New Zealand: Indian students can work 25 hours/week under new visa rules

Business Standard

3 days ago

Indians studying in New Zealand or planning to head there soon have reason to be optimistic. On July 14, 2025, the New Zealand government unveiled its new International Education Going for Growth Plan, which will tweak immigration rules to attract more international students, while keeping academic quality and immigration compliance intact.
As part of this plan, Immigration New Zealand (INZ) will implement several visa-related changes from November 3, 2025.
Students can work up to 25 hours a week
Currently, international students can work up to 20 hours a week during term time. That cap will now increase to 25 hours for eligible tertiary and secondary school students.
The new 25-hour limit will apply automatically to all new student visas granted from November 3, even if the application was submitted before the rule came into effect. But those holding existing student visas will need to either apply for a variation of conditions or a new visa to take advantage of the extra five hours.
School students in Years 12 and 13 will still need written permission from both a parent and their school to work these hours.
Notably, many student visas already allow full-time work during official breaks and holidays. If this applies, students can wait until after the summer break to apply for the extra in-study work hours—so long as their current visa remains valid.
There are currently 40,987 student visa holders in New Zealand with in-study work rights:
< 29,790 visas expire on or before March 31, 2026
< 11,197 visas expire after that
Not everyone is expected to apply for the additional five hours. Some students may be close to completing their studies, while others may prefer to wait until their next visa renewal to add the change and avoid extra fees.
Broader work rights for exchange and Study Abroad students
From November, all tertiary-level students on approved exchange or Study Abroad programmes will also be eligible for in-study work rights. This includes even short-term enrolments such as one-semester courses.
Until now, these rights were more limited and depended on specific course types or lengths.
Change in institution or course level? Apply again
INZ also clarified that students will now need to apply for a new visa, not just a variation of conditions, if they decide to change their education provider or lower the level of their study.
This move brings greater regulatory certainty and ensures that visa conditions reflect a student's most current enrolment.
Surge in Indian enrolments
New Zealand has been gaining traction among Indian students over the past year. According to New Zealand Education, international student enrolments from India rose 34% in the January–August 2024 period, reaching 10,640. That's up from 7,930 in the entire 2023 calendar year.
'New Zealand is steadily gaining significance as a preferred alternate study destination over the 'Big Four' countries,' Piyush Kumar, regional director for South Asia, Canada and Latin America at IDP Education told Business Standard.
He added, 'Our IDP data also reflects this, with the number of female student enrolments doubling over the same timeframe. This growth can be attributed to its student-first policies and supportive, holistic education system.'
Kumar pointed out that the government's decision to exempt Indian degree holders from qualification assessment and simplify the skilled migration route had added to the country's appeal.
Strong university rankings bolster appeal
All eight of New Zealand's universities are featured in the QS World University Rankings 2026:
University of Auckland (#65)
University of Otago (#197)
Massey University (#230)
Victoria University of Wellington (#240)
University of Canterbury (#261)
University of Waikato (#281)
Lincoln University (#407)
Auckland University of Technology (AUT) (#410)
'With its welcoming and supportive policies, as well as clear pathways for studying and working, New Zealand is quickly becoming an attractive option. Moreover, all eight New Zealand universities rank amongst the top 500 in the QS World University Rankings 2026,' said Kumar.