New Zealand Student Visas

All people who wish to Higher study in New Zealand for more than 3 months will need a student visa. The only exception applies to Australian citizens. They can Higher study in New Zealand without a visa. All other international students will have to acquire a student visa in order to be able to Higher study in New Zealand.

Those who wish to study courses that last for 3 months or less won’t need to acquire student visa.

Your student visa will state how long you can stay in the country, whether you can work while studying, who counts as your dependent, and more. In order to get your student visa, you need to officially apply for it and pay a student visa application fee.

If you are already in New Zealand when applying for your student visa, you will need to go through the regular application process. In some cases you might be able to process your student visa directly on campus.

In special circumstances, you will be able to change the conditions of your visa. For example, if you are on another visa type and you want to study part time or if you are on a student visa but you want to change courses or course providers. You might need to change conditions of your visa if you wish to work while studying.

Language

New Zealand has three official languages: English, Maori and New Zealand Sign Language. Te Reo Maori (the Maori language) became an official language in 1987. New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL), the main language of the deaf community in New Zealand, became an official language in 2006.

There are efforts to preserve Maori language but despite its official status, this language struggles against the more popular English, and is at risk of being lost. As part of efforts to preserve it, Maori language is commonly used at schools and in the media. It’s estimated that about 130 000 people speak some Maori.

All visitors and internationals who wish to  Higher study in New Zealand can expect to speak English wherever they go. However, Maori language is present in some place names, such as Onehunga or Nguru. If you wish to learn Maori language, there are various options available where along with the language, you can also learn about the Maori culture.