Students who are planning on studying in New Zealand for longer than three months need to apply for a student visa or permit. If your considered course is three months or shorter, you will only need to apply for a visitor’s permit.
Before applying for a visa you will need to meet a set of requirements.

These include the following:

• Proof of a current passport
• Proof of an offer from an approved educational institution
• Proof of financial stability
• Meeting of health and character standards

Approved visas come with stipulated conditions. Breaching any of these conditions could result in the immediate cancellation of the visa.

Working in New Zealand - International students

Full-time International students may be eligible for part-time work, up to 20 hours per week during the academic term and/or full time work during the Christmas and New Year holidays but only if your conditions meet one of the following:

• Your course requires practical work experience
• You are a full-time student enrolled in a course that lasts a full academic year or more at a tertiary institution or private training organisation
• You have nearly completed a New Zealand course that would be eligible for point under the Skilled Migrant Category
• You are a full-time student in years 12 or 13 in secondary school with proof of permission from the school and legal guardians
• You are in the tertiary equivalent of one academic year in an approved tertiary student exchange program
• You are a full-time student studying for at least six months while enrolled in a tertiary or private training institute where the main focus of your studies is to develop English language skills. You must have an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) overall band score of 5.0 or above (General or Academic Module) as proof

For students studying on a part-time basis the conditions are restricted to the following:

• You are studying for at least three years and your course requires you to partake in employment experience
• The qualification you have nearly completed would be eligible for points under the New Zealand Skilled Migrant Category
• You are studying for a limited time of nine months, you have satisfactory evidence that the course fees have been paid, the course meets all Immigration New Zealand (INZ) standards and New Zealand’s foreign student policy requirements

Important Note: In New Zealand it is strictly prohibited for any persons on any form of a temporary permit, to provide commercial sexual services or participate in any way with a business that provides such services.