Tuesday, August 13, 2024 The New Zealand government will implement significant visa fee increases starting on 1 October 2024, affecting nearly all visa categories. Immigration Minister Erica Stanford announced that these changes aim to create a more sustainable immigration system by shifting the financial responsibility from taxpayers to visa applicants. A report by ICEF Monitor indicates that these adjustments are projected to reduce public funding needs by more than NZ$563 million (US$338 million) over the next four years.
Minister Stanford highlighted that the current immigration system has been largely subsidized by taxpayers. “We are shifting the cost to those who benefit from the system, ensuring it becomes self-funding and more efficient,” she stated. Although the higher fees will cover the expenses of visa processing and managing higher-risk applications, the Minister pointed out that New Zealand’s visa charges will remain competitive compared to those in Australia and the United Kingdom, maintaining the country’s appeal for students, workers, and tourists.
Increase in Overseas Visitor Arrivals New Zealand also saw a substantial increase in overseas visitor arrivals in the December 2023 year, reaching 2.96 million, an increase of 1.52 million from the December 2022 year.
The most significant changes were in arrivals from Australia, which rose by 429,000 to 1.26 million, and from the United States, which increased by 227,000 to 337,000. In the year ended March 2023, the number of international visitors was 2,199,073, marking an increase of 858.
7 percent (1,969,703) following a 335.3 percent increase in the previous year. The number of visitors from Oceania increased by 545.
6 percent (1,044,584), following an 800.6 percent increase in the previous year. Impact on Student Visas Student visa fees will experience a significant increase, doubling from NZ$375 to NZ$750.
This change mirrors a similar move by Australia, which recently doubled its student visa application fees to AUD$1,600. Even with the increase, New Zealand’s student visa fees will still be substantially lower than Australia’s, costing just over 40% of an Australian study visa application. New Zealand’s Growing Popularity Among Students New Zealand experienced a significant rise in international student enrollments in 2023, with an increase of 69,000 students compared to the previous year, according to an official press release by Education New Zealand (ENZ).
This surge represents a 67% increase over 2022, bringing the total number of international students in the country to 69,135. This figure also accounts for 60% of the enrollments seen in 2019, prior to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global mobility. China remained the largest source of international students in New Zealand, contributing 35% of total enrollments.
India followed as the second-largest market with 17%, while Japan, South Korea, and Thailand accounted for 10%, 5%, and 4%, respectively. Other countries contributed less than 4% each to the total number of international students..
