New Zealand is now recognized as one of the most popular study destinations in the world. The country provides quality education, good universities and a welcoming community of immigrant students. According to data, out of all the study visas issued in 2023, around 17% of them belonged to Indian students.
Attractive Study Destination
According to the QS World Rankings, the universities in New Zealand make it to the top 3% in the list and offer quality, industry-oriented courses in a diverse range of fields and disciplines. Highly specialized courses along with practical internship opportunities make these courses extremely attractive for students.
But How Expensive Are These?
The courses in New Zealand are offered at extremely affordable rates. Indians who wish to study there can do so at an average expenditure of NZD 22,000 to 32,000 per year. The cost of living and education is much lower here than in many European countries.
Increase In Visa Charges
However, now the NZ Government has announced the increase of visa charges in the form of extra fees, and this is expected to be implemented from the 1st of October this year. New charges will be introduced in all Visa categories but there will be a continuation of lower Visa charges for students from the Pacific countries, owing to an agreement to support its neighbors in the Pacific. This will ensure that NZ is still an attractive destination for higher education and work prospects.
What Drove Up These Charges?
The revision in these charges is to recover the costs incurred for processing a visa. Despite this the cost is expected to be lower than that of certain European countries and Australia.
The Revised Charges
The student Visa which had a visa charge of 300 is now raised to 485, along with an additional levy of 265 (which had earlier been 95). While the charges for the work visa have come down to 320 from 490, an additional levy of 1350 is imposed, which was earlier only 210 NZD.
The reason for increase in the work visa fees is to ensure local employment to a certain extent. It will ensure that the livelihoods of the New Zealanders stand protected in this face of globalization.
How these revisions will impact the student inflow and its composition in New Zealand is yet to be deciphered.
