Student visa application checklist:
first-time international students
Checklist of information you should provide with your first student visa application.
For those who are applying for their first student visa as an international student, this checklist is for you. It outlines the details and supporting documentation we will require to evaluate your initial international student visa application. This includes all the data you must submit with your application, as well as any additional data we require in order to evaluate your application more quickly.
If you do not heed the recommendations in this checklist, it may take longer to evaluate your application.
Important
Translations
Providing English translations of supporting documents means we can process your application faster.
You must provide a certified translation of all police certificates if they are not in English.
Please provide English translations of supporting documents and copies of the original untranslated documents so we can process your application faster.
Travel plans
Do not finalise your travel plans until you have been granted a visa.
When to apply
Apply for your student visa at least 8 weeks before your intended travel date. If you want to apply early, we recommend approximately four months before intended travel, but no earlier (to avoid your documents becoming out of date).
Students aged under 10 years old
Student visas will only be granted to international students aged under 10 years old if they will be living in New Zealand with their legal guardian or in an approved school hostel.
Students aged under 18 years old
Students who are under the age of 18 must provide a statement from their education provider confirming their accommodation is compliant with the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021. This statement may be included in the offer of place.
Information required alongwith Visa Application
You must provide the following information with your application.
- An offer of place from a New Zealand education provider.
- A copy of the identity pages in your current valid passport. (This should be the passport you intend to use to travel to New Zealand.)
- Tuition fees evidence.
- Evidence you have enough money to live on and proof of where this money has come from
- Evidence you have enough money to leave New Zealand
- Evidence of your health and character
Provide evidence in case :
› have paid your tuition fees in full for one year or one programme (whichever is shorter), or
› have money available to pay your tuition fees if you are outside New Zealand and wish to use the Approval in
Principle route, or
› are exempt from paying fees and your provider has confirmed this.
Evidence of tuition fee payment:
› a receipt of payment or letter from your education provider confirming you have paid your tuition fees.
Screenshots of bank transfers or receipts from education agents are not acceptable. The provider must confirm
they have received the fees.
Approval in Principle
If you are outside New Zealand when you apply for your visa you can choose to pay your tuition fees after your visa
has been Approved in Principle (AIP). You must provide a tuition fee receipt after your application has been AIP in
order to have your visa granted. You do not have to use the AIP route and can pay your tuition fees upfront for faster
processing, including a receipt from the provider.
The money must be genuinely available for you to use to pay your living costs while you are in
New Zealand and be from a source that we can confirm.
You will need NZD $20,000 per year of tertiary, English language, or other non-school study or $1,667 per
month if your study will be shorter than 1 year.
If you are studying in compulsory education (years 1-13 at a school), you will need NZD $17,000 per year or
$1,417 per month if your study will be shorter than 1 year. Accommodation costs that have been pre-paid to
the school can be deducted.
Evidence you have enough money could include:
› money held by you or on your behalf
› evidence of a scholarship
› a financial undertaking by a non-New Zealander — use the Financial Undertaking for a Student.
› sponsorship by a New Zealander, a New Zealand residence class visa holder, or a New Zealand
organization.
Evidence can be a fully paid ticket out of New Zealand or evidence you have enough extra money to buy a
ticket.
Depending on how long you plan to stay in New Zealand and the countries you have previously spent time
in, you may also need to:
› visit a panel physician for a chest X-ray or a medical examination to show that you are healthy.
› provide a police certificate (or certificates) — and a certified translation if it is not in English
— to show you are of good character.
Supporting information
We strongly recommend you provide the following supporting information with your visa application. It will help us
make the decision faster, and will help us to decide if you:
› are a genuine applicant
› are not likely to stay in New Zealand for longer than your visa allows or breach the conditions of your visa
› will leave New Zealand if you cannot get another visa.
- A cover letter or statement of purpose that explains why you want to study in New Zealand and provides information about yourself. This should be from the student – not the agent.
- A copy of each page of your current passport with a visa label, exit stamp, entry stamp, or cancellation stamp on it. If these are in a previous passport, provide copies from that passport. If your travel has only been recorded electronically, provide a summary of your international travel history.
- A copy of any letters you have received for declined visa applications for other countries and the reasons why you were declined.
- Evidence to support what you have told us in your application and cover letter or statement of purpose.
Examples of evidence we accept
Please provide copies not originals.
Evidence of your education and training
Examples of evidence:
› a qualification certificate
› an academic transcript
› confirmation of current enrolment
› confirmation of online learning attendance and progress, if you have studied with a New Zealand provider while you have
been outside New Zealand (for example, remote delivery).
Evidence of your work and employment history Examples of evidence:
› employment contract or letter from your employer that includes your job responsibilities
› salary slips
› salary deposits shown on bank statements
› income tax returns
› pension or provident fund payments.
Evidence of having money available
The money to support your first year of study (or first programme) must be readily available. For example, cash
in bank accounts that you are able to use to support yourself while you are in New Zealand. Credit cards are not acceptable. A bank balance without supporting evidence/history is not acceptable. A single source of funds is easier to assess than multiple sources.
Examples of evidence:
› bank statements for the past 3 months showing transactions and/or source. If they show any large deposits, or if you opened
the bank account recently, explain where this money has come from and provide supporting evidence to show the transfer of
money from one bank account into another or that you have sold one of your assets.
› certificates for fixed deposits that have been held for at least 6 months
› an education loan sanction letter from a nationalised or multi-national bank
› a letter from your employer that confirms the position, the length of your employment, and your salary/wage
› tax returns showing income earned
› recent business tax returns and bank statements — if you are self-employed
› evidence that shows you own any assets you get income from, like a rental property — such as tax payments on income.
Note:
We must be able to confirm all the evidence that you provide. We might request additional information
from you during the assessment process however we may not be obliged to do this.
Note:
While we recommend 3 months of transaction history, an Immigration Officer may ask for more if required.