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NZ Student Visa: Fees, Funds and Work Hours

The Fee Paying Student Visa lets international students study in New Zealand for up to 4 years. INZ showed NZD 850 and 80% within 7 weeks on 9 October 2026, requires living-cost funds of NZD 20,000 a year for most tertiary study, and allows part-time work of up to 25 hours a week only where the visa conditions say so.

The Fee Paying Student Visa is the main visa for international students who pay tuition fees themselves, or with support from family, a loan or a partial scholarship. Three questions come up most: what it costs, how much money must be shown, and how many hours the holder can work. The answers sit on different Immigration New Zealand (INZ) pages and depend on the type of course.

This guide sets out INZ's published rules from its Fee Paying Student Visa page, its page on working on a student visa and its fee finder, all read on 9 October 2026. The funds figures and processing times change, so they are dated. The guide explains how the rules work. It does not say whether a student meets them, whether a course gives work rights, or whether a particular financial arrangement will be accepted. Applying the rules to a person's own situation is immigration advice, and in New Zealand only a licensed immigration adviser or a lawyer can give it.

What the visa is

INZ's summary lists a stay of up to 4 years, a cost from NZD 850 and processing of 80% within 7 weeks. It describes the visa as being for students "who are paying international tuition fees themselves, or with support from family, a loan, or a partial scholarship", who must have an offer of place from an approved education provider. The visa lets the holder study full-time on an approved course (primary, secondary or tertiary), work part-time up to 25 hours a week while studying and full-time in holidays "depending on your visa conditions", and travel in and out of New Zealand until the visa expires.

The visa is normally issued for the same period as the study that has been paid for, or until the passport expires if that is sooner. INZ notes that a visa may therefore be shorter than the course, for example where one year of a multi-year course has been paid for. The maximum is 4 years.

INZ's page tells students to apply at least 3 months before they plan to travel, and says student visa processing is busiest between October and March.

INZ states that the holder cannot include a partner or dependent children in the application, although they can apply for visas based on their relationship to the student. Those routes are described on INZ's page on bringing family if you have a student visa.

The fee and what is in it

INZ's fee finder, queried on 9 October 2026 for Indian, UK and Philippines passport holders applying from their own countries and for an Indian passport holder resident in New Zealand, showed NZD 850 and 80% of applications completed within 7 weeks. INZ says the cost includes a non-refundable immigration levy and an International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL) of NZD 100. The cost is a processing charge that is not refunded if the application is declined. Payment online is by Visa, Mastercard or UnionPay.

INZ also provides a list of wait times for student visas by education provider, linked from the fee finder, and the summary of times is a general 80% figure rather than a promise for any one application. Fees can differ by passport and country, so the finder should be checked for the student's own passport and location. Tuition is a separate cost and is paid to the education provider, not to INZ.

The fee is the visa fee only. It does not include the money INZ requires a student to show for tuition and living costs, medical or travel insurance, or health checks. Those are covered below.

Offer of place and tuition fees

The applicant must have been offered a place on a course by an approved education provider. The offer must show the course name, its length, whether study is full-time or part-time, whether it is distance or correspondence learning (and for study outside New Zealand, proof that the student needs to be in New Zealand for more than 3 months), and the dates of scheduled holidays if the course runs for more than one academic year. An offer must also include a declaration signed by the provider that the course is appropriate to the student's expectations and that the student has the English language ability and academic capability to pass it. The provider must be a signatory to the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021.

A student applying from outside New Zealand can apply with a conditional offer, and INZ can approve the visa in principle, but an unconditional offer is needed before the visa is approved.

Tuition fees. Unless exempt, the student must show that tuition fees have been paid for one course or one year of study, whichever is shorter. Evidence can include a receipt or letter from the provider, confirmation that fees are not payable, or documents showing a government loan application in the home country for bachelor's level or higher study at a private training establishment, university, institute of technology or polytechnic, with a letter from the provider confirming it expects the fees. A student applying from outside New Zealand can choose to pay fees only after INZ approves the application in principle, which INZ says makes processing take longer.

For study over a year, INZ says a credible plan for funding later years, such as evidence of family income, can strengthen an application, but the money for later years need not be available now.

Living-cost funds: the figures

The student must have enough money to live on during the stay, or an acceptable sponsor. For a student paying for themselves, INZ's figures on 9 October 2026 were:

  • tertiary, English language or other non-compulsory study: NZD 20,000 for each year if studying for 1 year or more, or NZD 1,667 for each month if the study is shorter than a year;
  • compulsory education, for example school Years 1 to 13: NZD 17,000 for each year or NZD 1,417 for each month.

The evidence INZ lists can include bank statements, documents showing living costs have been paid (for example confirmation of a school homestay), evidence of a full or partial scholarship, evidence of an education loan with its sanction letter covering security, moratorium, interest and repayments plus evidence of how the loan will be repaid, evidence of fixed-term deposits, a sponsor's sharing ID, or a Financial Undertaking for a Student form completed by an acceptable guarantor. INZ says the money must come from a genuine source it can confirm.

INZ states that the cost of living will vary with where the student lives and what they pay for accommodation, transport and food, and points to the NauMai NZ cost-of-living page. Its funds figures are the amounts it requires; they are not an estimate of actual costs.

Citizens of China, India, Nepal, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Vietnam may be able to use the Funds Transfer Scheme to show they can access their funds in New Zealand. For citizens of India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal or Bhutan applying from any of those countries, INZ says only immediate family can sponsor or provide a financial undertaking, and defines immediate family as a partner, parents, siblings, grandparents and parents-in-law.

Sponsors and guarantors

INZ distinguishes a sponsor from a guarantor. A sponsor is responsible for the student's accommodation and living costs while in New Zealand and can be an organisation or an individual; an individual sponsor must be a family member or friend. The student gives the sponsor's sharing ID, and the sponsor is asked to complete an online form with evidence that they can afford it, such as recent bank statements, pay slips, an employment agreement, and ownership papers for the accommodation or rent receipts.

A guarantor can agree before the student arrives to provide financial support. The guarantor can be an organisation or, if an individual, a relative or friend. The guarantor completes the Financial Undertaking for a Student form (INZ 1014) and provides evidence that the money is their own and not loaned.

A student already in New Zealand who applies for a further student visa can only be sponsored if the first student visa was sponsored, and then only by the same person or organisation that sponsored the first application.

Either way, the student or sponsor pays for any health care or medical assistance received in New Zealand, subject to the public health care eligibility INZ links to.

Working on a student visa: the 25-hour rule and holiday work

Work rights are not automatic. INZ says: "To find out if you can work on your student visa, you will need to check the conditions of your visa." They are recorded on the eVisa or the visa letter. A student whose visa does not allow work may be able to apply to change the conditions, if eligible. Student visas can only carry work conditions if the student is 16 or older.

INZ lists who may be allowed to work part-time, up to 25 hours a week: tertiary students, PhD and master's students, some English language students, secondary students in Years 12 and 13 with school and parent permission, and students completing practical experience for their study. For tertiary students, part-time work up to 25 hours a week is allowed if studying full-time for at least 2 academic years, for a New Zealand qualification at level 4 or higher on the NZQCF, as an English language student on a qualifying course, or for at least 1 semester on an approved exchange or Study Abroad programme. INZ says students cannot work if they are on a training scheme or studying a micro-credential.

Full-time work is allowed only in set cases. For tertiary students it covers scheduled breaks if the student studies full-time for at least 1 academic year, the course is worth at least 120 credits, and it has a minimum of 2 semesters over at least 8 months. Full-time work over the Christmas and New Year holiday period is possible if the student studies full-time on a course with a minimum of 2 semesters over at least 8 months. Students are told to check the eVisa letter to see whether they can work full-time.

PhD and research master's students have no limit on hours, but if they work full-time they must also keep studying full-time. English language students on courses of at least 24 teaching weeks need an acceptable English test result, such as an IELTS overall band score of 5.0, no more than 2 years old; courses of at least 14 consecutive weeks at a university or Category 1 provider can also qualify.

Two limits apply to all students: they must work for an employer under an employment agreement, so they "cannot be self-employed", and they cannot provide commercial sexual services or invest in a business that does. INZ says students aged 16 or 17 at a tertiary provider, or in Years 12 or 13 at school, need permission to work, which for the secondary-school case means written permission from the school and the parent or guardian. That permission must be for up to 25 hours, not a lower number. Students aged 15 or younger cannot work on a student visa.

When a course ends before the visa does, INZ says what work is allowed depends on the conditions: holiday full-time rights continue over summer if the conditions allow it, and the 25-hour limit applies for the duration of the visa.

Insurance, health, character and leaving

Insurance. The student must agree to have insurance for travel and any health care needed from the start of the course until the visa expires, as a condition of the visa. The education provider tells the student what the policy must cover, or arranges it, and it must meet the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021. PhD students do not need insurance.

Health. The student must be in good health. INZ may ask for a chest X-ray, a medical examination or both. For stays under 6 months a chest X-ray is not normally needed, and under 12 months a medical certificate is not normally needed; INZ adds that full fee-paying students do not usually need a medical certificate. Stays over 6 months can require a chest X-ray depending on tuberculosis incidence in countries of citizenship or recent residence.

Character. Police certificates, less than 6 months old, are required from applicants aged 17 or older whose total time in New Zealand will be 24 months or longer, from countries of citizenship and countries where more than 5 years have been spent since turning 17. A receipt for applying for a certificate is not accepted, with limited exceptions for Fiji, Hong Kong and Israel. Certificates provided with an earlier application and issued in the last 36 months are not needed again.

Leaving. The student must be able to show a plan to leave at the end of the stay, by a ticket out of New Zealand or bank statements showing enough to buy one, in addition to money for living. A sponsor can give bank statements instead.

Returning students must show they are passing the course and meeting attendance requirements, with explanations for any shortfall.

Finding a licensed immigration adviser

Migratio lists licensed immigration advisers so you can compare them and contact one directly. Every listing shows the adviser's licence number, which you can check on the Immigration Advisers Authority's public register before you book. We don't assess cases and don't tell anyone which visa or pathway fits them; that is the adviser's job.

Questions people ask

How much is the NZ student visa fee?

INZ's fee finder showed NZD 850 on 9 October 2026, including a non-refundable immigration levy and the NZD 100 International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy. INZ does not refund the cost if the application is declined. Fees can vary by passport and country.

How much money does a student need to show for living costs?

For a student paying for themselves in tertiary, English language or other non-compulsory study, INZ requires NZD 20,000 a year for study of a year or more, or NZD 1,667 a month for shorter study. For compulsory education the figures are NZD 17,000 a year or NZD 1,417 a month.

How many hours can an international student work in New Zealand?

INZ says a student may be allowed to work part-time for up to 25 hours a week, and full-time in scheduled breaks or over the Christmas and New Year holiday period, depending on the course and the visa conditions. Whether a student can work is shown in the visa conditions on the eVisa or visa letter.

Can a student on a student visa be self-employed?

No. INZ says international students cannot be self-employed and must work for an employer under an employment agreement.

Can a partner or child be included in a student visa application?

INZ says no. They cannot be included, but they can apply for visas based on their relationship to the student. INZ has a separate page on bringing family if you have a student visa.

How far ahead should a student apply?

INZ says at least 3 months before the planned travel, and notes that processing is busiest between October and March.

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-09.

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