Education is one of New Zealand’s top five export industries, contributing approximately $2.3 billion to the New Zealand economy each year and supporting 32,000 jobs.

Changes to immigration policies are aimed at attracting more genuine international students, and enabling the best and brightest to stay in New Zealand so that they can help drive economic growth through increased productivity and innovation.

The changes, which will begin taking effect from 25 July 2011, will:

• strengthen student visa requirements and conditions (without introducing additional compliance for good quality education providers)
• facilitate access to study and training for genuine students, and
• facilitate pathways to work and residence for highly skilled graduates.

As a package, the changes will better support growth in the export education industry and New Zealand’s wider economic objectives.

The changes to Study to Work visas and the Skilled Migrant Category apply to new students who commence studying a New Zealand qualification on or after 25 July 2011. They do not apply to students who already hold New Zealand qualifications or students who are currently studying towards New Zealand qualifications.

THE KEY CHANGES

From 25 July 2011

More criteria will be introduced to determine whether students are genuinely here to study, such as ensuring education providers have assessed students’ competencies for the course before issuing an offer of place.

• Students will be required to attend their courses at all times, as required, unless they have genuine reasons for their absence.
• Students’ progress will be primarily determined by their education provider and assessed against the education providers’ own academic progress policies.
• Students will need to satisfy Immigration New Zealand (INZ) that they are supplying genuine evidence of funds for maintenance.
• Requiring those who provide sponsorship and financial undertakings to:
  • be either friends or relatives (if they are individuals), and
  • genuinely intend to support the student and hold sufficient funds for each student they are acting for.
• More flexibility for genuine students will be introduced by extending sponsorship eligibility to organisations or government agencies, and allowing third parties who provide financial undertakings offshore to continue with onshore applications.
• INZ, when issuing student visas, will have more powers to ensure that students only study at good quality education providers.
• The validity period of medical and police certificates for PhD students, their partners and dependants will be extended from 24 to 36 months, the same as for fee-paying foreign students.
• Work visa holders will no longer need to obtain a variation of conditions to undertake training authorised by their employer as part of their job.
• Work visas will be available to the partners of students studying postgraduate courses and courses on the Long Term Skills Shortage List (LTSSL) at bachelor’s degree and above, rather than any students studying courses on the LTSSL.

Changes to Study to Work visas

• Students will need to have obtained a recognised New
• Zealand qualification of at least two academic years’ duration to qualify for Study to Work visas. A shorter period will be required for people who have gained postgraduate qualifications, credit-transferred bachelors’ degrees or some graduate (level 7) qualifications.
• Students who obtain a second, higher qualification at bachelor’s degree or postgraduate level will be able to obtain a second Graduate Job Search visa.

Changes to the Skilled Migrant Category

Applicants for residence can currently access points for recognised qualifications. From 25 July 2011, the points will be differentiated on the following basis:

• QUALIFICATION (NQF) CURRENT FROM 25 JULY 2011
  • Levels 3–6 50 40
  • Levels 7–8 50 50
  • Levels 9–10 55 60
• Applicants claiming bonus points for having obtained recognised New Zealand qualifications must have a bachelor’s degree or above.
• Changes will also ensure that more former students who qualify for residence will be required to have a skilled job in New Zealand.

From November 2011

• The definition of full-time study will be based on the type of course, rather than the type of provider, to improve consistency across education providers and make it easier for genuine students to access student visas.

From March 2012

• Funds required by applicants for Graduate Job Search Visas will rise from $2,100 to $4,200.
• Funds required for student visa applicants will increase from the current $10,000 per year to $15,000 per year for courses 36 weeks or longer, or pro-rated at $1,250 per month for shorter courses (less prepaid living expenses).

The immigration instructions underpinning the changes that are being introduced on 25 July 2011 are currently being finalised and will be published on the Immigration New Zealand website at: www.immigration.govt.nz by early July 2011.