New Zealand prioritizes visas for returning international students

By Binh Minh February 8, 2025 | 12:00 am PT

People walk outside a Starbucks cafe on Lambton Quay Street in Wellington, New Zealand, July 23, 2020. Photo by Reuters

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) will prioritize student visa applications from those already in the country or applying for a second or subsequent study program.

In an announcement on its website this week, INZ stated that these applicants need visas before their new courses begin. Students currently in New Zealand must also provide proof of tuition payment upfront.

"We are changing the way we allocate international student visa applications from students in New Zealand so we have more flexibility and can process these more efficiently during this summer processing peak," the announcement read.

For urgent cases, INZ offers tools to help students check their application status. However, students must first contact their institution for support.

New Zealand has eight public universities, all ranked among the world’s top 500 in the QS World University Rankings 2025 by Quacquarelli Symonds, a British higher education analytics firm.

According to IDP Education, international students in New Zealand pay an average annual tuition of NZ$20,000–25,000 (US$11,320-14,150), with living expenses ranging from NZ$13,000–16,000. Housing costs vary between NZ$120–555 per week.

In October 2024, New Zealand doubled its student visa fee to NZ$750. The post-study work visa fee also more than doubled, increasing from NZ$700 to 1,670.

According to Education New Zealand, the country hosted over 69,000 international students in 2023, a 67% increase from the previous year. Among them, approximately 1,730 were Vietnamese students.