New students in New Zealand
Visa information for new international students in New Zealand who have never studied at the University of Auckland before.
Before you start your student visa application
You will not be able to study at the University of Auckland without a valid visa, i.e. you cannot study on your school or other institutions' visa. It is also often not permitted to study on a work or visitor visa without a Variation of Conditions approved by Immigration New Zealand (INZ).
Before submitting your application to INZ please ensure you have all required documentation. If you submit an incomplete application, it will delay processing.
Submit your visa application before your current visa expires. Allow plenty of time to get your documentation organised and expect for the visa processing to take at least four weeks when submitting a complete application.
It is very important to submit your visa application before your current visa expires, even if you are missing documentation. If this is still the case a few days prior to your visa expiring, you should include a cover letter with your application, explaining your situation.
You must provide a copy of your visa to the University by the first day of term.
Step-by-step: How to apply for your student visa
Step one - Offer of place
- Accept your offer of place. Ensure that this is a firm/unconditional offer. You cannot apply for your visa with a conditional offer.
- If you have been given offers for multiple programmes, ensure you submit the offer letter for the programme you will be enrolled in.
- Have a pdf copy of the Offer of Place handy to upload into the visa application portal
Link:
Step two - Pay your fees
- Pay the estimated annual tuition fees stated on your offer of place/offer of admission including the insurance fees.
- Once you have paid, it may take a few days for your payment to be allocated to your tuition fees account depending on the form of payment used.
- When your payment has been allocated you will need to generate a statement/invoice and save a pdf copy to upload with your visa application. The receipt is not sufficient.
- If you are a scholarship recipient, please refer to the Student Visa guide and checklist below for further information.
Links:
Step three - Evidence you have enough money to live on
INZ requires you to show evidence that you can support yourself during your studies:
- For a one year enrolment you will need to show evidence that you have funds available of at least NZ$20,000 or NZ$1,667 per month of study.
- Refer to the Student Visa guide and checklist below for further information and for acceptable forms of evidence.
Link:
Step four - Evidence you have enough money to leave New Zealand
- In addition to the funds mentioned in the previous step, you’ll also need to show evidence that you have funds available covering the equivalent of a flexible flight ticket to your home country.
Step five - Evidence of your health and character
- You may be required to submit a chest x-ray and/or medical certificate with your visa application.
- You may be required to submit a police certificate (or certificates) and a certified translation if it is not in English to show you are of good character.
Links:
Step six - Electronic copies of visa application documents
- Ensure you have electronic copies available of all the above documents to upload with your student visa application
- You will also need to upload a copy of the identity pages on your current passport
Step seven - Submit your visa application through the INZ portal
Most students will apply under the Fee paying student visa category. The University is unable to support Pathway student visa applications at this time.
If you are unsure which category applies to you (e.g. if you are holding a government scholarship) please contact Immigration New Zealand.
Note:
You may need to provide documents in addition to the ones mentioned above.