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New Zealand · Post study work visa

New Zealand visa guide

New Zealand Post-Study Work Visa

Information on the work visa that lets graduates of an eligible New Zealand qualification stay and work for up to 3 years.

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Apply within 3 months of your student visa expiring: late applications are declined regardless of merit
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New Zealand Post-Study Work Visa — overview

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The New Zealand Post-Study Work Visa lets graduates of an eligible New Zealand qualification stay and work in New Zealand for up to three years. It is the route most Indian graduates use to gain New Zealand work experience, which in turn opens the Skilled Migrant residence pathway.

This page is provided for awareness only. The Post-Study Work Visa is a work visa, and Lifeset Overseas does not process work-related visas. They fall under a separate licensing regime. What we can do, and do very well, is build the study application that puts you in line for it: a strong New Zealand Student Visa for an eligible Level 7+ qualification, studied full-time for at least 30 weeks.

If New Zealand residence is your real goal, talk to us about the study route and the Skilled Migrant pathway it leads to: a plan we can fully and honestly support.

Documents you need

6 items

  • Eligible NZ qualification

    A degree at NZQF Level 7 or higher, or a listed non-degree qualification, studied full-time for at least 30 weeks in New Zealand.

  • Academic completion evidence

    Your academic transcript and a completion letter from the New Zealand institution.

  • Full-time enrolment proof

    Evidence you studied the required duration in New Zealand.

  • Maintenance funds

    At least NZD 5,000 in your account.

  • Application within the deadline

    Within 3 months of your student visa ending (6 months for doctoral graduates), a strict cut-off.

  • Updated health & character certificates

    A fresh medical, chest X-ray or police certificate if the earlier ones have aged out.

Costs & fees

Transparent

Item

Amount

Post-Study Work Visa application fee

Indicative online fee, non-refundable.

NZD 1,670

Government and third-party fees change often — we confirm the exact current amounts for your case before you pay anything.

Frequently asked questions

3 answers

  • No. It is a work visa and requires a separate licence we do not hold. This page is informational only. We can, however, fully support the student visa that leads to it.

  • Generally a New Zealand degree at NZQF Level 7 or higher studied full-time for at least 30 weeks, or a listed non-degree qualification. The visa is granted only once.

  • Post-study work experience is the most common bridge from study to residence: a New Zealand qualification and skilled NZ work both count toward the Skilled Migrant Category.

Your Lifeset team

Licensed in Punjab · Based in Patiala

Tell us what you have in mind. We’ll help you understand your options and the fee before you decide.

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New Zealand guides & insights

A real way forward

Work visas aren’t our licence — a real route to New Zealand is.

Employer-driven work visas need a separate licence we don't hold — so this page is information only. But if your real goal is to build a future in New Zealand, we can help with a study route, a family route, or permanent residency where it exists. Talk to us and we'll map the honest path that actually works for you.

  • Honest route mapping

    We assess your profile and show you which New Zealand pathway can realistically work for you.

  • A file built to win

    Study, family or PR — whichever route fits, we build and stress-test the documents properly.

  • One consultant, end to end

    The same person stays with your case from the first call to the decision.

  • Licensed & honest

    A Government-of-Punjab licensed consultancy. We never take a case we believe will fail.

Contact us

licensed (No. 849/DC/PTA/PLA/LC-3/2024)Fixed fees agreed upfrontWe won’t take a case we believe will fail

Other New Zealand visas

Before you pay anyone for a New Zealand work permit

Only a firm holding an MEA Recruiting Agent licence may recruit you for overseas employment. That register is public, and checking it takes about a minute — it is the single thing that separates a legitimate agent from the people this route is famous for.

  • Ask for the RA licence number and look it up on the Ministry of External Affairs’ own eMigrate portal. A genuine agent will give it without being pushed.
  • A licensed agent’s fee is capped by law and receipted. Nobody legitimate asks for cash with no paperwork.
  • No agent can promise you a job offer, and an offer letter that arrives before any interview is the oldest warning sign there is.
  • Never hand over your original passport. Not to them, and not to us.

For information only — we do not handle work permits. Lifeset Overseas does not process work permits for New Zealand or any other country: that requires an MEA Recruiting Agent licence under the Emigration Act, which we do not hold. Our licence (No. 849/DC/PTA/PLA/LC-3/2024) covers visa consultancy and travel services. We can explain how this route works and how to check somebody who says they can do it — we cannot apply for it on your behalf, and we will not take a fee for trying.

Most people who ask us about work permits are really asking about something else.

A course with a post-study work route often reaches the same place, legally, through a door we can open for you — and it is a route nobody can take your money for and disappear. If you tell us what you are actually trying to achieve, we will tell you honestly whether that fits, including when it does not.

Ask about study or PR routes

Or read the study visa route first — no phone number required.