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• Student Visas
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• Immigration Act Changes to support UNCROC
• The Immigration Advisers Licensing Act
• What the Licensing Act Means to Specialist Education Agents
• Licensed Immigration Advisers

International students planning to study in New Zealand for more than 3 months will need a student visa.  A student visa allows an international student to study in New Zealand:

•    for a set time
•    at a specified institution
•    as a full time student.

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) is the government authority that issues the visas are required to enter New Zealand. INZ has offices around the world.

To get a student visa, students must first be enrolled in an approved course at a registered education provider that has been accredited to offer that course.  The education provider must be a signatory to the Ministry of Education’s Code of Practice for the Pastoral Care of International Students.  Evidence of the education provider’s support must be provided before a visa may be granted. Acceptable evidence may include written confirmation from the education provider in the offer of a place or in a separate letter.

Full fee-paying students may be granted a student visa for the period for which they have paid course fees (up to a maximum of four years).  If their course is based on the New Zealand academic year, and they’ve paid fees for the year, Immigration New Zealand may grant a student visa that expires on 31 March of the following year.  Scholarship students may be awarded a student visa for the period of the award (up to 4 years). 

If the student is studying with an education provider that Immigration New Zealand has a Memorandum of Understanding with, they will be able to apply for a length of course visa.  These providers are called Student Online Partners, and will be supporting over 300 visas per year. 

Length of course allow students to remain in New Zealand for the full length of their chosen course (up to a maximum of four years), regardless of the period for which the course fees have been paid.