New Zealand hikes student, work, tourist visa fees by almost 60% from this October

The New Zealand government has increased the visa fees for almost all categories spanning visit, work, or even study from Tuesday, October 1, 2024, according to a Business Standard report.

Which quoted Immigration Minister Erica Stanford as saying that this is to create a more sustainable immigration system by shifting the financial burden from taxpayers to visa applicants.

Student visa fees rose from NZ$300 to NZ$485. India at 17%, is currently second only to China (35%) as the largest source of students for New Zealand, according to Education New Zealand (ENZ). Visa fees for visitors, particularly tourists, doubled from NZ$190 to NZ$300.

The increased fees will cover processing cost for visas as well as for managing higher-risk applications, the report quoted Stanford as saying. The move can reduce the need for public funding by over NZ$563 million (£338 million) over the next four years, she added.

Stanford also mentioned New Zealand’s visa fees still remain competitive compared to countries like Australia and the United Kingdom.

New Zealand approved 115,008 visas for Indian nationals in 2023, which is a rise from 83,583 in 2019 before the pandemic, according to Immigration New Zealand

Despite this, Indians get a rejection rate of 28%, which is second only to Pakistan’s 71% of applicants being denied visas.