New PhD candidates
Visa information for new international PhD candidates who have not been enrolled at the University of Auckland previously.
Before you start your student visa application
You will not be able to study at the University of Auckland without a valid 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. If you submit an incomplete application, it will delay processing and your application may be declined.
Submit your visa application before your current visa expires. Allow plenty of time to get your documentation organised and expect for the visa processing to take at least four weeks when submitting a complete application.
It is very important to submit your visa application before your current visa expires, even if you are missing documentation. If this is still the case a few days prior to your visa expiring, you should include a cover letter with your application, explaining your situation.
Student visa processing for offshore applications will open on 1 August 2022.
You must provide a copy of your visa to the University by the first day of term.
Step-by-step: How to apply for your student visa
Step one - Offer of Place; Candidature/Registration summary
- Accept your Offer of Place/Admission.
- Candidates managed in Wahapū should download a copy of their Candidature Summary from their Wahapū Thesis page. If your enrolment has not been added yet, you can also download a copy of your Admission to Programme and your Fees Estimate via the Admission to Programme page in Wahapū.
- A Student Services Online (SSO) Registration Summary should be used if you do not have Wahapū access, as your details may not be up-to-date.
- Have a pdf copy of the Offer of Place/Admission and your Candidature/Registration Summary ready to upload into the visa application portal.
- Contact the School of Graduate Studies if you need assistance: doctoraladvice@auckland.ac.nz.
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Step two - Pay your fees
- Pay the estimated annual tuition fees stated on your offer of place/offer of admission including the insurance fees.
- 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.
- When your payment has been allocated you will need to generate a statement/invoice and save a pdf copy to upload with your visa application. The receipt is not sufficient.
- If you are a receiving a University of Auckland scholarship, you will need to provide an updated scholarship letter.
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Step three - Evidence you have enough money to live on
INZ requires you to show evidence that you can support yourself during your studies:
- For tertiary students to be granted a student visa, you must show that you have at least NZ$20,000 available per year of study (or NZ$1,667 per month of study, if your course is less than 36 weeks).
- If you are a scholarship recipient and your stipend meets the annual NZ$20,000 requirement, you can upload your updated scholarship letter.
- Refer to the Student Visa guide and checklist at the bottom of this page for further information.
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Step four - 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 five - 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.
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Step six - Electronic copies of visa application documents
- Ensure you have electronic copies available of all the above documents to upload with your student visa application.
- You will also need to upload a copy of the identity pages on your current passport.
Step seven - Submit your visa application through the INZ portal
Most students will apply under the Fee paying student visa category.
If you are unsure which category applies to you (e.g. if you are holding a government scholarship) please contact Immigration New Zealand.
Note:
You may need to provide documents in addition to the ones mentioned above.