Student visas – impact of course changes or withdrawals

If you’re an international student, changing your programme, withdrawing from courses or studying part-time could affect your student visa. It’s really important to understand what this means before you make any changes, so you can stay compliant with your visa conditions.

How changes could affect your student visa

Student visas are usually granted for full-time study.

If Immigration New Zealand becomes aware that you're no longer studying full-time, they may contact you directly to ask for more information about your situation and your study plans.

If you want to change to part-time study, you'll generally need to apply for a different visa with Immigration New Zealand, for example a visitor visa with a variation of conditions that allows part-time study.

Immigration New Zealand website