Your New Zealand
student visa.
Plan each step.

• An offshore application can be assessed with a conditional offer and approved in principle, but an unconditional offer is required before final visa approval.
• Check personal details, course, dates, study load and any outstanding conditions. Resolve errors with the provider.
• Verify the provider and international enrolment arrangements, including Code of Practice signatory status.

Providers assess academic and English readiness. INZ decides the visa and its conditions; an offer does not guarantee a visa or a later work route.

• Use the evidence accepted for your funding arrangement, with clear ownership and access to the money. Document the source of substantial deposits. For Indian citizens applying from India, check INZ’s immediate-family restrictions on individual sponsors and guarantors.
• Keep loan terms, scholarship coverage or sponsor and guarantor records as applicable. A document naming an amount alone does not settle every funding requirement.
• For a multi-year course, prepare a credible plan for later tuition and living costs. Funds Transfer Scheme use depends on INZ instructions and your circumstances.

• Health evidence depends on your stay, nationality, residence history and circumstances. Do not assume every student needs the same medical tests.
• A chest X-ray may be required for a stay over six months depending on TB-risk criteria. Follow INZ instructions and any request for additional examinations.
• Police-certificate requirements consider age and intended or previous time in New Zealand. Check the required countries, document age and any prior submission.
• Time documents around the application. Use approved panel physicians where required, and disclose relevant health and character information accurately.

• Maintain suitable medical and travel insurance acceptable to your provider for the required stay, unless exempt. INZ exempts PhD students from its insurance requirement; confirm any provider requirements separately.
• Review coverage, exclusions, dates and any provider-arranged policy. Ask for a quote for your circumstances rather than assuming a universal annual cost.
• Complete the insurance declaration and supply evidence if requested. Keep policy records accessible for travel and enrolment.

• Keep an accurate timeline of study, work and other activities.
• Explain a change in subject or direction and support relevant details with records consistent with your application.

• Post Study Work Visa eligibility depends on the qualification and the study completed in New Zealand. Degree-level and eligible non-degree routes have different criteria.
• Duration and work conditions vary. Check the exact qualification, full-time study requirement and application window rather than assuming every graduate gets three years.
• Previous Post Study Work Visa grants can affect eligibility. A later qualification does not automatically create another entitlement.
• Check the November 2026 changes separately. Neither admission nor a work visa guarantees employment or residence.

• Partners and children apply separately; they are not included in the Fee Paying Student Visa application.
• A partner work visa can be available for Level 9 or 10 study and eligible Level 7 or 8 qualifications, subject to the relationship and other requirements.
• Children’s visa and schooling arrangements require separate checks. Do not assume that every student qualification supports the same family permissions.
• Plan each family member’s funding, cover and visa conditions before making relocation commitments.

• The announced Short-Term Graduate Work Visa is for qualifying graduates outside the Post Study Work Visa route, with its own study, funding and prior-visa conditions.
• The announced graduate-diploma expansion requires the specified Level 7 study plus a bachelor’s degree and other conditions; it is not a general extension for every diploma.
• Both changes are scheduled for November 16, 2026. Confirm the requirements in force when you apply.

• INZ recommends applying at least three months before planned travel. Published processing figures are estimates, not a promised decision date.
• Allow time for funding records and any required health or character checks. Monitor requests and keep copies of submissions.
• If the intake becomes unrealistic, discuss deferral with your provider and update the application as instructed.

• Check names, dates, course information and funding records for consistency before submission.
• Provide genuine records and disclose relevant visa history. Explain your study plan accurately.
• If declined, read the decision and any stated options or deadlines. Seek appropriately qualified advice where needed before deciding on a further application.