New Zealand doesn’t have a single “student visa” — most international students apply for the Fee Paying Student Visa, administered by Immigration New Zealand (INZ). It’s a well-run system with clear financial thresholds, but the “show money” rules trip up more applicants than the paperwork does. This guide walks through what INZ actually checks, in order.
Who needs a Fee Paying Student Visa
Anyone enrolling in a full-time course of study in New Zealand for longer than three months, at an approved education provider, needs this visa before arrival (a few short-course and exchange categories have separate pathways). It covers everything from English-language courses to bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD study.
Step 1: Get an Offer of Place
You need a formal Offer of Place from an INZ-approved provider before you can apply. The offer must show your course, its duration, and the total tuition fee. If you’re under 18, INZ also requires evidence of accommodation and pastoral care arrangements.
Step 2: Meet the financial (“show money”) requirement
This is where most refusals happen — not because the amounts are unreasonable, but because applicants submit funds that don’t meet INZ’s “genuinely available” test. As of 2026, you must show:
- NZ$20,000 per year (or NZ$1,667 per month for courses under a year) for tertiary or English-language study, or
- NZ$17,000 per year (or NZ$1,417 per month) if you’re enrolling in compulsory education (Years 1–13)
This is in addition to your tuition and any pre-paid accommodation. Funds must come from a source INZ can verify — your own bank statements, a scholarship letter, or a sponsor’s declaration with proof of the sponsor’s ability to pay (payslips, tax records, or their own bank statements). Money that appeared in an account just before you applied, with no visible history, is the single most common reason INZ asks for further evidence or declines outright. Build a paper trail months in advance, not weeks.
Step 3: Health, character, and travel documents
- A passport valid for at least three months beyond your intended departure from New Zealand
- Full medical and travel insurance for the length of your stay (INZ has specific approved-insurer requirements for some nationalities and course lengths)
- A medical examination and chest X-ray if you’re staying longer than 12 months or come from a country INZ flags for health screening
- Police certificates if you’ve spent 12+ months in any country in the last 10 years
Fees and processing time
The Fee Paying Student Visa costs from NZ$850 (2026 pricing). Since INZ moved processing onto its upgraded Immigration Online platform, roughly 80% of complete applications are decided within 8 weeks — faster than in prior years, but still plan around a two-month buffer before your course start date, especially in the December–February peak intake.
Work rights while studying
Most eligible student visa holders can now work up to 25 hours per week during term time (raised from 20 hours), and full-time during scheduled course breaks. If you’re 16 or 17, you’ll need written permission from both a parent/guardian and your institution before you can work at all. Work rights are usually noted directly as a condition on the visa — check your grant letter rather than assuming they apply.
Common reasons for refusal
- Funds that can’t be traced to a genuine, ongoing source
- An Offer of Place from a provider that isn’t INZ-approved for the course level
- Missing or lapsed medical/travel insurance for the full course duration
- Weak evidence of genuine study intentions for applicants moving between very different fields or levels of study (INZ, like Australia and the UK, screens for genuine temporary entrant intent)
FAQ
Can I bring my family on a NZ student visa? Partners and dependent children can apply for their own visas alongside you, but they must meet separate funding and (for partners) sometimes work-visa eligibility requirements — budget for this as a distinct cost, not an add-on.
Do I need an IELTS score? Most providers set their own English requirements as a condition of enrolment rather than INZ setting one directly, so check your Offer of Place — English test requirements vary by course and provider, not by visa category.
Can I switch providers or courses on this visa? Generally yes, but changing to a materially different course or level can trigger a fresh genuine temporary entrant assessment. Notify INZ before making major changes rather than after.
Ready to apply? A document checklist tailored to your course level and an eligibility check can help you avoid the show-money mistakes above — join the VisaMet waitlist to get early access to our New Zealand application tools.
This guide is general preparation information, not immigration advice — always confirm current fees, thresholds, and document requirements on immigration.govt.nz before you apply.
Sources: Fee Paying Student Visa — Immigration New Zealand, Student fund requirements — Immigration New Zealand