In 2009-10, Immigration New Zealand approved approximately 94,000 student visa applications, more than half of which paid full tuition. This education sector is already a $2 billion a year industry and New Zealand has just passed new regulations to help ease the visa process for international students in the hopes of expanding this sector even more.
Last month, New Zealand approved a new Immigration Act which allows interim visas to be granted while student visas are pending renewal. How does this differ than before?
Before, international students studying in New Zealand would no longer be able to study if their paperwork had not been successfully processed. As of February 7, 2011 when the new legislation comes into effect, students will be issued an “interim visa” which will allow students to study while their application is being processed so long as they are lawful when they apply.
The new legislation also extends the period in which police and medical certificates have to be received. Before, police and medical certificates needed to be submitted every two years – now it will be every three years. This extension allows international students to save money as the cost of these certificates can be quite expensive.
The hope is that this interim visa will ease the process for international students in New Zealand by giving them an extended grace period while their paperwork gets processed. This step is intended on making the visa process easier for both educational institutions and international students.
Most interim visas will be automatically granted electronically at no additional fee. International students will be notified by email or mail as to whether the visa has been granted. The interim visas granted in New Zealand will be valid until the visa extension is decided (up to a maximum of six months). If you are an international students studying in New Zealand and receive an interim visa, please be sure to know the full details. If you leave New Zealand under an interim visa, the visa will automatically expire.
