The new measures are aimed at making the visa issuance procedure hassle-free. The measures include deploying more staff in visa application processing and improving the tools and templates used by the authorities.

New Zealand’s authorities have refined letter templates to make communication clearer and more consistent in decision letters sent to applicants.

Meanwhile, the authorities urged applicants to ensure that their application includes all the necessary information.

As many as 31,588 student visa applications were received in New Zealand in the 2023-2024 period, with over 27,000 of those being approved (87%), according to data from the Immigration website.

Around 4,000 applications were rejected, as the rejection rates were down by 43% compared with the previous year.

The New Zealand Immigration website mentioned that most of the rejected applications were declined due to failing to meet the requirements of the visa.

Among the student visas, the country provides Fee Paying Student Visa – for international students planning to study full-time in the country.

With a four-year stay, the visa allows them to study full-time, work part-time jobs that conclude 20 hours a week, and live on their own.

Another visa, the Exchange Student Visa allows studying full-time in New Zealand for more than three months while holders can work part-time while they stay in the country.