Working in New Zealand after graduation: the Post Study Work Visa explained

From 3 November 2025, the limit for eligible tertiary and secondary students rose from 20 to 25 hours a week during study. It applies to student visas granted from that date. If your visa was granted earlier, it still says 20 hours, and you must apply for a variation of conditions to get the extra 5. Most student visas also allow full-time work in scheduled holidays, such as the summer break.

Age matters. Students aged 16 or 17 at a tertiary provider, or in Years 12 and 13 at school, need permission from a parent and their education provider to work. Students under 15 cannot work. Check the conditions printed on your own visa: they, not a general rule, are what an employer and Immigration New Zealand will hold you to.

Remember that work is a supplement, not your funding. Your visa was granted on the basis that you have enough money, NZD $20,000 for each year of tertiary study, and your study has to stay on track.

The Post Study Work Visa (PSWV) is for international students who complete an eligible New Zealand qualification. The main route is a degree at level 7, such as a bachelor’s, or a qualification at levels 8 to 10, such as a postgraduate diploma, master’s or doctorate, studied full-time in New Zealand for at least 30 weeks. Some non-degree qualifications at level 7 or below on an approved list also qualify. With those, you must work in a role related to what you studied. Degree-level graduates get open work rights: any employer, anywhere in New Zealand.

You can only have a PSWV once. The fee starts at NZD $1670, Immigration New Zealand decides 80% of applications within 4 weeks, and you need at least NZD $5,000 for living expenses. Apply no later than 3 months after your student visa expires, or 6 months after a doctoral degree. Your partner may be able to apply for a work visa and your children for student visas.

After a master’s or doctoral degree studied in New Zealand for at least 30 weeks, you get 3 years. After a qualification at level 8 or below, including a bachelor’s degree, the visa equals the time you spent studying for it, confirmed by your education provider, up to the 3-year maximum. A three-year bachelor’s done entirely in New Zealand can therefore lead to a 3-year visa, while a one-year postgraduate diploma leads to about one.

From 16 November 2026, one more group qualifies. A graduate diploma at NZQCF level 7, studied full-time in New Zealand for its full duration by someone who already holds a bachelor’s degree from New Zealand or overseas, leads to a PSWV for the time spent on the graduate diploma, up to 1 year.

Immigration New Zealand is opening a Short-term Graduate Work Visa on Monday 16 November 2026. It gives 6 months of open work rights to graduates of qualifications at NZQCF levels 5 to 7 that were studied full-time in New Zealand for at least 24 weeks, and that do not make them eligible for a PSWV. You must apply within 3 months of your student visa expiring, and the work must be for an employer, under an employment agreement or a contract for services.

Six months is short. Treat it as a bridge: you need a job offer from an accredited employer, and an Accredited Employer Work Visa, within that window. Start applying before you finish, not after. You also need at least NZD $5,000 in available funds, and you cannot get it if you have previously held a Short-term Graduate Work Visa or a Post Study Work Visa.

Your post-study visa is time to earn the offer that keeps you here. The usual next step is the Accredited Employer Work Visa. You need a full-time offer from an accredited employer, and a Bachelor’s degree meets its skills requirement in any field. Since April 2025, people moving to an AEWV from another work visa or an eligible student visa can get interim work rights while the application is processed.

If your job is on the Green List, residence can come sooner: Tier 1 roles lead to the Straight to Residence Visa, and Tier 2 roles to the Work to Residence Visa after 24 months in the job. In the Skilled Migrant Category, a New Zealand qualification scores well. A New Zealand bachelor’s is worth 5 points, and a New Zealand master’s studied full-time for at least 30 weeks is worth 6 of the 6 points needed. You still need a qualifying job or offer. Our work visa guide sets out every route.

Start with your university or polytechnic careers service, and use its CV help and employer events while you are still enrolled. Student Job Search (sjs.co.nz), listed by Work and Income, specialises in casual and part-time student work. For graduate roles, use the general boards, Seek, Trade Me Jobs and Indeed, and jobs.govt.nz for the public sector.

Part-time work counts on your CV if you describe it as results. A barista job shows reliability, speed and customer handling; a tutoring job shows communication. Internships and final-year projects with a real client count even more. Apply directly to employers too: Immigration New Zealand notes that approaching employers directly is an accepted and often successful approach here.

Sometimes. A Partner of a Student Work Visa is available when you study towards a level 9 or 10 qualification (a master’s or doctorate), a level 7 or 8 qualification specified for a Green List role, or certain qualifications that lead to a PSWV. Your partner can then do any work, in any job, anywhere in New Zealand, and the fee starts at NZD $1630. Partners and children cannot be included in your own student visa application; they apply separately.