NZ student visa checklist

Hey guys! So, I’ve been meaning to share my experience of filing a student visa for New Zealand. Let me tell you, if you’re doing this for the first time, it's a long ride—at least it was for me! But trust me, it's worth it. Grab a cup of coffee, because we’re about to dive into the details.

1: All Academic Documents: First things first, get all your academic documents in order. You’ll need everything: Class 10, Class 12, and graduation details. For every year, make sure you have pass certificates and mark-sheets—yes, every single one. I had to dig through old files for mine, but hey, it's part of the process.

2. IELTS: Got your IELTS scores ready? You’ll need to submit them. If you haven’t taken it yet, now might be the time to buckle down!

3. Educational CV: This isn’t your regular job CV. Nope! This one’s for educational purposes. So, no need for fancy job titles or descriptions. Focus on your educational achievements and career aspirations.

4. Employment proof: If you’ve done internships (like I did), include those too. Any work-related documents will help to back up your case.

5. Statement of purpose or SOP: Ah, the famous SOP. This document is critical, so take your time with it. You need to explain who you are, why you’re pursuing this course in NZ, and how it will benefit your future. Oh, and you’ll need to talk about your funds too. It’s a lot of writing, but a well thought out SOP can make a huge difference.

6. Photograph: I'd highly recommend getting your photos taken at a professional studio that specialises in passport photos. Trust me, it's worth it! By doing so, you can avoid any delays in your application because of photo issues. It can be frustrating when you submit your visa application, only to find out your photo doesn’t meet the requirements. So save yourself the trouble and let the pros handle it!

7. Offer letter: By now, you should have your offer letter from the institution, plus the invoice receipt for the fees. If you don’t have that yet, take a deep breath, and get it sorted!

8. Police Clearance Certificate: Yes, you’ll need one of these. It sounds intimidating, but I got mine the same day. Apply for it online, create an account, and fill out all the necessary details. Once you're done, you’ll get an appointment and get your PCC in no time.

9. eMedical Report: For the medical exam, if your course lasts 12 months, you’ll need a TB screening (X-ray). Anything longer requires a full medical. The best part? The reports go directly to NZ Immigration. Still, you’ll need to upload your copy along with your application.

10. Form INZ 1226: Download and sign the INZ 1226 form. Once signed, upload it to your application. The form can be found here.

11. Notarized Passport: You will need a Notarized copy of each of your passport info page and any other pages which contains information about your travel (Visas ,name changes, address changes )

12. Funds: Let me be real with you—this part took forever. The documents required were a mountain, and you need everything to prove you have the funds. Here’s what you'll need:

• Income Tax (IT) Returns (2 Years): You’ll have to show your last two years of IT returns.

• Proof of Employment or Business: Show documents that prove you’re employed or running a business (business deed, trade license, etc.).

• Bank Statement: Your statement should show 6 months of transactions and be accompanied by a Balance Confirmation Certificate.

• Fixed Deposits: If you have any, make sure they’re at least 6 months old, and get a letter from the bank.

• Drafting applications to your bank: Be prepared to write a lot of letters, you will have to write a letter to bank requesting them to issue you a balance confirmation certificate of all the accounts and the FDs that you shall be using. Next you will have to write the letter again to the bank saying that you have given them full rights to let the Immigration of NZ to access the data and analyze the funds. You will have to write a letter to the Immigration of NZ stating your Gross Total Income and telling them you have enough funds and a running business to meet up once the transaction has been made. The letter to the Immigration needs to be Notarized as well.

13. PDF: This was one of the most time-consuming parts! Every document has to be in PDF format. So, once you’ve gathered everything, you’ll spend hours converting files, merging them, and compressing them to keep things neat. For this, I swear by Ilovepdf—super handy!.

14. Forex Card/Credit Card: If you don’t have a credit card, you’ll need a forex card to start making payments once you arrive in New Zealand. There will be a few business days before you can open your new bank account, so having a forex card will help you cover your expenses during that time. Also, just a heads-up – you're allowed to bring up to 10,000 NZD in cash, so plan accordingly!

15. T T Services: Once your visa application is submitted, head over to T.T. Services to submit your passport for verification. Sign up to receive email and text notifications.

16. Application In Principle (AIP): Now, comes the waiting game. Once your documents are all in order, Immigration NZ will assess everything, and if all goes well, they’ll send you an AIP . At this stage, you might also need to pay your tuition fees if they ask for it.

17. Payment: After receiving your AIP, it’s time to pay your tuition fees. Talk to your bank to get your tuition fees wired to your educational instituation.

18. More Paperwork: After the payment has been made you will have to upload the receipt of transfer, balance confirmation certificate after the transaction, last updated passbook details and Institution’s receipt letter to your Immigration Lawyer/Adviser and again wait for 7 working days for the visa to arrive.

19. E-Visa: Finally, after everything’s submitted and processed, you’ll get your e-visa within 7 working days (depending on the processing times).

I’d also encourage you to head over to the Immigration NZ’s website to get a clear understanding of the required documents, process, fees, and processing times.

If you have any questions or just want to chat about your own visa journey, feel free to reach out.