Foreign student work hours in New Zealand extended
In a significant move to attract more international students and enhance their work opportunities, the New Zealand government has announced updates to its International Education: Going for Growth Plan. The changes, effective from November 3, 2025, will see eligible tertiary and secondary school students allowed to work up to 25 hours per week during the semester, an increase from the current 20-hour limit.
This change applies to all new student visas granted from that date, regardless of when the application was submitted. Students who already hold a student visa with a 20-hour work limit and wish to increase their work hours to 25 will need to apply for a variation of conditions or a new student visa, subject to relevant immigration fees.
Many student visas already allow full-time work during summer and scheduled breaks, so students with such visas might not need to apply for additional work hours immediately but can do so after the summer if their visa is still valid.
These changes form part of a broader 10-year growth plan aimed at attracting 35,000 more international students by increasing enrolment and relaxing work restrictions, thus boosting New Zealand's international education sector.
Ankit Mehra, CEO of GyanDhan, noted strong and growing interest in New Zealand as a preferred study destination, with students actively seeking alternatives due to increasing restrictions in traditional education hubs. He also reported a 47.5% increase in student funding from India to New Zealand between FY 2023 and FY 2024.
The international education sectors of Canada and the United States generated impressive figures in 2022 and 2024, respectively, with Canada bringing in CAD 30.3 billion and the United States generating nearly USD 44 billion. New Zealand currently hosts nearly 41,000 student visa holders with in-study work rights.
The New Zealand government's move to relax in-study work hour restrictions for international students is expected to support the goal of growing international student numbers sustainably while maintaining high education standards. Eligibility for the increased work hours requires holding a new or varied student visa incorporating these updated conditions.
In this context, the relaxation of in-study work hour restrictions in the International Education: Going for Growth Plan could potentially attract more students to pursue finance, education-and-self-development, and general-news courses in New Zealand, as an increase in work opportunities may make the destination more appealing to international students. Furthermore, the increase in student funding from India to New Zealand reflects a positive trend in the financial aspect of international student mobility, suggesting that education-and-self-development opportunities in New Zealand are gaining traction worldwide.
