Visa Description
The educational institutes are well regarded throughout the world. There is an ample range of opportunities available for the international students in New Zealand. Quality secondary school education, a well established network of English language schools & institutions, and internationally respected and recognised tertiary education providers are all available for the international students.
Student visa requirements
Every student to study in New Zealand from overseas must meet specific rules and requirements. If anyone is coming to New Zealand to study for more than three months, they will need a student visa.
People undertaking short courses
The students can undertake one or more short-term programmes approved or exempted by New Zealand Qualifications Authority, for not more than a duration of three months in total; then they do not require a student visa or a variation of conditions. If a student has a temporary visa valid for 24 months or more, they can study one or more programmes for up to three months in total, each for a period of 12-months.
School-age children
School-age visitor visa applicants can attend a primary, intermediate, or secondary school for a single phase of learning of up to three months per year provided the study finishes the same within the calendar year. They are not authorised to study in the first term of a school year if they undertook a single period of study in the term four of the former year while staying on a visitor visa.
If a student is intending to attend the particular school for more than two weeks or are paying fees, they must attend a school that is a signatory to the Ministry of Education's Code of Practice for the Pastoral Care of International Students.
Length of the stay
An applicant can stay in New Zealand on a student visa for a maximum of four years. There are four ways that Immigration New Zealand (INZ) decides the length of an applicant's visa.
- If the student is a full fee-paying student and their programme of study is based on the New Zealand academic year, and they’ve paid their fees for the entire year.
- Up to four years if the applicant is studying with an education provider that has a Memorandum of Understanding with the Immigration New Zealand (INZ) and the education provider supports a Length of P visa.
- Up to a maximum of four years, if the student is a full scholarship or fees scholarship student, then the student visa is ordinarily valid for the period of their award.
- Up to a maximum of five years, if they have applied for a pathway student visa and the length of the intended study pathway is five years. Otherwise, the student visa will be valid for the period of their study.
Cost of the visa application
A New Zealand Student Visa will cost approximately Rs 12,000. The INZ, New Delhi, does not accept cash or credit cards – the applicants will have to pay through a bank cheque or a draft.
English language requirements
In April 2015, various changes were imposed on the international students for the English language requirements proposed by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority. They are set out in Rule 18 of the NZQF Programme Approval and Accreditation Rules. Prior changes took effect on 24 October 2015
From this date onwards, the providers are not using internal testing or evidence of any primary and secondary school's former study in English to evaluate proficiency for students from countries having a student visa decline rate of more than 20 percent, as measured by Immigration New Zealand.
This restriction applies to students who “hold passports from one of those countries” and are “applying to Immigration New Zealand for their first student visa.”
Documents Required
Following documents will be needed for the application purposes:
- A Valid Passport – It must be valid for at least three months besides the entire stay in New Zealand.
- Two passport sized colour photographs. A Student Visa Application Form (INZ 1012) which is accurately completed and filled with the requisite details.
- A receipt for the application fee payment because every applicant is required to pay Rs 11,100 before their interview
- An offer of place – The students need to have an offer of a place from a particular New Zealand institute/university. All the forms are issued after the tuition fees have been collected.
- A letter from the student's present institution which confirms their status as a study abroad student.
- Health insurance receipt - They may be required to show Health and Character certificates, to prove that the primary intention of staying in New Zealand is genuine.
Please Note - Some additional documentation is also expected during this process. The personal interviewer might request some other additional documents also. This documentation will be a proof of evidence of the student's academic or financial status. They may be:
Transcripts, diplomas, degrees, or certificates from schools/institutions you attended. Scores from tests that the college required, such as TOEFL, GRE, or GMAT.
Application Process
- Make an online application - If the candidate is an individual, they can easily apply for a student visa online. The visa application can be submitted online if the candidate has collected all the requisite supporting documentation.
- Apply through your education provider - If the applicant is residing in New Zealand and their education provider is certified with Students Online, The providers can easily process the student visa application on campus.
- Make a paper application - If the candidate is applying with their partner/dependents/spouse or is a dependent child applying with a parent or guardian, those applicants cannot use the above two online options; they will then require to submit a paper application to the nearest office.
The applicants will need to: Prepare all the supporting documentations. Read a complete Student Visa Guide. Print and complete the Student Visa Application Form (INZ 1012) Send the application, fee, and immigration levy to the nearest office.
Where to apply for the Visa Application
The New Zealand Embassy and Consulates in India are located at the following addresses:
New Delhi - Immigration New Zealand (INZ)
- Telephone: +91 11 4259 6300
- Email: nzisnewdelhi@dol.govt.nz
New Delhi - New Zealand High Commission
- Sir Edmund Hillary Marg Chanakyapuri New Delhi 110 021
- Telephone: 0091-11-4688 3170
- Email: nzhc@airtelmail.in
Mumbai - New Zealand Consulate General
- Street Address: Level 2, 3rd North Avenue, Maker Maxity, Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai 400 051, India
- Telephone: +91-11-42596300
- Website: inzmumbai@ttsvisas.com