16 July 2024 at 10:00 am
INZ student visa update: July 2024
INZ provide updates on student visa numbers, work rights available for more partners of students and the end of year student visa application peak.
Visa processing update (as at 10 July 2024).
Since January 2024, Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has received 24,541 student visa applications from international students outside of New Zealand. INZ have completed 20,369 of these applications, with 15,242 approved.
Recent processing times for international student visa applications are published on the INZ website and are updated by month: Visa processing times for international students
Work rights available for more partners of students
In June, the Government expanded the eligibility for work visas for partners of some students studying towards a Green List occupation.
People can now apply for a Partner of Student Work Visa, with open work rights, if their partner is studying a specified level 7 or 8 bachelor’s or bachelor’s (honours) degree that will lead directly to professional registration required for a Green List role.
This relates to Green List roles where occupational registration, rather than qualification requirements, are specified, such as nurses, doctors, and teachers.
For people granted a Partner of Student Work Visa, any school-aged dependents they have will be considered domestic students for tuition fee purposes and can apply for a Dependent Child Student Visa.
End of year student visa peak – Apply early!
The processing of international student visas is a key focus for INZ, particularly as we get closer to the end of the year.
INZ receives the highest volumes of student visa applications between October and March. Applications generally take longer to be decided during this peak period, so it is important that anyone who is wanting to come to New Zealand to study next year applies early. It is recommended students apply three months before their intended travel date to give them the best chance of having their application decided in time.
There are a few things applicants can do to make sure their application is able to be processed as quickly as possible. These include:
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Check out INZ’s student visa information sheet on the INZ website to make sure a good quality application is submitted that includes all the evidence and supporting documents we need to decide the application. INZ will not be contacting applicants to ask for more information during the peak processing period, so it is important that everything is included from the start.
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Applicants must demonstrate that they can comfortably afford to study in New Zealand. New Zealand has a thorough funds assessment and INZ looks for genuine sources of funds that are credible and can be verified. If INZ cannot verify funds or is not satisfied that any verification would be genuine, then the application will be declined.
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INZ is seeing decline rates for international student visas increasing for many markets due to the increase in applications that cannot meet immigration requirements, so make sure the requirements are fully understood before submitting an application.
