Foreign Government Supported Student Visa
If you have a foreign government loan or scholarship, you can apply for this visa to study full-time in New Zealand for more than 3 months.
Apply online-
Length of stay
Up to
4 years
-
Cost
From
NZD $850
-
Processing time
80% within
2 weeks
To apply you must:
- be from a country that has an education agreement with New Zealand, and provide a letter setting out the terms of your Government's support
- have an offer of place from an approved education provider
- provide confirmation that your tuition fees will be paid by your Government
- if you already have a student visa, provide evidence of student performance
- meet the other requirements of this visa.
This visa lets you:
- study full-time at the course stated on your visa — this includes school, tertiary (study after secondary school) and English language study
- work part-time up to 20 hours a week while studying, and full-time in the holidays, depending on your visa conditions
- live by yourself above a certain age — otherwise you must come with a parent or legal guardian.
You cannot include your partner or children in your application, but they can apply for visas based on their relationship to you.
Who can apply
Check if you are eligible for this visa and what supporting documents and information you need to provide.
Identity
As proof of your identity, you must provide:
- 1 acceptable photo if you apply online, or 2 photos if you use a paper application form.
- your passport or
Note
Your passport must be valid for at least 3 months after you plan to leave New Zealand.
If your photo does not meet all of our requirements we will ask you for a new photo. If you are applying for a visa, we will stop processing your application until we receive an acceptable photo. If you are requesting an NZeTA, your request may be delayed or refused. Use the photo examples on this page to check your photo is correct and meets our requirements. Alert Do not use the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs website or other online tools to check your photo as those tools are for passport photos only. Your photo is more likely to be accepted if you use a professional photographer or business that takes passport photos. Give the photographer our instructions to make sure you get a photo that meets our requirements.
The photo you submit with a paper application must be 35 mm wide and 45 mm high. Further instructions are on the paper application forms. Note You can only apply for an NZeTA online. The photo you submit with an online application must be: Alert We are unlikely to accept your photo if it is not the right size. If you request an NZeTA using the web app, you can either upload an existing photo or take one using your device's camera. If you use the mobile app, you can only take a photo using your device's camera. Your photo must be: If you take a photo with your device, the camera must have a minimum resolution of 540 x 720 pixels. Large photos will be automatically formatted. If there is an issue with your photo you will receive an error message when you submit your visa or NZeTA photo online. To help you, we have provided a list of online errors and how to fix them. Your photo must: It may be easier to remove them.
Visa and NZeTA photos
Your photo must be less than 6 months old and clearly identify you. It must also meet all of our technical requirements.
Meeting our photo requirements
Visa and NZeTA photos are not passport photos
Using a professional photographer
Paper applications for visas
Online applications for visas
Online requests for NZeTAs
Online photo error messages
Taking your visa photo
Be in portrait, not landscape
Be of you, not a photo of a photo or your travel document
Have even lighting with minimal shadowing
Be in colour, showing natural skin tones
Be in focus, not blurry
Not contain red-eye
Be an original photo, not changed by photo-editing software
Not be a selfie
Be taken 1.5 metres from the face
Be taken against a plain, light-coloured — but not white — background with no patterns or objects
Only contain plain clothing patterns
Be of one person
We need to clearly see your face
Face the camera and keep your head straight
Keep your eyes open and mouth closed
Do not smile or frown
Show your face clearly and that long hair is tucked behind your ears
Position yourself in the middle of the photo
Remove sunglasses and hats
If you wear prescription glasses
Make sure your eyes show clearly through the lenses, with no reflected light
If you wear a head covering for religious or medical reasons
Make sure that your face and hairline can be seen in the photo
If you apply online, you must upload a copy of your passport when you apply. We will let you know if you need to send your passport after you have applied.
You do not need to send us a physical copy. You must send us a high-quality scan of your passport. Provide a scanned copy of your current and recent passports, including: File formats for uploading documents and photos If you are including your partner or dependent children in your application, you must send us high-quality scans of their passports too. If you are applying for a: You must upload a high-quality scan of your current passport or travel document information page when you start your application. This is the page with your photo, name, date of birth and document details like passport number, expiry and issuing authority. Make sure your scan also includes the MRZ code — the string of characters on the bottom of the information page of your passport. If you are including a partner or dependent children in your application, you will also need to upload a high-quality scan of their passport information page. Immigration Online will read the identity and document details in your scanned copy and fill in these fields for you on the form. Check the details in the form are correct and fix any mistakes. If all the information is correct you do not need to do anything and can continue with your application. If Immigration Online could not upload your document, rescan your document and try again. Make sure the document: You can upload any other pages with visa records, entry and exit stamps in the 'Identity evidence' fields in the 'Supporting documents' section of your application form. If you are applying for another type of visa online, we will email you if we need your physical passport to confirm your identity. You may not need to send us your passport if you are: If you renew your passport before you travel, you must transfer your eVisa or the visa label to your new passport. Transferring a visa to a new passport You may not be able to come to New Zealand if your visa and passport do not match in our system. If we need to see your physical passport to confirm your identity, we will: Most people do not need to provide their physical passport. If you are not sure if you need to send your passport, check the final page of your completed visa application in your Immigration Online account. Warning If you do not send your passport within the time we specify, we may delay processing your application or decline it. If you are applying from outside New Zealand, send your passport to your nearest Visa Application Centre (VAC) or Immigration New Zealand (INZ) office. We must receive it within 20 working days from when we ask for it. Most people use a courier or postal tracking service to send us their passports. Offices outside of New Zealand (Visa Application Centres) Postal addresses for sending paper documents We will contact you with instructions about where and how to send your passport if you: Check our postal addresses page for where to send your passport in New Zealand. Use a signature-required courier service so it arrives quickly. Postal addresses for sending paper documents You may have to pay a fee to send your passport to a VAC. You can find the handling fee on the website of your nearest VAC. Fill in the filters and select the tab called ‘Passport handling for online application’. VFS Global for individuals — VFS Global If you sent your passport to a VAC, they contact you with the tracking details after they send your passport back to you. If you have any questions or concerns about the return of your passport, contact the VAC directly. Note The VAC may not send your passport back to you until after we have made a decision about your visa application. If you sent your passport to an INZ office, you receive a tracking number after we send it back to you. Contact the courier company if you have any questions about delivery. For any other questions or concerns, contact us. If you need your passport urgently, contact the INZ officer processing your application. When you contact them, include:
Providing your passport for an online application
How to provide a digital copy of your passport or send us your original passport so we can verify your identity.
If you are applying for a visitor, student or work visa
Resident and transit visas
You must upload a high-quality scan of your passport or travel document when you apply online. You do not need to send us a physical copy.Upload the passport or travel document information page
File formats for uploading documents and photosUpload other passport or travel document pages
Other online applications
Transfer a visa to a new passport
Providing your physical passport
Sending your passport from outside New Zealand
Countries that cannot use a VAC
Sending your passport in New Zealand
Sending your passport to a VAC
Getting your passport returned from a VAC or INZ office
Urgent return of passports
If you submit a paper application, provide your original passport or a certified copy. We can usually process your application faster if you provide your original passport.
Citizens of China applying from China
You must also provide your:
- Hukou (household registration book)
- Chinese identity card.
If you are a citizen of China and you are submitting a paper application form in China, you must also complete a supplementary form.
Applicants from Hong Kong or Macao applying within Hong Kong or Macao
You must also provide a copy of your identity card.
If you are submitting a paper application form, you must provide a supplementary form for Hong Kong and Macao visitors, workers and students.
Citizens of Indonesia
If you are a citizen of Indonesia, you must also provide your
Applicants applying from New Caledonia
You must also provide a copy of your carte d’assuré.
Even if your partner and children are not coming with you, you must also provide:
- copies of their passports
- a copy of your livret de famille.
Health
You must be in good health.
We may ask you to have a chest X-ray, a medical examination or both as proof of your good health.
If you are staying less than:
- 6 months you do not normally need a chest X-ray.
- 12 months you do not normally need a medical certificate.
To get a New Zealand visa, applicants must be in good health. To show us that you have an acceptable standard of health, you may need to have a medical examination, chest X-ray or both. If you do, you will need to include a medical certificate or an eMedical reference number in your application. Why you need to provide evidence of your good health How to get an X-ray or medical examination There are 3 types of medical certificate: What you need to provide depends on the type of visa you are applying for, how long you intend to stay in New Zealand, what country you are from, and whether you have provided a medical certificate to us with an earlier application. Children under 11 years of age and pregnant women do not need to have a chest X-ray unless a special report is needed. If you will be staying in New Zealand between 6 and 12 months, you must have a chest X-ray if: Countries with a low incidence of tuberculosis If you will be staying for more than 12 months, you must have a chest X-ray no matter where you are from. If you apply for another visa while in New Zealand, the time you have already spent here counts towards the 12 months. Different rules apply if you are: Information for asylum seekers If you are applying to stay in New Zealand permanently, and do not already have a resident visa, you must have a chest X-ray no matter where you are from. You do not need to get a chest X-ray if you are applying for a student visa and staying for less than 6 months. You must have a chest X-ray if you are applying for a student visa and: You do not need to get a chest X-ray if you are staying for more than 6 months as a foreign fee-paying student, and you are: You do not need to provide a chest X-ray certificate if you are: If you are from a country that does not have a low incidence of TB, you must have a chest X-ray no matter how long you will stay in New Zealand. You must send us another X-ray if: You do not need to send us another chest X-ray if you provided a chest X-ray with an earlier visa application and you are applying for a visa on or after 5 August 2021 based on your relationship to an existing Essential Skills Work Visa holder (that is, you are their partner or dependent child). Once you have made your application, we may come back to you and ask for medical documents. If you have already obtained an X-ray certificate for your visa application, you can choose to still submit it. If you are applying for a Parent and Grandparent Visitor Visa, you must provide a chest X-ray certificate with your application. Find out if you need to include a medical certificate with your application. If you will stay in New Zealand for up to 12 months, you normally do not need to have a medical examination unless the visa you apply for will allow you to stay for more than 12 months, or we ask you to have one. You must have a medical examination if you will stay in New Zealand for more than 12 months. If you are already in New Zealand, the time you have already spent here will count towards the 12 months. There are different rules when applying for a student visa. If you are applying to stay in New Zealand permanently, and do not already have a resident visa, you must have a medical examination no matter where you are from. If you stay for more than 12 months, you must have a medical examination if you: If you are applying for a Fee-Paying Student Visa or Pathway Student Visa, you do not need to have a medical examination, no matter how long you are staying in New Zealand, unless: Even if you had a medical examination with an earlier visa application, you need to have another medical examination if: You do not need to send us another medical examination if you provided a medical examination with an earlier visa application and you are applying for a visa on or after 5 August 2021, based on your relationship to an existing Essential Skills Work Visa holder (that is, you are their partner or dependent child). Once you have made your application, we may come back to you and ask for medical documents if these are required to process your application. If you have already obtained a medical certificate for your visa application, you can choose to still submit it. If you are a woman over 45 you may need to have a physical breast examination. Your physician will tell you if you need one. If you are applying for a Parent and Grandparent Visitor Visa, you must provide a general medical certificate and chest X-ray certificate. If you need to have a medical examination or a chest X-ray, you must use a
Panel physicians are doctors and radiologists who are approved to complete medical examinations and chest X-rays for New Zealand visa applications.
Who needs an X-ray or medical examination
If you are applying for a visa, you may need a chest X-ray or medical examination as evidence of your good health.
Proving you are in good health
Types of medical certificate
Who needs a chest X-ray
If you will be staying between 6 and 12 months
If you will be staying for more than 12 months
If you are applying to stay in New Zealand permanently
If you are applying for a student visa
Foreign fee-paying students
If you are applying for a Recognised Seasonal Employer Limited Visa
If you had a chest X-ray for an earlier visa application
If you are applying for a Parent and Grandparent Visitor Visa
Who needs a medical examination
If you will be staying up to 12 months
If you will be staying for more than 12 months
If you are applying to stay in New Zealand permanently
If you are applying for a student visa
If you had a medical examination for an earlier visa application
If you are a woman over 45
If you are applying for a Parent and Grandparent Visitor Visa
Arranging an examination or X-ray
When we process your application we let you know if we need you to have a chest X-ray or medical examination.
Visa health requirements, which we call the acceptable standard of health criteria, help us to decide if we should approve or decline your application. We check if: Ongoing Resource Scheme — Ministry of Education When we decide if you meet the visa's health requirements, we cannot consider: Note If you, or someone else in your visa application, need to enter New Zealand for medical treatment or consultation, the visa health requirements may not apply. You may need to get a medical examination as part of your application. We will use this to determine if you meet the visa's health requirements. Who needs a chest X-ray or medical examination Your medical examination results may mean we either: If we ask the medical assessor for their opinion, we may then: We may decline your temporary visa application if we think during your stay you are likely, because of your health, to need: We may also decline your temporary visa if you are assessed as having a severe developmental or cognitive condition that will need significant support. The conditions include, but are not limited to: The visas this requirement applies to: Child of a Worker Visitor Visa Child of Military Visitor Visa Child of a Student Visitor Visa You are included in the additional health requirement if you are under 20 and applying for a student or visitor visa as the dependent of a work, student or military visa holder. We may decline your application for a resident visa if you, or somebody else in your application, have any of these conditions: We may also decline your visa application if the medical assessor thinks that your health services costs are likely to be more than NZ$81,000 (NZ$41,000 if you applied for a visa before 4 September 2022).
Why you may need to provide evidence you are in good health
Before we can approve your visa application, we check that you meet the visa's health requirements.
Health requirements for visas
How we assess your health
Meeting health requirements for temporary visas
Meeting health requirements for resident visas
Applicants from China, Hong Kong or Macao applying within China, Hong Kong or Macao
You must provide a chest X-ray completed in the last 3 months, even if you have provided one to us previously, if:
- you have spent 6 months in a row in China since the last X-ray certificate was issued, and
- you are now coming to New Zealand for more than 6 months.
Character
You must be of good character.
If you have a criminal conviction or are a security risk to New Zealand we may not be able to grant you a visa.
Anyone applying for a New Zealand visa must meet the character requirements. When you apply, you must tell us about any issues or activities, both current and in your past, that could affect our decision, including whether you have been: If there is an issue, we may: You can request a character waiver or special direction when you apply. If your request is approved, we can give you a visa if your application meets all other requirements. Visas are given by special direction only in rare circumstances. You may need to provide us with police certificates to show your good character. Whether you need to give these certificates depends on how long you plan to stay in New Zealand and the visa you are applying for.
Character requirements for New Zealand visas
To be given a New Zealand visa, you must be of good character. If you have a criminal history, have provided false or misleading information, or could be a risk to New Zealand, we can decline your application.
Being of good character
Providing police certificates
You must provide police certificates if your total time in New Zealand will be 24 months or longer across all visits. This includes any time you have spent in New Zealand in the past on other visas, even if you have been out of the country since then.
You also must provide police certificates if we ask for them.
Police certificates must be less than 6 months old when you submit your application. They must be from any country you are a citizen of, or have spent more than 5 years in since you turned 17.
If you are aged 16 or younger you do not need to provide police certificates.
Depending on the visa you want, and how long you plan to stay in New Zealand, you may need to provide a police certificate as evidence of your good character. Police certificates are documents issued by the police or a government agency. They: If we ask you to provide a police certificate, you must: Providing English translations supporting documents You must provide police certificates if your total time in New Zealand will be 24 months or longer across all visits. This includes any time you have spent in New Zealand in the past on other visas, even if you have been out of the country since then. Provide police certificates from any country you: If you are aged 16 or younger, you do not need to provide police certificates. If you have a criminal record, we may still be able to grant you a visa. You can provide an explanation of your criminal record when you apply, and we will decide if you meet our good character requirements. You must provide police certificates if you are aged 17 or older. Provide police certificates from: Police certificates must show any criminal records you have had at any time in any of these countries — not only in the last 10 years. If you have a criminal record, we may still be able to give you a visa. You can provide an explanation of your criminal record when you apply, and we will decide if you meet our good character requirements. If you apply for a visa as the partner of a New Zealander or a New Zealand visa holder, your partner is known as the 'supporting partner'. Your supporting partner must be able to show us they are of good character. They may need to provide police certificates for proof. If your supporting partner is a New Zealand citizen or has a resident visa, they: If your partner needs to provide police certificates, the police certificates must be from countries where they have spent 12 months or more over the last 10 years, since they turned 17 — even if the 12 months were not all in one stay. Police certificates must show any criminal records they have had at any time in any of these countries — not only in the last 10 years. Note Your partner does not need to provide a New Zealand police certificate, as we will get one directly from the authorities. If your supporting partner has a work or study visa, we may ask your partner to provide police certificates, if you are applying for a temporary visa. Your partner will not meet our character requirements if they have any convictions for
If your supporting partner cannot prove they are of good character, we may give them a
If your partner has any convictions for domestic violence or sexual offences, they cannot support your application. For all types of visa applications, we still may request police certificates from your partner to make sure they meet our character requirements. You may not need to provide police certificates if you have provided them in a previous visa application. Check the character requirements of the visa you are applying for. Some of the authorities that issue police certificates (the police and other government agencies) may require a set of fingerprints when you request a police certificate. If you do need a set of fingerprints to get a police certificate, check in your region for a fingerprinting service. There are many private businesses who offer fingerprinting services. If you cannot find a fingerprinting service in your region, you can contact the New Zealand Police to see if they can help. They only offer this service in some regions and on specific days. Contact them to check availability before going to a police station.
Police certificates
When you apply for a visa, you may need to provide us with a police certificate to show that you are of good character.
About police certificates
Find out how to get a police certificate
If your supporting partner has a temporary visa to work or study
If your partner cannot prove good character
If you have provided police certificates before
Fingerprinting for police certificates
How to get a police certificate
If you have already sent us police certificates with a previous visa application and they are less than 24 months old, you do not need to send them again.
Genuine intentions
You must genuinely intend to meet the conditions of your visa.
When we decide if your intentions are genuine, we consider all the information:
- you provide to support your application
- we have about your personal circumstances
- you provided in any previous applications.
When you travel to New Zealand on a temporary visa, your intentions must be genuine. This means that you: We use all the information we have, including the information you give us in your application, to confirm that you have genuine intentions. Alert You must answer truthfully when you complete your visa application or NZTD. If you are travelling on a visitor visa or visiting from a
If you have a visitor visa for a specific reason, you must be coming to New Zealand for that reason. For example, if you have a Medical Treatment Visitor Visa, your reason for visiting must be getting medical treatment. If you are travelling on a student visa, you must have genuine intentions to study in New Zealand. You can only work if the conditions of your student visa allow you to. If you are travelling to New Zealand to work, you must have a visa that will allow you to. Unless your visa allows you to work in any job, you must plan to work in the job, for the employer, and in the location specified in your visa. You may be asked to provide evidence of your genuine intentions: Here are some examples of evidence to show that you have genuine intentions in coming to New Zealand. To show your travel history, you could show a copy of your current and recent passports, including: If you live in a country that is not your country of citizenship, provide a copy of the visa allowing you to live in that country. If you have ever had a visa application declined by any other country, provide: If you plan to visit family or friends in New Zealand, provide their: Evidence of your travel plans while in New Zealand could include copies of: You may also need to show that you have plans to leave New Zealand at the end of your stay. This evidence could include: If you are applying for a student visa, you could provide evidence that you have: If you do not need to pay tuition fees, or if you can pay by instalment — where you make smaller payments over a period of time — you must provide confirmation from your education provider. You can also write a cover letter or statement of purpose explaining why you want to study in New Zealand. This will help us decide if you are a genuine student. If you are using an education agent or licensed immigration adviser, they cannot write the letter for you. Examples of things you could write about in your letter or statement include: If you plan to apply for another visa — for example, a work visa — after you finish your studies, include this in your cover letter or statement of purpose.
To show that you have genuine intentions to work, you will in most cases need to provide: If your visa requires you to have enough money to live on during your stay, you will need to provide evidence. This could include: Depending on your situation, you may need to provide: We consider each application based on the information and evidence we receive. If you do not provide enough evidence, it may take us longer to process your application, or we may decline your application. You must provide genuine evidence. If you or your agent provide evidence that is false or misleading, we may also decline your application. False, misleading or withheld information in visa applications Check the translation requirements for the visa you are applying for. All non-English documents must be translated when you apply for visitor and resident visas. Providing English translations of supporting documents If you are applying online, make sure your evidence is in an acceptable file format. To decide if your intentions are genuine, we look at: We look at evidence you provide with your application to check that it: When we consider information about your personal circumstances, we look at: We also look at information from your previous applications and travel to New Zealand. This can show us if you have: We might not give you a visa or allow you to enter New Zealand if we:
Genuine intentions to visit, study or work in New Zealand
Before you can get a visa or enter New Zealand to visit, work or study, we check that your reasons for coming here are genuine.
What it means to have 'genuine intentions'
Visitor visas
Student visas
Work visas
Evidence to show you have genuine intentions
Evidence of your travel history
If you live in a different country to your citizenship
Declined visa applications
Evidence you are visiting family or friends
Evidence of your travel plans
Evidence of your study plans
Evidence of your work plans
Evidence you have enough money
Evidence of your home country circumstances
evidence of your relationships with close relatives in your home country
Providing good-quality evidence
How we decide if your intentions are genuine
Evidence you provide with your application
Your personal circumstances
Your previous applications
If we decide your intentions are not genuine
Foreign Government support
You must provide a letter from the Government in your home country.
Your Government must have an education agreement with New Zealand and provide a letter setting out the terms of their support, which must:
- agree to pay your education provider for your tuition fees
- agree to pay your living expenses
- confirm you are of good character.
Offer of place
You must have an offer of place from an approved education provider.
Your offer of place or if you are a returning student, confirmation of enrolment, must include:
- the name of your course and how long the course is for
- confirmation that your tuition fees will be paid by your Government
- whether your study will be full-time or part-time
- if your course is for more than one
, the dates of all of the course’s scheduled holidays.
Offers of place must also include your
- the programme offered is appropriate for your expectations
- you have the English language ability and academic capability to succeed.
Tip
It is OK if you provide information about your scheduled holidays in a separate document.
Already have a student visa
You must be able to show that you are passing your course and meeting your attendance requirements.
If you already have a student visa and you are applying for another, you must provide photocopied evidence of your previous student performance, progress and attendance. This can include:
- academic transcripts
- a letter from your
- attendance records.
Onward travel
You must have a ticket to leave New Zealand or enough funds to purchase one, or be sponsored for the cost of your onward travel.
Evidence can include:
- your travel ticket
- proof you have enough money to buy a ticket out of New Zealand, in addition to the funds you have to live on
- a 'Sponsorship Form for Temporary Entry' completed by an acceptable sponsor.
While a visa holder you sponsor is in New Zealand you must make sure they have: You must also pay the cost of their return travel to their home country, if they do not intend to pay for it themselves. If they are to be
Alert Who can sponsor a visa applicant You can also sponsor the partner and dependent children of someone you are sponsoring. If you do this, you must cover the same costs for them. Including family in your visa application If the person you sponsor has a visa with
Your responsibilities as a sponsor begin from the date the person you sponsor arrives in New Zealand. If they are already in New Zealand, your sponsorship begins on the date their visa is granted. Your sponsorship responsibilities end on the date the person you are sponsoring: Alert The person you sponsor can be
If you have not paid the costs you are responsible for, and they are paid by a third party or the New Zealand Government, that amount becomes your debt. If you do not pay, we can take you to court to recover the debt even if the person you are sponsoring:
Your responsibilities as a sponsor
If you sponsor a visa holder, you are responsible for them while they are in New Zealand on that visa.
Support you must provide
Even if the person you sponsor has agreed to pay for some or all their expenses, you are still legally responsible for those expensesSponsoring a visa applicant's family members
If the person you sponsor travels in and out of NZ
When your sponsorship begins and ends
You cannot withdraw your sponsorship. It continues even if the person you sponsor stays in New Zealand without a valid visa.
If you do not meet your obligations
Parent or legal guardian
If you are aged 9 or younger you must be accompanied by your parent or legal guardian unless you will live in an NZQA approved school hostel.
If you must be accompanied, you must provide proof that your parent or legal guardian cares for you in your home country and has the legal right to provide care for you.
Evidence your parent or legal guardian cares for you in your home country can include:
- your parent or guardian’s passport, or residence document showing that you have been living with them in your home country
- documents that show they have paid for your education
- educational records or documents that show they are responsible for your education
Evidence your parent or legal guardian has the legal right to provide care for you can include:
- your birth certificate or adoption papers (if they are your parent)
- court documents (if they are a court-appointed guardian)
- relevant legal documents if they are a testamentary guardian (they were named as guardian in your parents’ will, and your parents are deceased).
Note
Your parent or legal guardian must apply separately for the type of visa they need.
If you have to be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian, you must live with that person while you are studying.
Permission to work
If you are aged 16 or 17, or in years 12 or 13 of secondary school, you must have written permission to work.
You must have permission to work up to 20 hours a week and/or full-time in the summer holidays from each of the following:
- your parents or legal guardian
- your
Note
If you are aged 18 or older, you do not need permission to work over the summer holidays. We will not grant work rights to children under 16 who have a student visa.
Full-time vacation work rights
You must provide information about your holidays and your course.
If you are allowed to work full-time in the holidays, proof:
- of the holidays scheduled by your
as shown in your offer of place document - that your course value is 120 credits – this information may be on your fee receipt or invoice, or other correspondence provided by your approved education provider.
Practical experience (optional)
If you are required to do practical work experience as part of your course, you must provide evidence that it is a course requirement.
Evidence can include either of the following:
- a letter from your approved education provider
- a course outline that shows the practical component requirement, as shown in your offer of place document.
Note
Any practical work experience you need to do complete your course can be worked in addition to the other hours your visa conditions allow you to work.
Accommodation
If you are 17 or younger, your accommodation must meet certain requirements.
Statement from your
Medical insurance
You must agree to hold medical insurance while you are in New Zealand.
When you apply for your student visa, you must declare in your application that you will arrange medical insurance and maintain it for all the time you are in New Zealand on your Student Visa.
How to pay and submit
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When you arrive
Entry permission
You must apply for permission to enter New Zealand. You do this by completing a New Zealand Traveller Declaration (NZTD) form.
You can start your digital declaration any time, but the earliest you can submit it is 24 hours before starting your travel to New Zealand.
A paper declaration form is available for travellers who cannot complete it online.
New Zealand Traveller Declaration
New Zealand Customs and Biosecurity also check that you meet their entry requirements.
Alert
You can be refused entry permission if you:
- are not a genuine visitor
- do not meet our character requirements
- have had a change in circumstances since we issued your visa
- refuse to let us take your photo, fingerprints or an iris scan
- cannot provide evidence of any onward travel or funds required by the conditions of your visa.
When you travel to New Zealand on a temporary visa, your intentions must be genuine. This means that you: We use all the information we have, including the information you give us in your application, to confirm that you have genuine intentions. Alert You must answer truthfully when you complete your visa application or NZTD. If you are travelling on a visitor visa or visiting from a
If you have a visitor visa for a specific reason, you must be coming to New Zealand for that reason. For example, if you have a Medical Treatment Visitor Visa, your reason for visiting must be getting medical treatment. If you are travelling on a student visa, you must have genuine intentions to study in New Zealand. You can only work if the conditions of your student visa allow you to. If you are travelling to New Zealand to work, you must have a visa that will allow you to. Unless your visa allows you to work in any job, you must plan to work in the job, for the employer, and in the location specified in your visa. You may be asked to provide evidence of your genuine intentions: Here are some examples of evidence to show that you have genuine intentions in coming to New Zealand. To show your travel history, you could show a copy of your current and recent passports, including: If you live in a country that is not your country of citizenship, provide a copy of the visa allowing you to live in that country. If you have ever had a visa application declined by any other country, provide: If you plan to visit family or friends in New Zealand, provide their: Evidence of your travel plans while in New Zealand could include copies of: You may also need to show that you have plans to leave New Zealand at the end of your stay. This evidence could include: If you are applying for a student visa, you could provide evidence that you have: If you do not need to pay tuition fees, or if you can pay by instalment — where you make smaller payments over a period of time — you must provide confirmation from your education provider. You can also write a cover letter or statement of purpose explaining why you want to study in New Zealand. This will help us decide if you are a genuine student. If you are using an education agent or licensed immigration adviser, they cannot write the letter for you. Examples of things you could write about in your letter or statement include: If you plan to apply for another visa — for example, a work visa — after you finish your studies, include this in your cover letter or statement of purpose.
To show that you have genuine intentions to work, you will in most cases need to provide: If your visa requires you to have enough money to live on during your stay, you will need to provide evidence. This could include: Depending on your situation, you may need to provide: We consider each application based on the information and evidence we receive. If you do not provide enough evidence, it may take us longer to process your application, or we may decline your application. You must provide genuine evidence. If you or your agent provide evidence that is false or misleading, we may also decline your application. False, misleading or withheld information in visa applications Check the translation requirements for the visa you are applying for. All non-English documents must be translated when you apply for visitor and resident visas. Providing English translations of supporting documents If you are applying online, make sure your evidence is in an acceptable file format. To decide if your intentions are genuine, we look at: We look at evidence you provide with your application to check that it: When we consider information about your personal circumstances, we look at: We also look at information from your previous applications and travel to New Zealand. This can show us if you have: We might not give you a visa or allow you to enter New Zealand if we:
Genuine intentions to visit, study or work in New Zealand
Before you can get a visa or enter New Zealand to visit, work or study, we check that your reasons for coming here are genuine.
What it means to have 'genuine intentions'
Visitor visas
Student visas
Work visas
Evidence to show you have genuine intentions
Evidence of your travel history
If you live in a different country to your citizenship
Declined visa applications
Evidence you are visiting family or friends
Evidence of your travel plans
Evidence of your study plans
Evidence of your work plans
Evidence you have enough money
Evidence of your home country circumstances
evidence of your relationships with close relatives in your home country
Providing good-quality evidence
How we decide if your intentions are genuine
Evidence you provide with your application
Your personal circumstances
Your previous applications
If we decide your intentions are not genuine
If you have been refused entry to New Zealand and you still want to travel to here, contact the Customer Service Centre for advice. You may need to apply for a visa before you travel here again. Together with your airline or other carrier, we can stop you from travelling to New Zealand if you do not meet our entry requirements — for example, if you cannot provide evidence that you can meet the conditions of your visa. When you arrive we check your identity and other information again before we give you
Alert Having a visa does not guarantee that you will be allowed to enter New Zealand. Your airline or other carrier can be fined if they let you board an aircraft or ship after we have let them know that you cannot travel. We can stop you from travelling to New Zealand if: We can stop you travelling to New Zealand or entering the country if you: We can also refuse to let you travel to or enter New Zealand if you cannot show us evidence to support the conditions of your visa. For example, you cannot show us evidence that you: Genuine intentions to visit, study or work in NZ If your circumstances have changed and you can no longer meet the conditions of your visa we can also refuse to let you enter New Zealand. For example, if your work visa is based on a job offer that has since been withdrawn you will not be allowed to travel to New Zealand on that visa. You cannot come to New Zealand if you do not meet our health and character requirements. For example, you can be refused entry if: You could be refused entry to New Zealand if you:
What might stop you from being allowed to enter New Zealand
Together with your airline or other carrier, we can stop you from travelling to New Zealand if you do not meet our entry requirements. For example, if you cannot provide evidence that you can meet the conditions of your visa.
Why we stop you travelling to or entering New Zealand
Your identity and travel documents
Information you provide to us
Meeting the conditions of your visa
Your character and health
Arriving in New Zealand
While you are in New Zealand
These are the conditions that you must meet once you have your visa. Your visa conditions are recorded in your eVisa.
Travel
If you want to travel in and out of New Zealand, you must have valid
Check or change your student visa conditions
Note
If you are applying from inside New Zealand, we will normally give you multiple entry travel conditions when we grant you this visa.
If you do not have multiple entry travel conditions and you leave New Zealand, your visa will expire.
Your travel conditions will be recorded on your visa label or in your visa letter.
Work
You may be allowed to
Note
Everyone who has a job in New Zealand pays tax on what they earn. An IRD number can be applied for online through
Apply online for an IRD number
We do not grant work rights to students under 16.
You are not allowed to be self-employed. You have to work as an employee with an employment agreement and not as an independent contractor.
You cannot provide commercial sexual services or operate a business that provides these services.
Onward travel
During the length of your visa, you must have a travel ticket or funds available to buy a ticket to a country you can enter. The funds can be in the form of any of the following:
- sufficient funds held in New Zealand to purchase a travel ticket
- an acceptable form of financial undertaking by your guarantor
- current sponsorship by an acceptable sponsor.
While a visa holder you sponsor is in New Zealand you must make sure they have: You must also pay the cost of their return travel to their home country, if they do not intend to pay for it themselves. If they are to be
Alert Who can sponsor a visa applicant You can also sponsor the partner and dependent children of someone you are sponsoring. If you do this, you must cover the same costs for them. Including family in your visa application If the person you sponsor has a visa with
Your responsibilities as a sponsor begin from the date the person you sponsor arrives in New Zealand. If they are already in New Zealand, your sponsorship begins on the date their visa is granted. Your sponsorship responsibilities end on the date the person you are sponsoring: Alert The person you sponsor can be
If you have not paid the costs you are responsible for, and they are paid by a third party or the New Zealand Government, that amount becomes your debt. If you do not pay, we can take you to court to recover the debt even if the person you are sponsoring:
Your responsibilities as a sponsor
If you sponsor a visa holder, you are responsible for them while they are in New Zealand on that visa.
Support you must provide
Even if the person you sponsor has agreed to pay for some or all their expenses, you are still legally responsible for those expensesSponsoring a visa applicant's family members
If the person you sponsor travels in and out of NZ
When your sponsorship begins and ends
You cannot withdraw your sponsorship. It continues even if the person you sponsor stays in New Zealand without a valid visa.
If you do not meet your obligations
Note
If your visa label or letter does not say ‘Financial evidence not required’ or ‘The holder of this visa is sponsored’, we may ask for evidence of funds when you arrive in New Zealand.
Parent or legal guardian
If you are required to be accompanied, your parent or legal guardian must live with you while you are studying and they cannot leave New Zealand without you.
Attendance and progress
You must study
You must make satisfactory progress on your course.
Medical insurance
You must maintain your medical insurance while in New Zealand.
Visa expiry
You must leave New Zealand before your visa expires.
Note
Visa expiry dates are printed on a visa label or included in a visa letter.