A Complete Guide for New Zealand Student Visa Process

New Zealand boasts one of the world’s best education systems, with all eight universities ranking within the top 3% in the world. Because New Zealand has one of the most work-friendly settings, colleges not only prepare you for work but also provide job chances when you complete your education. When it comes to English-speaking countries, New Zealand is one of the most popular choices for students. Not only are the visa requirements student-friendly, but the local population is also highly tolerant to students from other nations.

Let’s see the complete student visa process for New Zealand.

Fee-Paying Student Visa

If you want to study for more than three months, you must pay the complete course fee before the visa is issued. To complete the New Zealand student visa process, you must register with an approved education provider. You can stay for four years with this visa, and you can work part-time as well.

Exchange Student Visa

This visa category is available to students who wish to study through exchange programs run by any organization, school-to-school exchanges, or tertiary exchanges. Students on this visa are also permitted to work part-time. Part-time job should not last longer than 20 hours per week. Because they are considered domestic students, students seeking for this visa do not have to pay any tuition fees.

Foreign Government Supported Student Visa

Students with a foreign government loan or scholarship are granted this visa to study for more than three months. Students must provide proof of payment of tuition fees through foreign government loans or scholarships. You must ensure that the country providing the loans or scholarships has an education agreement with New Zealand. Spouses and children are also permitted if you can demonstrate your relationship with them.

Pathway Student Visa

Students who have received an offer from a Pathway education provider are eligible for a pathway student visa, which allows them to take up to three consecutive courses on a single student visa. It will save you a lot of time and energy that you would have spent if you had to apply for a different visa for each of these courses separately. Students must be able to pay their tuition costs in order for this visa to be issued. Spouses and other dependents are not permitted on this visa, and if you desire to bring them with you for the duration of your studies, they must apply separately. To obtain a route student visa, you must first determine your eligibility for the second and third courses.

List of Documents for New Zealand Student Visa

If you are applying for a student visa in New Zealand, you must maintain all paperwork on hand and in a separate folder. You must ensure that all documents are accurate to the best of your knowledge and free of errors. Because the time frame is so short, it’s best to have all of the paperwork ready because any delay due to visa application rejection will have a direct impact on the studies. Let us now look at the documentation required for the issuing of a “Fee Paying Student Visa.”

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 types of countries: those that require the payment of funds to the educational institution prior to the approval of the student visa, and those that do not. New Zealand is in the first group of countries.

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.

These are the most important documents that a student must submit, although they are not the only ones. If the consulate or embassy officials request further documents, you may be required to supply them. Check all documents thoroughly before submitting them to avoid visa application rejection.

New Zealand Student Visa Processing Time

The time it takes to obtain a student visa in New Zealand varies from case to case, and there is no set time frame. Nonetheless, the average visa processing time is three months. The length of visa processing is affected by a number of factors. We will go over all of the issues that could affect visa processing times.

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 straightforward, and students must visit the New Zealand immigration website. Filling out the comprehensive visa application form and uploading clearly scanned copies of all essential documents are required steps in the online application procedure. The papers should be uploaded in PDF format and under the specified size limit. The size of the photograph should also be modified in accordance with the requirements specified on the immigration website. The process should begin 120 days before the program’s commencement date. The visa application date begins on the day the visa application payments are paid.

New Zealand Student Visa Fee

The student visa fee is determined by the form of application submission, whether online or offline. The fees for online and offline modes differ, and offline mode is slightly more expensive than online mode.