Good news for Indian students, New Zealand announces BIG changes in its visa rules, expands work hours, and..., check details here

New Zealand government has announced major changes to its immigration rules and visa regulations. In a big announcement under its new plan 'International Education: Going for growth', International students will soon be permitted to work up to 25 hours a week during their academic semesters, earlier the limit was set to 20 hours. This moves aims to lure more foreign students, as New Zealand seeks to  double the value of its foreign education sector from $3.6 billion in 2024 to $7.2 billion by 2034.

What is the new '25-hour work limit'?

The new rule of '25 hours limit' will come into effect from November 3, 2025, which applies to all the new international students visa holders, even if their visa applications were submitted before that date. For those students who have visa with 20-hour limit will have to ither apply for a 'variation of conditions' or a new student visa, with standard immigration fees applied. 

Major changes announced

Moreover, foreign students enrolled in approved exchange or Study Abroad programmes, even those staying for just one semester, will now also be eligible for in-study work rights. Earlier, only full-time students on longer-term courses had this privilege.

In an another major change, New Zealand government has announced that students who change education provider or lower their level, are now required to apply for a new visa. They are no longer allowed to simply change their existing ones. 

Other changes announced

• 'Pathway student Visa Pilot' is under review, as New Zealand government aims to introduce multi-year visas for students enrolled in longer programmes.
• Moreover, a news 6-month work visa will also be introduced for sub-degree international graduates.
• Lastly, New Zealand has updated its list of countries exempt from the International Qualification Assessment (IQA) as of June 23, 2025. Countries added to the exemption list include India, France, Germany, Italy, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Between January and August 2024, student enrolments from India increased by 34%, rising from 7,930 to 10,640. Overall, New Zealand aims to increase its total international student count from 83,400 in 2024 to 119,000 by 2034. Currently, nearly 41,000 international students in New Zealand have in-study work rights.