A Complete Guide for New Zealand Student Visa Process

All eight of New Zealand’s universities are ranked in the top 3% of all universities in the world, making it one of the best educational systems in the world. Because New Zealand offers one of the most conducive settings for employment, universities there not only help you prepare for the workforce but also provide job chances when you complete your studies. New Zealand is one of the most popular destinations for Indian students among English-speaking nations. In addition to being student-friendly in terms of visa requirements, the local populace is also fairly tolerant to visitors from other parts of the world.

Working while studying is actively encouraged in Kiwi culture, which benefits overseas students by allowing them to pay their bills and lessen the burden of student loan debt. The university curricula in New Zealand are designed to aid students in acquiring life skills. kids can connect with kids from around the world by using these life skills. Building relationships will be facilitated by international education, and New Zealand’s universities are a magnet for some of the brightest minds on the planet. You will always benefit from connections created while you were a student in both your career and personal lives. Let’s look at the entire New Zealand student visa procedure.

Student Visa Options For Students

There are four types of visas available to students over the age of 18 who desire to study in New Zealand. You can select a visa type based on your requirements and compatibility with that visa. There are several different kinds of visas available:

Fee-Paying Student Visa

Before the visa is issued, you must pay the tuition for the entire course if you plan to study for longer than three months. For the New Zealand student visa application process to be completed, you must register with an authorized educational institution. With this visa, you are able to work part-time jobs and remain in the country for a duration of four years.

Exchange Student Visa

A student may apply for this sort of visa if they wish to study abroad through exchange programs offered by any organization, school to school exchanges, or tertiary exchanges. Students are permitted to work part-time jobs on this visa as well. Part-time employment shouldn’t last longer than 20 hours a week in total. Due to the fact that they are regarded as domestic students, applicants for this visa are exempt from paying tuition.

Foreign Government Supported Student Visa

This visa is available to students who have loans or scholarships from a foreign government for studies that last longer than three months. Students must provide documentation proving they are paying their tuition with loans or grants from foreign governments. Make that the nation offering the loans or scholarships has a formal education agreement with New Zealand. By demonstrating your relationship with your spouse and children, you can also use them.

Pathway Student Visa

Students who have received offers from a Pathway education provider are qualified for a Pathway student visa, which enables them to enroll in up to three courses back-to-back on a single visa. You will be able to save a great deal of time and effort compared to if you had to apply for a separate visa for each of these courses. For this visa to be issued, students must be financially capable of paying their tuition. This visa does not permit the entry of spouses or other dependents; if you want to bring them along for the duration of your studies, you must apply separately. Prior to applying for a route student visa, you must confirm your eligibility for the second and third courses.

List of Documents for New Zealand Student Visa

Keep all the necessary paperwork close at hand and organized in a separate folder if you’re applying for a student visa to New Zealand. To the best of your knowledge, you must guarantee that every document is accurate and free of inconsistencies. Since the timeframe is very small, it is preferable to have all the paperwork prepared because any delay brought on by the visa application being denied would directly affect the studies. Let’s look at the collection of paperwork required for the issuing of a “Fee Paying Student Visa” now.

1. 1. • A valid passport whose validity must be for at least three months after the completion of studies in New Zealand.
      • The letter of acceptance from a recognised educational institution in New Zealand.
      • The letter of acceptance or any other document substantiating all the details related to the minimum course duration, the tuition fee for the entire course, and other relevant details.
      • The university or the institution must be approved by the New Zealand qualification authority.
      • An offer of a place from a university in New Zealand that is recognised by the New Zealand qualification authority.
      • The evidence of having the financial capability of buying a return air ticket.
      • Passport-size photographs.
      • The application fees for the student visa.
      • Academic documents like transcripts, degree certificates, diplomas or any other document specified by the university.
      • A police certificate for visa applicants aged 17 or more, and the stay duration exceeds 24 months. It helps the authorities in assessing the character of the visa applicants.
      • A complete medical certificate issued by a registered practitioner in India.
      • The chest X-Ray certificate for students coming from countries with high cases of tuberculosis.

Documents Related to Funds for Studying in New Zealand

There are two groups of nations: those that require the transfer of payments to the educational institution prior to the issuing of the student visa and those that do not. New Zealand is included in the top group of nations.

1. 1. • Evidence that substantiates the financial capability of students to afford the cost of living at the time of stay.
      • Students have to show that they can afford to spend a minimum of 15000 NZD per annum on the cost of living.
      • Documents related to scholarships or any other financial assistance that the student visa applicant might have received.
      • Bank statements.
      • The undertaking of a financial sponsor to cover the cost of living and accommodation during the period of study.

A student must submit a variety of documents, however this list is not all-inclusive. There are times when the consulate or embassy staff may require you to present additional documentation. you prevent the rejection of your visa application, make sure you double-check all of your documents before submitting them.

New Zealand Student Visa Processing Time

The length of the New Zealand student visa application procedure often varies from case to case, and there is no set amount of time for it. However, the average wait time for a visa is three months. The length of time it takes to process a visa depends on several different things. We will go into detail about each issue that could have an impact on the processing times for visas.

The visa processing time varies from one education provider to another:

1. 1. • Universities: The universities in New Zealand usually take around 65 days to complete the process from their end. The exact duration might vary a bit but in most cases, the process is completed within 65-70 days.
      • Private Training Establishments: The PTEs take more than 70 days to finish the process from their end. The exact duration might vary a bit.
      • Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics: The ITPs are the fastest when it comes to processing the requests for visa applications. The entire process gets finished in just a little over 49 days.

The application process is said to be completed when the student visa application is either rejected or approved.

New Zealand Student Visa Process

The visa application process is pretty simple, and students have to go to the New Zealand immigration website. The online application process involves filling out the detailed visa application form, and uploading clearly scanned copies of all the required documents. The documents should be uploaded in PDF format, and their size should be within the required limit. The size of the photograph should also be adjusted as per the requirement on the immigration website. The process should be started 120 days prior to the program start date. The visa application date is counted from the day on which the visa application fees were paid.

New Zealand Student Visa Fee

The student visa fee depends on the mode of application submission whether the student is applying online or offline. The fees for online and offline modes vary, and offline mode is a bit more costly than the online mode.