Changes to work rights for Student Visa holders
Changes to in-study work rights for students will be updated from 9 October 2023.
Changes to in-study work rights for students will be updated from 9 October 2023 when the new criteria for the Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa comes into effect.
The changes include:
- References to Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa in the in-study work instructions will be removed and instead state eligible qualification’s programme level and type.
- References to the requirement for a course to be relevant to the ANZSCO occupation at skill levels 3-5 will also be removed from instructions.
As a result of these changes, all students studying a full-time programme resulting in a New Zealand qualification at Level 4 or above on the NZQCF will be eligible for in-study work rights. Training schemes and micro-credentials are not qualifications and remain ineligible for in-study work rights.
Students generally need to be studying full time to be eligible for a student visa and in-study work rights.
However there is an exception for students who are:
- completing a course of study which would qualify for points under the Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa, or
- in their final semester of a programme that is of at least 2 academic years’ duration.
This allows students who may have a part time study load in their last semester to remain on a student visa. These instructions will also be updated to reference level 4 qualifications and higher.
Changes will be made to immigration instructions to specify that all qualifications at Level 4 and above on the NZCQF will be eligible for in-study work rights. This is to maintain in-study work right eligibility once the higher Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa qualification threshold comes into effect on 9 October 2023.
Source: https://www.immigration.govt.nz
