How to apply for your student visa as a continuing student
Step-by-step guidance for continuing international students who have previously studied at the University of Auckland.
Before starting your student visa application
You won't be able to study at the University of Auckland without a valid visa, i.e. you can't study on your school or other institutions' visa. It is also often not permitted to study on a work or visitor visa without a Variation of Conditions approved by Immigration New Zealand (INZ).
Before submitting your application to INZ ensure you have all required documentation available as electronic copies. Allow plenty of time to get your documentation organised and expect for the visa processing to take at least four weeks, if you are in New Zealand, when submitting a complete application. If you submit an incomplete application, it will delay processing, and your application may be declined.
You must apply for your new visa before your current visa expires to avoid being unlawful in New Zealand.
Step-by-step: How to apply for your student visa
Step one: Enrol in your courses
As a continuing student who has studied at the University of Auckland previously you will need to enrol in your courses first.
Semester:
- It is strongly recommended enrolling in at least 60 points of on-campus courses per semester. While 45 on-campus points may qualify as full-time under INZ guidelines, 60 points support better academic planning and timely progression.
Quarter:
- You must be enrolled in 30 on-campus points or more per quarter (this is usually two or more courses)
Exception: If you are in your final semester/quarter and have fewer courses left to complete your programme. This exception is only permitted once by INZ. For more information, please see the link below.
- If you need to apply for a course concession, do so as soon as possible to avoid delays in the enrolment process.
Links:
Step two: Pay your fees
- When your enrolment is complete, pay your fees including the insurance fees.
- You need to pay fees for a whole year.
- Once you have paid, it may take a few days for your payment to be allocated to your tuition fees account depending on the form of payment used.
- After your payment has been allocated you will need to generate a statement/invoice to upload with your visa application. The receipt is not sufficient.
- If you are a scholarship recipient, please refer to the Student Visa guide below for further information.
Links:
Step three: Request a "Confirmation of enrolment" letter
- As a continuing student you must provide a confirmation of your enrolment.
- Once you have paid tuition fees, you can request a "Confirmation of Enrolment" letter from the University.
- Allow at least one week for the letter to be generated.
- Do not submit your Offer of place/admission that you received when you started at the University of Auckland as this will be out of date.
Link:
Step four: Evidence of your progress and attendance
- To provide evidence of your academic progress, generate an unofficial transcript through your Student Services Online (SSO) account.
- As the University of Auckland does not record attendance, you won’t need to submit an attendance record.
Link:
Step five: Evidence you have enough money to live on
INZ requires you to show evidence that you can support yourself during your studies. You must have:
- NZD 20,000 per year, if you are studying for one academic year or more, or
- NZD 1,667 for each month, if your study is shorter than one academic year.
Link:
Step six: Evidence you have enough money to leave New Zealand
In addition to the funds mentioned in the previous step, you’ll also need to show evidence that you have funds available covering the equivalent of a flexible flight ticket to your home country.
Step seven: Evidence of your health and character
- You may be required to submit a chest x-ray and/or medical certificate with your visa application.
- You may be required to submit a police certificate (or certificates) and a certified translation if it is not in English to show you are of good character.
Links:
Step eight: Electronic copies of visa application documents
- Ensure you have electronic copies of all the above documents available to upload with your student visa application.
- You will also need to upload a copy of the identity pages on your current passport.
- All identity photos must be natural and unaltered. Do not use editing or artificial intelligence (AI) tools to enhance your images. If your photo does not meet INZ standards your visa application will be delayed or could be declined.
Step nine: Submit your visa application through the INZ portal
- Most students will apply under the Fee paying student visa category. The University is unable to support Pathway student visa applications at this time.
- If you are unsure which category applies to you (e.g. if you are holding a government scholarship) please contact Immigration New Zealand.