U10.5 Students from Iran (26/07/1999)

1. Students who are sponsored by the Iranian Government may be issued with student visas and granted student permits to undertake any course, regardless of how long it lasts.
2. Students from Iran may be issued with student visas or granted student permits to undertake a short-term English language course to prepare for long-term tertiary training in New Zealand.
3. Full-fee students from Iran may be issued with student visas and granted student permits to undertake any course of study lasting longer than 36 weeks, unless they arrived in New Zealand on student visas issued before 1 January 1992.

U10.5.1 Requirements for full-fee students from Iran

Visa and immigration officers must be satisfied that applicants:

1. have an offer of a place from an educational institution; and
2. have paid the course fees or are exempt from having to pay them; and
3. have provided evidence of onward travel arrangements, including:
   1. an open-dated or return ticket or sufficient funds to purchase one, or
   2. a financial undertaking as in paragraph (d); and
4. have provided evidence of funds for maintenance for the length of the course they are attending while in New Zealand, including:
   1. a letter from the educational institution confirming that accommodation and other living expenses are included as part of a prepaid package, or
   2. a completed Financial Undertaking for a Student form, or
   3. a letter or certificate from a bank in New Zealand confirming that the amount of funds required by ordinary visitors for each month of the applicants' intended stay, has been deposited in New Zealand.

      Note: Students who choose option (iii) do not need to provide evidence that funds have been transferred until their application has been approved in principle.

U10.5.5 Sponsorship for full-fee students from Iran

1. Students from Iran may not have third country sponsors, and the form Financial Undertaking for a Student must be completed by a close family member who is either:
   1. lawfully and permanently resident in New Zealand (See F4.1.1), or
   2. a sponsor from Iran, provided that the 'Bank Confirmation' section of the Financial Undertaking for a Student form is completed by a trading bank in New Zealand.
2. A 'close family member' means:
   • a parent, or
   • an adult sibling, or
   • an aunt, or
   • an uncle, or
   • a grandparent.
3. The applicant must provide evidence of:
   1. the relationship between the sponsor and the applicant, and
   2. the sponsor's immigration status if subparagraph (a)(i) above applies.

Effective 26/07/99 - 1/10/1999