Student visas

If you are an international student you are required by law to hold a valid visa for the duration of your study at AUT. This page describes the applying process and the documents you will need to supply with your visa application.

Applying for your visa online

You need to apply for your student visa online through Immigration New Zealand – the process is the same whether you are in New Zealand or overseas.

Go to Immigration Online. You need to create a RealMe account to be able to apply for your student visa online. Follow the instructions given. If you are not eligible to apply online, Immigration NZ will direct you to apply using a paper form.

Immigration Online website
First time student visa checklist

What you need

1. Passport quality photo of yourself, as a JPG file – check the Immigration New Zealand website for more details
2. Police, medical or x-ray certificates – you may need to supply these. Check the Immigration New Zealand website for more details
3. Scanned documents – listed in the section below
4. A debit or credit card to pay for your application online - check the Immigration New Zealand website for more details

Passport photos (Immigration New Zealand website)
Police and medical certificates (Immigration New Zealand website)
Application fees and office finder (Immigration New Zealand website)

Documents you need to provide

You need to scan and save the following documents as PDFs, so you can upload them when you complete your application.

All students

All students must upload the following documents with their application. If you are a PhD student or a returning AUT student, you need to provide some extra documents – these are described in the next sections.

1. Bio-page of your passport (page that shows your photo and date of birth details, etc). Check that your passport is not going to expire within the next six months.
2. Offer of Place (available from your Arion correspondence)
3. Evidence that you have paid your international tuition fees. You need to supply one of these documents:
   • AUT receipt or payment acknowledgement letter (you can download these from Arion)
   • Scholarship confirmation letter
   • Financial guarantee
4. Attendance confirmation from your previous institute of study if you are new to AUT. If you are a returning student you do not need to provide this.
5. Proof of living expenses: you need to show you have access to at least NZ$15,000 for one year or NZ$7,500 for one semester. You need to supply one of these documents:
   • A financial guarantee or scholarship letter indicating you are fully funded for the duration of your study
   • A bank statement in your name only, with three months of transaction history (Immigration New Zealand does not accept a printout of a balance only) and not older than three days at the time of your visa application
   • A completed Sponsorship Form (INZ1025) from a sponsor who is a New Zealand resident or citizen, filled out by the same person who completed this form for your previous student visa application before you arrived in New Zealand
   • A completed Financial Undertaking Form (INZ1014) filled out by the same person who completed this form for your previous student visa application before you arrived in New Zealand

Study forms and guides on Immigration New Zealand website

Returning AUT students

If you are a returning student you need to include some extra documents with your application:

1. Confirmation of enrolment letter (you can request this from the Student Hub)
2. Academic results for the period of study since your previous student visa was issued (download these from Arion)
3. Letter of Explanation: if you are a returning student and you have unsatisfactory academic results, you need to upload a letter of explanation under 'Other documents'. Your letter of explanation should be addressed to Immigration New Zealand. Describe what affected your study and how you intend to achieve better academic results this time (for example, attend academic workshops run by the AUT Learning Advisors, better time management so that you can focus on your studies, etc.)

Student Hub locations and contact details

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) students

If you are a PhD student you must include some extra documents with your application. You can upload these under the 'Other' section in your application:

1. Thesis title (abstract) and the names of all your supervisors
2. Progress update (recent PGR approval)
3. Updated CV

After you apply

When you submit your online application the status will change to “submitted”. You can log in at any time to check the status of your application.

Check your email often

You should regularly check your email inbox as Immigration New Zealand may ask you to provide other documents.

Your application outcome

Immigration New Zealand will issue you with an outcome on your application. If you are issued with an eVisa they will send it to your email. You should print out your eVisa and keep it with your passport at all times. You will not be issued a visa label.

Send AUT a copy of your visa

If you already have your updated visa or have had an interim visa sent to you by email, please provide a copy to us as soon as possible. The quickest way to do this is to upload your visa directly to Arion.

You need to log into arion.aut.ac.nz and choose: Academic Details > Student Documents > Add Document > Select Document Type > Valid Visa.

Log into Arion website

Why you need a valid student visa

The New Zealand Government requires all international students to have a valid student visa for the duration of their academic study at AUT.

You need a valid student visa to complete your enrolment. It should show the correct programme and institute of study details (eg Bachelor of Business at AUT). It is your responsibility to ensure that your visa or permit is valid throughout the duration of your study at AUT.

There are consequences of not having a valid visa to study at AUT.

What happens if you don't have a valid visa

If you do not provide a valid visa you will not have access to education services at AUT and risk being removed from your programme of study.