The main purpose of a student visa or permit is to allow international students to study full time in New Zealand.  However, in some cases students from overseas can have the conditions of their student permit varied to allow them a limited opportunity to work while studying.

They can undertake work:

• to meet a course requirement for practical work experience

• for up to 20 hours in any given week during the academic year (including holidays within the academic year) if they are:

  • undertaking a full-time, course of study at a private training establishment or tertiary institution and taking at least two academic years to complete, or

  • undertaking a full-time course of study culminating in a qualification that would qualify for points under the Skilled Migrant Category, or

  • undertaking a full-time, full secondary school year course of study in Years 12 or 13, provided they have written permission from their school and written parental consent, or

  • engaged in a full-time, course of study of at least six months duration, at a Private Training Establishment or Tertiary Institution, and a visa or immigration officer is satisfied that the primary purpose of the course of study is to develop English language skills, and, at the time of application for a student visa or permit, the student has an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) overall band score of 5.0 or above

• during the Christmas-New Year holiday period if they are undertaking a full-time course of study of 12 months or more duration.

 

Can students work in New Zealand after they finish their course of study?

Students can also work after they finish their course of study if:

• they have an offer of employment relevant to their qualification and successfully completed a course in New Zealand that:

  • had a minimum completion time of three years, or

  • would qualify for points under the Skilled Migrant Category

• they do not have an offer of employment but have successfully completed a qualification in New Zealand that would qualify for points under the Skilled Migrant Category of Residence Policy, for a maximum of six months, to transition from study, to work, to residence with a Graduate Job Search Work Visa/Permit.

Ordinarily, students from overseas need to be studying full-time to be eligible for Student Permits. However, there are two circumstances where we may allow students to undertake part-time study:

• if the student is coming to New Zealand to study for at least three years and the course they’re undertaking requires them to gain practical work experience as part of that study 
  or

• if the student is coming to New Zealand to study for a maximum of nine months.  To be eligible the student needs to:

  • be enrolled in a course that meets New Zealand’s foreign student policy requirements

  • show us they’ve paid the course fees

  • meet our visitor requirements. Find out about studying while visiting New Zealand.

In both cases we may change our usual permit conditions to allow the student to both study and work on a part-time basis.  Find out what students need to do to apply for a change in permit conditions. Page Last Updated: 06 Sep 2006

We issue permits for a given purpose and each one specifies the conditions the permit holder must meet.  Generally, people here on a Work Permit can’t study, and people here on a Student Permit can’t work.

However, people here on a Visitor’s or Work Permit who want to undertake a course that’s longer than three months can apply to have a permit issued to allow them to study.  But they must not undertake that study before we grant them a Student Permit or vary the conditions of their existing permit.  Want to know how to apply?

To make an application…

We’ll need to see that the prospective student has:

• an offer of a place from a New Zealand education provider. Find out what this involves
  and

• paid the course fees.

They will also need to pay a fee when they apply for a change to their existing permit. Go to the fee finder to find out what they’ll need to pay.

A change of permit is not required…

where a person is here on a Work or Visitor’s Permit and wants to undertake just the one course of less than three months’ duration. They can undertake this study while still here under their Visitor’s or Work Permit.