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Many questions need detailed answers. Please tell us if you need further explanation of any of these points.
With a Bachelor degree in your country (= NZ Level 7), you will almost certainly get you entry into
If you do not have a Bachelor degree, you can probably get accepted into a lower level course, depending on your High School results, diploma study, Work Experience etc. However, you will need to study for “2 academic years” to qualify for the “Study to Residence Pathway.”
Your proposed course should be a logical pathway for you, based on your previous qualification AND
your Work Experience (if you have any) OR your potential employment (e.g. taking over a family business)
Therefore, if you already have a Bachelor degree (Level 7), it is unlikely that studying a course at Level 4 or 5 would be acceptable to INZ unless you can show a logical reason. Eg Cooking courses (Level 4/5) – may be acceptable for a Bachelor of Restaurant Management; or a Nurse entering family restaurant business etc
Whatever course you want, you will almost certainly need to prove your English ability. The first step then is to get assessed for suitability for entry. If you do not have the proof of English ability, you will be given a “Conditional Offer of Place.” Once you have satisfied the English requirements (for example by IELTS exam) you will be given an unconditional “Offer of Place.”
To apply for a course, you therefore need to send
You will be permitted to work 20 hours per week while studying, and full-time during vacations. However, Immigration NZ requires that you can show that you have sufficient funds to support yourself while you study, without working, at NZ$1250 per month for 12 months.
Please note
You may be able to get sponsorship or other financial support
After we receive your documents, we will confirm with you which course you are interested in, and will request the institution to assess your suitability. Some are very quick, but others are not, and you can expect it to take 5 to 14 days to get a reply.
After you have received an unconditional “Offer of Place” and a “Fees Invoice” you need to submit an application for a Student Visa to Immigration New Zealand. INZ provides lots of information about what you need to submit for that, and we can guide you to that information.
Assessment of your SV application will usually take between 5 and 30 days, depending on the quality of your application, and how busy INZ are at that time.
After receiving your AIP, it will take only a few days to send your fees to the institution, get a receipt, and your Visa issued.
Please note: Most government institutions (Universities and ITPs) have only 2 intakes: Mid- February, and mid- July. Many Private providers have intakes spread throughout the year.