Post Study Work Visa Eligibility Expands on 16 November 2026
From 16 November 2026, New Zealand's Post Study Work Visa opens to holders of NZQCF Level 7 graduate diplomas studied full-time, and to bachelor's degrees completed in or outside New Zealand. This is an expansion of the existing visa, not a new visa. It has not taken effect yet.
Quick Facts
| Takes effect | 16 November 2026 — not yet in force |
| What changes | Eligibility widens to NZQCF Level 7 graduate diplomas (full-time study) and bachelor's degrees from anywhere |
| What it is | An expansion of the existing Post Study Work Visa. Not a separately named visa |
| Cost | From NZ$1,670 — NZ$320 application fee plus NZ$1,350 immigration levy |
| Funds required | At least NZ$5,000 |
| Duration | Up to 3 years, depending on qualification level and length of study |
| Work rights | Open for degrees at Level 7 and above. Restricted to the field of study for lower-level qualifications |
| How many times | Once only. Immigration New Zealand: "You can only have this visa once" |
| Processing | Average 2 weeks; 80% within 3.5 weeks (as published 20 August 2026) |
| Leads to residence | Yes, indirectly — it is a common step toward a skilled residence pathway |
What the Post Study Work Visa does today
The Post Study Work Visa lets a person who has finished a qualifying New Zealand qualification stay and work. For degree-level qualifications at Level 7 and above the work rights are open — any employer, any job, anywhere in New Zealand. For qualifications below that, work rights are restricted to a role related to what was studied.
Two current eligibility routes:
- Level 8 postgraduate diploma, Level 9 master's or Level 10 doctorate, studied full-time for at least 30 weeks in New Zealand.
- A qualification on Immigration New Zealand's approved qualifications list at Level 7 or below, studied full-time for the required duration, with work restricted to the field studied.
The full current rules are at the Post Study Work Visa, explained.
What changes on 16 November 2026
Two additions:
- NZQCF Level 7 graduate diplomas, studied full-time, become eligible.
- Bachelor's degrees become eligible — "completed in or outside New Zealand".
The second is the larger change by some distance. Until now the Post Study Work Visa has been a reward for studying in New Zealand. Extending it to bachelor's degrees completed anywhere opens the visa to people who did not study in New Zealand at all.
That is a structural shift, not a tidy-up. It is worth watching how Immigration New Zealand frames the accompanying requirements when the instructions publish, because a visa that no longer depends on New Zealand study will need some other anchor.
The eligibility detail as it develops is tracked at Post Study Work Visa eligibility changes.
The "Short-Term Graduate Work Visa" — read this before you search for it
A six-month "Short-Term Graduate Work Visa" is widely described as launching on 16 November 2026. We are not going to tell you it exists, because we could not confirm that it does.
Here is what we found:
- The date, 16 November 2026, is correct.
- Immigration New Zealand's own Post Study Work Visa page describes the change as an expansion of that visa, and makes no mention of a separately named product.
- A separately named short-term graduate work visa does not appear in Immigration New Zealand's own 168-product visa lookup.
- The concept traces to a July 2025 announcement, which described a possible short-duration visa of up to six months for qualifying international graduates as under investigation — not as a committed policy.
The most likely explanation is that a proposal under investigation and a confirmed eligibility expansion, sharing a date, have been merged into one thing by secondary sources.
If a page tells you to prepare for a new named visa on 16 November 2026, treat the rest of that page with caution. New Zealand publishes 9 student visa products and 39 work visa products excluding the working holiday schemes, and all of them are listed by Immigration New Zealand. A visa that is not on that list is not a visa. See all New Zealand work visas and all New Zealand student visas.
What it costs, with the components shown
| Component | Amount |
|---|---|
| Application fee | NZ$320 |
| Immigration levy | NZ$1,350 |
| Total | NZ$1,670 |
The split is unusual and worth noticing: the levy is more than four times the fee. Immigration New Zealand charges the immigration levy at higher rates on products that sit on a settlement pathway, and the Post Study Work Visa is priced like one.
There has been no general fee or levy increase in 2025 or 2026 — Immigration New Zealand's fee page still describes its rates as current "as of 1 October 2024".
What has not changed
- The visa is still once-only. Immigration New Zealand's wording is "You can only have this visa once." An expansion of eligibility does not create a second entitlement for someone who has already held one.
- Duration is still up to 3 years, and depends on qualification level and length of study. Immigration New Zealand does not publish a clean year-by-level table, so do not rely on one you find elsewhere. See Post Study Work Visa duration and deadlines.
- The NZ$5,000 funds requirement is unchanged.
- Open work rights still attach to degree-level qualifications only.
- It is still not a residence visa. It is a temporary visa that buys time to find skilled work that can support a residence application later. See the study to residence pathway.
- In-study work rights are a different thing entirely — those rose from 20 to 25 hours a week for student visas granted on or after 3 November 2025. See student work rights rose to 25 hours.
Where it sits relative to the work visa route
For many graduates the real question is whether to use this visa or go straight to an employer-sponsored work visa. They are different products with different constraints: the Post Study Work Visa gives open work rights but only once and for a limited time; the Accredited Employer Work Visa is tied to a specific accredited employer and role but can be held for longer. A comparison sits at Post Study Work Visa vs the AEWV.
Timing note
The change lands on 16 November 2026, nine days after the general election on 7 November 2026. The date was published well in advance and is not connected to the election. What a future government does with immigration settings after November 2026 is not something this site will predict — see the 2026 general election and immigration.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is changing for the Post Study Work Visa in November 2026?
From 16 November 2026, eligibility expands to NZQCF Level 7 graduate diplomas studied full-time and to bachelor's degrees completed in or outside New Zealand.
Can graduate diploma holders get a Post Study Work Visa?
From 16 November 2026, a Level 7 graduate diploma studied full-time becomes an eligible qualification. Before that date it is not on the degree-level route. Whether any individual qualifies depends on their own study and visa history, and this page does not assess that.
Is there a new short-term graduate work visa in New Zealand?
We could not confirm one. Immigration New Zealand describes the 16 November 2026 change as an expansion of the existing Post Study Work Visa, and no separately named short-term graduate visa appears in its own visa lookup. The concept came from a July 2025 announcement that described it as under investigation.
How much does a Post Study Work Visa cost?
From NZ$1,670 — an NZ$320 application fee plus an NZ$1,350 immigration levy. Applicants must also show at least NZ$5,000 in funds.
How long does a Post Study Work Visa take to process?
An average of 2 weeks, with 80% of applications decided within 3.5 weeks, as published on 20 August 2026. It is one of the faster work visa products. Immigration New Zealand updates these figures weekly.
How long does the Post Study Work Visa last?
Up to three years, depending on your qualification level and how long you studied. Immigration New Zealand does not publish a simple mapping of years to qualification levels, so check your own entitlement rather than relying on a table found elsewhere.
Can I get a Post Study Work Visa twice?
No. Immigration New Zealand's rule is that you can hold this visa once only.
Does the Post Study Work Visa lead to residence?
Not directly. It is a temporary visa. It is commonly used as the period in which a graduate finds skilled work that can later support a residence application under a skilled pathway.
This page is general information, not immigration advice. New Zealand regulates immigration advice under the Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007, and we do not assess anyone's individual circumstances. For advice about your own case, use a licensed immigration adviser or a New Zealand lawyer, and check the licence on the Immigration Advisers Authority register.
