New Zealand Opens Six Month Graduate Work Visa Applications From 16 November 2026

Last updated: Sep 14, 2026

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Which visa you get
The short term visa in full
Questions

New Zealand is changing two student work visas on 16 November 2026. Pick what you studied to see which one applies to you.

Which visa you get

Rules as Immigration New Zealand publishes them, checked 14 September 2026. Both visas open or change on 16 November 2026.

What you finished in New Zealand

Diploma or certificateGraduate diploma onlyGraduate diploma, plus a degreeBachelor’s degree or higher

Your routeShort Term Graduate Work VisaHow longSix months. You can’t extend itPartner and childrenNot allowed. They can apply for their own visitor visa insteadDeadline to applyWithin three months of your student visa expiringOpensMonday 16 November 2026Double check first: some diplomas are on Immigration New Zealand’s other list instead, and you can’t take this shorter visa if yours is one of them.

Your routeShort Term Graduate Work VisaHow longSix months. You can’t extend itPartner and childrenNot allowed. They can apply for their own visitor visa insteadDeadline to applyWithin three months of your student visa expiringOpensMonday 16 November 2026Without a bachelor’s degree behind it, a graduate diploma alone doesn’t reach the longer visa. Check Immigration New Zealand’s other list in case yours is an exception.

Your routePost Study Work VisaHow longAs long as you studied the diploma here, up to one yearPartner and childrenYour partner can apply for a work visa, your children for student visasDeadline to applyWithin three months of your student visa expiringOpensMonday 16 November 2026This is what’s new. Before 16 November, a graduate diploma alone gave you no post study work option. Your earlier degree can be from New Zealand or anywhere else.

Your routePost Study Work VisaHow longUp to three years, depending on what you studiedPartner and childrenYour partner can apply for a work visa, your children for student visasDeadline to applyThree months after your student visa expires. Six months if you finished a doctorateOpensAlready openNothing changes for you on 16 November. You already qualify, and the shorter visa isn’t open to you anyway.

You can only get one of these visas, never both. Whichever one you qualify for is the one you get. Both need you to show NZD 5,000.

Getting there

Most students fly into Auckland. Prices swing a lot between the quiet weeks and the December rush.

Flights to Auckland

The short term visa in full

Rule	What applies
Qualification needed	A diploma or certificate at level 5 to 7, studied full time in New Zealand for at least 24 weeks
What does not count	English language, foundation and bridging courses
Money you must show	NZD 5,000, which the Post Study Work Visa asks for too
How many times	Once only, and never if you have held a Post Study Work Visa
Work allowed	Any employer, as long as you’re an employee, not a business owner
Fee	Not published by Immigration New Zealand. The PIE News reports NZD 1,670, a NZD 320 application fee plus a NZD 1,350 levy

Questions

When can I apply for the Short Term Graduate Work Visa?

Applications open on Monday 16 November 2026. Yours has to be lodged within three months of your New Zealand student visa expiring.

Can I apply if I have already held a Post Study Work Visa?

No. If you’ve already had a Post Study Work Visa, or had this new one before, you can’t get it again.

Does a graduate diploma now qualify for a Post Study Work Visa?

Yes, from 16 November 2026, if you also have a bachelor’s degree from New Zealand or elsewhere. It lasts as long as your diploma study, up to one year, and your partner and children can come too.

Sources

Immigration New Zealand, New and updated post study work visa options, for the short term visa and the graduate diploma change, retrieved 14 September 2026.
Immigration New Zealand, Post Study Work Visa, for the existing visa’s length, deadlines and family rules, retrieved 14 September 2026.
The PIE News, New Zealand introduces new six month graduate work visa, for the reported fee, retrieved 14 September 2026.

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