Working in New Zealand while and after you study as an international student

International students at AUT who have a student visa may be able to work part-time for up to 25 hours a week during their studies, and full-time during all scheduled holidays and/or during the Christmas and New Year holiday period.

Part-time work

You may be able to work part-time up to 25 hours a week if you're studying full-time and your course:

• Is at least 2 academic years long, or
• Results in a New Zealand qualification at level 4 of above on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework (NZQCF), or

• Is to develop English language skills and meets certain conditions, or
• Is at least one semester as part of an approved exchange scheme or a Study Abroad programme.

You can only work 25 hours per week - you can't work 10 hours one week and 40 the next to average out to 25 hours per week.

Full-time work

During scheduled breaks in study

You may be able to work full-time if:

• You're studying full-time for at least one academic year; and
• Your course is worth at least 120 credits.
• Your course has a minimum of 2 semesters during at least 8 months.

During the Christmas and New Year holiday period

You may be able to work full-time if:

• You're studying full-time; and
• Your course has a minimum of 2 semesters during at least 8 months.

AUT semester dates and scheduled breaks

PhD or master's by research students

There is no limit on the hours you can work if you're enrolled in a doctoral degree (PhD) or research master's programme at a New Zealand tertiary institution.

You need to indicate this when you apply for your student visa at Immigration New Zealand, so that they can endorse the appropriate work condition.

If you don't have this full-time work condition, you can only work part-time in New Zealand for up to 25 hours a week, depending on your programme of study.

Working full-time for your AUT workplace experience

If you need to do workplace experience (co-operative education) as part of your AUT programme:

• You can apply for the “Holder may undertake practical experience” condition¹, which allows you to work full-time while on your student visa
• You should discuss this condition with Student Hub staff

_{¹ This condition is only valid for the time that you're enrolled in co-operative education and can't be used at any other time while you hold a student visa}.

If your course is 24 weeks or longer

You can work up to 25 hours each week if:

• You're studying full-time
• The main reason for your study is to improve your English
• You have an acceptable English language test result that is no more than 2 years old, for example an IELTS certificate with an overall band score of 5.0 (you'll need to provide this with your application).

If your course is 14 weeks or longer

You can work up to 25 hours each week if you're studying English full-time at a university or an education provider that has been assessed by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) as a Category 1 provider.

If your course is less than 14 weeks

You may be able to work if you have studied English on a previous student visa and your new course:

• Follows on from the previous one
• Is with the same education provider

After you've completed your studies at AUT, you may be eligible for a Post Study Work Visa.

Who can apply

You may be eligible for a Post Study Work Visa to work in New Zealand if you studied in New Zealand and:

• Completed a degree of level 7 or higher
• Not had a previous Post Study Work Visa
• Studied full-time for at least 30 weeks in New Zealand

If you've completed a qualification below degree level, you may still be eligible, but you'll need to:

• Have a qualification that is on the list of qualifications eligible for a Post Study Work Visa
• Have studied full-time in New Zealand, and for the full duration required to gain the qualification
• Take a job that is related to your studies

Qualifications needed for a Post Study Work Visa

When to apply

Once you've received your final academic results, your eligibility to graduate from your programme is confirmed by your faculty. You can then apply for a Post Study Work Visa before your current student visa expires.

You must apply for a Post Study Work Visa (PSWV) no later than:

• 3 months after your student visa expires, or
• Within 3 months of the end date of your student visa for a second qualification (if you completed a bachelor's degree immediately followed by an honours or postgraduate diploma, and held consecutive student visas for these qualifications)

The exceptions are if you completed:

• A doctoral degree: you must apply for a PSWV no later than 6 months after your student visa expires
• An eligible qualification for a PSWV and then, immediately after, completed a higher-level qualification in less than 30 weeks, you can apply for a PSWV based on your first qualification no later than 12 months after your student visa for the first qualification expires

PhD students have the option to apply for a Post Study Work Visa after submitting their thesis. This doesn’t apply to research master's students who have submitted their dissertation. Research master's students can only apply for a Post Study Work Visa after their dissertation has been marked, official results are available and eligibility to graduate from the programme is confirmed by the faculty.

Immigration New Zealand will check your records to ensure that you're applying in time.

You won't be eligible to apply if you didn't complete the qualification recorded on your student visa. This highlights that if you change programmes, you must change your student visa to reflect the new programme.

Fund requirements

At the time of your Post Study Work Visa application, you need to provide evidence that you have genuine access to at least NZD$5,000 to live on while you are in New Zealand.

Visa conditions related to work rights

A Post Study Work Visa granted based on a qualification at level 7 or higher in New Zealand may enable you to work for any employer, in any occupation and in any location in New Zealand.

A Post Study Work Visa granted based on a non-degree level 7 or below qualification only enables you to take a job related to what you studied.

How often can you apply for a Post Study Work Visa

According to the current immigration policies, you can only apply for a Post Study Work Visa once. So, if you've held a Post Study Work Visa but then apply for a higher level of study, you're not eligible to apply for another Post Study Work Visa at the conclusion of the latter programme.

More info about working in New Zealand after your studies

You can find out more about applying for a visa, which qualifications are eligible and how long you can stay in New Zealand on the Immigration New Zealand website.