A Complete Guide for New Zealand Student Visa Process

One of the best educational systems in the world, all eight of New Zealand’s universities are within the top 3% of all universities worldwide. Universities in New Zealand not only assist you in becoming ready for the market but also offer job opportunities once you finish your studies because the country has one of the most favorable environments for employment. Among English-speaking countries, New Zealand is one of the most sought-after locations for Indian students. The local population is generally accepting to visitors from various countries in addition to being visa-friendly for students.

Kiwi culture actively promotes working while studying, which is advantageous for international students because it enables them to pay their costs and minimize the burden of student loan debt. New Zealand’s university courses are created to help students develop life skills. By employing these life skills, kids can communicate with youngsters from all around the world. International education will make relationship-building easier, and some of the world’s greatest minds are drawn to New Zealand’s universities. In both your personal and professional lives, the relationships you made while you were a student will always be beneficial. Let’s examine the complete New Zealand student visa application process.

Student Visa Options For Students

Students over the age of 18 who want to study in New Zealand have access to four different types of visas. Based on your needs and whether you qualify for that visa, you can choose a certain type of visa. There are numerous types of visas available, including:

Fee-Paying Student Visa

If you intend to study for more than three months, you must pay the complete course’s tuition before the visa is approved. You must enroll in an approved educational institution in order to finish the New Zealand student visa application process. You can enter the nation for a period of four years with this visa and work part-time jobs.

Exchange Student Visa

If a student wishes to participate in exchange programs provided by any organization, school to school exchanges, or tertiary exchanges while studying abroad, they may apply for this kind of visa. On this visa, students are also allowed to work part-time jobs. Working a part-time job shouldn’t take up more than 20 hours a week in total. Those who apply for this visa are excused from paying tuition because they are thought of as domestic students.

Foreign Government Supported Student Visa

Students who have loans or grants from a foreign government for studies lasting more than three months are eligible for this visa. Students must show proof that they are using loans or grants from foreign governments to pay for their education. A formal education agreement between the lending country and New Zealand should exist. You can also use them to show how well you get along with your partner and kids.

Pathway Student Visa

A Pathway student visa allows students who have obtained offers from a Pathway education provider to enroll in up to three courses consecutively on a single visa. Compared to having to apply for a separate visa for each of these courses, you will be able to save a lot of time and work. Students must be financially capable of paying their tuition in order for this visa to be awarded. Spouses and other dependents cannot enter on this visa; if you want to bring them along for the duration of your studies, you must make a separate application. You must verify your eligibility for the second and third courses before submitting an application for a route student visa.

List of Documents for New Zealand Student Visa

If you’re applying for a student visa to New Zealand, keep all the required documentation organized and handy in a separate folder. You must attest that each document is correct and error-free to the best of your knowledge. Since there is not much time left, it is best to have all the papers ready because any delay brought on by a rejected visa application would have an immediate negative impact on the studies. Let’s examine the documentation stack needed to issue a “Fee Paying Student Visa” right 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.