New Zealand Drops the Number of Issued Student Visas to Indian Students
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Following the UK, it appears New Zealand has also tightened its student visa rules. In the last five months, New Zealand has issued half as many new student visas to Indian students compared to the same period last year. This has resulted in a lot of potentially capable Indian students being turned down.
From the beginning of July to end of October 2016, New Zealand consulate approved 3,102 visas which is just 48% of the 6,462 approved in the same period for the year 2015.
New Zealand's public radio broadcast channel 'Radio New Zealand' reported that the fall was due to tighter rules and monitoring of student visa applications from India because too many Indian students were “arriving with too little money to support themselves and too little English to study here.”
Richard Goodall, the international education spokesperson of Independent ITENZ (Tertiary Education New Zealand), said the number of visa approvals was lower, but the calibre of students was higher. So the reason behind the stricter rules is essentially maintaining quality intake of students.
Early in 2016 Radio New Zealand released a statement claiming that the Immigration New Zealand rejected student visas of Indian students because most students from the country were “really not coming to study or because they did not have enough finances to support their study and stay costs.”
Commonly asked questions
With a good educational system, excellent quality of life, and a number of research opportunities, New Zealand offers a lot to international students. Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand has a 39 percent population of overseas citizens, making it a culturally diverse city. Moreover, the post-study work visa in New Zealand can offer up to three years of stay back. As per Stats New Zealand, its unemployment rate is 3.4 percent. Students enrolled in a course of 12 months or more can also work part-time in New Zealand for up to 20 hours a week during the semester and holidays.
The tuition fees that a student would need to pay will depend on the type of qualification and the university they are looking at to pursue their education. While courses such as humanities, education, and arts are likely to cost less pursuing subjects such as medicine and engineering costs on the higher side.
The below table sheds light on the tuition fee charged level-wise in New Zealand from international students applying to their universities:
Study Program Level | Annual Costs in NZD |
|---|---|
Diploma or Certificate courses | NZD 23,000 - NZD 47,000 |
English Language courses | NZD 350 (per week) |
Undergraduate degree | NZD 22,000 - NZD 32,000 |
Master's degree | NZD 26,000 - NZD 37,000 |
Doctoral degree | NZD 6,500 - NZD 9,000 |
The cost of living does not includes only the tuition fee but also other expenses like textbooks, NON-tuition fee, accommodation cost and other personal expenses. The moment a student lands in New Zealand, they need to pay $35 international visitor and tourism conservation levy. The living cost can vary as per the accommodation option, location and personal spending habits.
In addition to your tuition and insurance fees, you will need between $20,000 and $25,000 per year ($380–480 per week) for accommodation/rent, food expenses, transportation costs, phone bills, internet usage and entertainment.
New Zealand is one of the top destinations for international students going abroad for higher education. All of eight universities in New Zealand are ranked among the top 3% universities in the world. New Zealand education sets up students with a globally recognised qualification and real-world skills. Each year thousands of students from India apply for various universities in the New Zealand. As per Govt. of India, there are more than 2,500 Indian students that went to study in 2022 in various universities in New Zealand.
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Raj Vimal is an education writer and editor with over 8 years of experience. He helps Indian students find the right universities, visas, and courses abroad. Currently, he leads content strategies at InfoEdge India
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