with a duration of less than 1 academic year.

2021 Resident Visa

Full-time work during breaks and holiday

Your visa conditions will allow you to work full-time during scheduled breaks in study if all of these apply:

• you study full-time for at least 1 academic year
• your course is worth at least 120 credits, and
• your course has a minimum of 2 semesters during at least 8 months.

You can work full-time during the Christmas and New Year holiday period if:

• you study full-time, and
• your course has a minimum of 2 semesters during at least 8 months.

PhD and Masters by research students

There are no restrictions on the hours you can work if you are enrolled in a Research Masters or doctoral degree programme (PhD) awarded by a New Zealand tertiary institution.

English language students

If you are an English language student, you can work part-time up to 20 hours a week while you have a valid Student Visa, if your course meets the following conditions.

Courses of at least 24 teaching weeks

You can work part-time if all of these apply:

• your study is full-time
• your programme of study is at least 24 teaching weeks
• we believe the main purpose of your study is to improve your English, and
• you have an acceptable English language test result that is no more than 2 years old, such as an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) certificate, with an overall band score of 5.0 — you must provide your test result with your application.

Courses of at least 14 teaching weeks

You can work part-time if all of these apply:

• your study is full-time
• your study is for at least 14 consecutive weeks
• you are studying English language, and
• your study is with a university, or an education provider that has been assessed by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority as a Category 1 provider.

When we assess if you are eligible for work rights, we will look at any English language study you have done on previous student visas.

We can count your previous English language study towards the 14 consecutive weeks if:

• your new study follows on from your previous study, and
• the study is with the same education provider.

Secondary school students

Your visa conditions will allow you to work part-time for up to 20 hours a week during the school year, and full-time in the Christmas and New Year holiday between school years if:

• you are 16 or older, and
• studying in year 12 or 13, the last 2 years of secondary school.

Practical experience

If practical experience is a requirement of your course, we will grant you a Student Visa with conditions that allow you to work to complete it.

Work you cannot do

International students are not allowed to be self-employed. You must work for an employer and have an employment agreement.

You cannot provide commercial sexual services. This means you cannot:

• work as a prostitute
• operate a New Zealand prostitution business
• invest in a prostitution business.

If your visa does not allow you to work

If you meet the criteria to work but the work conditions on your eVisa, passport label or letter do not match, contact us for assistance.

Contact us

Working when your course ends and your visa is valid

If you have finished your studies and your student visa is still valid, you can work full-time if your visa's work condition is either:

• May work full-time over the summer vacation
• May work full-time during a scheduled vacation.

If your visa's work condition is 'work part-time up 20 hours per week', then you must continue working these hours if your course has finished.

Find out about staying in New Zealand to work.
Staying to work after study

Contact us

If you have questions about your ability to work, contact us.

Contact us