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Post Study Work Visa Instructions Amendment (Consecutive Enrolments & Eligible Qualifications Expansion)

Validated finding · five-country-2010-20260922-v118-evidence-presentation-fix

CountryNew Zealand
Operative dateNovember 19, 2024
CategoryStudent-to-work transition / post-study employment
Policy toolVisa eligibility criteria / eligible qualification pathways
Affected groupInternational tertiary graduates (pgdip, master's, teacher education, engineering technicians)

Policy effect

Amended immigration instructions WD3 to allow students who complete a 30-week Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) and directly progress to a Master's degree to retain PSWV eligibility based on their PGDip studies (with a 12-month window from initial student visa expiry to apply); removed the requirement for secondary school teachers to hold specialised bachelor's degrees in STEM/Pacific languages; added Graduate Diplomas leading to Teaching Council registration for primary and intermediate teachers; and added the New Zealand Diploma in Engineering (Level 6, Mechanical strand) to eligible qualifications. Phase scope: Entire PSWV instruction set

Conditions and exceptions

Validated condition or limit: Amended immigration instructions WD3 to allow students who complete a 30-week Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) and directly progress to a Master's degree to retain PSWV eligibility based on their PGDip studies (with a 12-month window from initial student visa expiry to apply); removed the requirement for secondary school teachers to hold specialised bachelor's degrees in STEM/Pacific languages; and added the New Zealand Diploma in Engineering (Level 6, Mechanical strand) to eligible qualifications.

Official source excerpt

Quoted verbatim from the official source below. Ellipses indicate omitted text.

Students who studied a Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) for 30 weeks and immediately progressed to a Master’s degree, but were not enrolled in the Masters for 30 weeks, are now eligible to apply for a Post Study Work visa (PSWV) based on their PGDip enrolment. This will give students more flexibility in their course of study and ensure they can remain eligible to work following their qualification. If a student has completed a qualification that is eligible for a PSWV then immediately completes a higher-level qualification (that is ineligible for PSWV, including because they did not study for the minimum duration), they will have 12 months from the end date of their student visa for the initial qualification to apply for a PSWV.
Immigration New ZealandImmigration New Zealand, Changes to the Post Study Work Visa (PSWV), Operational Policy Update, 19 November 2024.Open official source
Retrieved from https://immigration.govt.nz/about-us/news-centre/changes-to-the-post-study-work-visa-pswv

Review method

Two separate automated exact-claim source reviews

Automated source validation is not independent human legal review. The finding should not be treated as legal advice. Record fcp5-88b54f0f1e0c7c37abb2. Something wrong? Flag this record.

Other New Zealand changes operative in 2024