New Zealand welcomes people from all cultures and countries around the world, although you will probably need a visa. Luckily, New Zealand has visa offices around the world so it should be easy for you to get the ball rolling, wherever you happen to be Everyone who comes to study in New Zealand from overseas must meet certain rules and requirements. If you are coming to New Zealand to study for more than three months , you will need a student visa or permit. In this article you can find out whether you need a visa or permit, whether you'll qualify, and what a student visa or permit will allow you to do.

PEOPLE WHO DO NOT NEED A STUDENT VISA OR PERMIT :

You don't need a visa or permit if you are a citizen of New Zealand or Australia, you hold a New Zealand residence permit, or you are the holder of a current Australian permanent residence visa including a current Australian resident return visa. (If there are conditions on your residence visa/resident return visa, then you will need to apply for a student visa.)

If the course you want to study is a single short course of less than three calendar months duration, and is approved or exempted by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) , you do not need a student visa and can apply for a visitor visa. If you want to study two or more short courses of study or training (whether at the same time, or one after the other), you need a student visa or permit.

REQUIREMENTS FOR A STUDENT VISA OR PERMIT :

Before you apply, ensure that you understand the requirements that you need to meet, and the requirements that your course must meet.

The first essential is to have an offer of a place from a New Zealand education provider. The offer must include:

• The name of the course and the minimum time required for completing it

• Proof that the course and course provider meet New Zealand's requirements for international students

• The amount of the fee for the complete course or, if the course is longer than one year, the annual fee

• Whether you have to pay course fees and whether the fees are domestic or foreign

• Whether you are studying full-time or part-time.

Your course must be approved by the NZQA.

CERTAIN CONDITIONS APPLY TO COURSE PROVIDERS

• Private training establishments (PTEs) can only offer international students approved courses that are longer than three months and registered with the NZQA. The PTE must be accredited by the NZQA to offer the course

• Institutions including universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and wananga (a type of publicly owned tertiary institution that provides education in a Maori cultural context) can only offer approved courses that are longer than three months and registered with the NZQA. The institution must be accredited to offer the course. The enrolment of an international student must not prevent a New Zealand student or an NZAID student from gaining a place at the same institution.

You have to meet health and character requirements and prove to the immigration service that your intent is genuine. Some people who have committed serious crimes will not be allowed into New Zealand at all. (For full details, see section 7(1) of the Immigration Act via the immigration service website listed at the end of this article).

DOCUMENTS REQUIRED FOR STUDENT VISA FOR NEW ZEALAND

• Candidates have to furnish a letter from the educational institute in New Zealand where they have been selected for a course. The letter should notify that the candidate has been accepted by the educational institution in New Zealand.

• Candidates have to submit a completed and signed Student Visa application form along with a passport-size photograph. They will also have to pay a non-refundable student visa application fee.

• Candidate has to present a receipt for payment of course fees or give proof that they have been exempt from course fees.

• Candidates have to submit a written declaration from an educational institution or persons stating that residential accommodation will be made available to them during their stay in New Zealand.

• Candidates will need to submit a valid passport.

• Candidates must show evidence of adequate financial resources to sponsor their study and maintenance throughout their stay in New Zealand.

• For students who plan to study in New Zealand for over 24 months will require chest X-ray and New Zealand Immigration service medical certificates. Students also have to get character clearances or a local police clearance.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE FOR STUDENTS VISA FOR NEW ZEALAND

Download and fill up the "Application to Study in New Zealand (NZIS 1012)" form.

Provide all the required information listed on the back of the application form along with the correct processing fee.

Depending on the length of stay, candidates will be required to meet certain health requirements.