International Students in New Zealand

If you are looking to study in an international student’s paradise, a land where you can enroll in some of the world’s highest rated universities, with scenic beauty that you thought only existed in the movies, a warm and friendly people, all without breaking the bank?! Then the “land of the long white cloud”, New Zealand is just the place you are looking for.

Located across Australia’s southeastern coast, the 2200 mile stretch with of incomparable beauty is slightly larger than the UK in total land mass but with a much lesser population density, being home to 4.5 million people. Life in New Zealand goes at a deliberately laidback pace, with the only thing kicking the people into a nationwide frenzy being their religious-like love for rugby, and their All Blacks national team. If you are looking to study abroad it is always helpful to have a few important tips that will come handy as you begin your journey to live in a new environment, and if your destination is New Zealand, here are a few things you need to know:

Visa Requirement

Before you hop on to plane to visit any country, you need to be sure that you will be welcomed in once you reached you destination. As an international student this requires you to apply for and successfully obtain a visa from the New Zealand government. A quick overview of present student visa requirements, on the New Zealand immigrations authority site seems simple enough. What you need to demonstrate for a successful student visa application are:

You must have applied for and granted admission into any of New Zealand’s educational institutes, duly approved by the New Zealand Qualification Authority
Your school of choice must offer a written guarantee that you will be fully accommodated if you are less than 18 years old
You must present sufficient evidence that you have the funds to survive on while you are there
And you must attach a return ticket back home, or show evidence you have funds for it.

Before Leaving

Before you leave your home country it is always wise to sort a few very important things to avoid getting stranded in a place you barely know. A few quick landing preparations you need to make include

Arranging for Suitable Accommodation: As a first timer going to New Zealand to study it is very important that you make proper arrangements for where to stay during your time studying. New Zealand is a very welcoming country and you have a few options to choose from, ranging from the institution-provided housing, to staying with families as a guest student. Make sure you have made complete arrangements before leaving.
Pick-Ups at the Airport: Depending on what time your scheduled flight is set to land, you don’t want to be stranded on your first day in New Zealand at the Airport. Make sure before leaving depending on your accommodation arrangements to plan for someone to pick you up from the Airport as soon as you clear immigrations. Your host family could do that, or if you are staying on campus you could arrange an Uber to pick and convey you to your school.

While Studying

Once you arrive in New Zealand and are on campus, endeavor to hit the ground rolling by presenting all your required admissions documents to your faculty registry to begin the process of enrollment. If you are lost along the way as to what to do and when, don’t be too shy as the friendly people around will be more than happy to guide on where to find the relevant offices to complete the process. There are 8 universities in New Zealand, so before coming try and make proper research on your particular school as to what to do and how once you arrive, so you can transition in smoothly.

As an International Student, recent reforms now mean you are able to work in New Zealand. As an undergraduate you have the right to work for 20 hours a week during school term and full-time during official holidays. And if you are a post-graduate or doctorate candidate you have unlimited working privileges, a very attractive offering that makes New Zealand the destination choice for a growing number of international students

After Graduating

New Zealand is one of the friendliest places to be for international Students and this comes shining through once again once you are done studying and have successfully concluded your program of study. As a fresh graduated you have at least three months within which you need to apply for a post-study work visa. This visa which is usually for the duration of one year, gives you ample time within to look for work. The fact that you don’t need to actually be already employed to stay on gives great credit for New Zealand’s acceptance and fairness to its visitors. It is however important to know that you must show that you have the funds (a minimum of NZ$4200) to support yourself during your time looking for employment.

And if you are a PhD graduate, the time period you are able to stay beyond your time graduation is 6 months. If you are successful in getting employed within the one year post-study visa period, you get entitled to apply for an additional 3 year working visa. Any job you do get needs to demonstrate that it has something to do with your area of study and competence.

New Zealand is not overcrowded, so employment opportunities are always there. You can either choose to work in the urban cities or to minimize costs you can work in the suburban or rural areas. Wherever you choose to live, you can be assured of enjoying some of the highest standards of living in the world that New Zealand is renowned for. The country is always on the lookout for skilled labor especially in the IT, Engineering and Healthcare sectors.

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