New Zealand reopened its borders on 31 July 2022 after more than two years of closure due to the pandemic. Since then, thousands of international students have applied for upcoming programmes in New Zealand. However, there were only 14,639 international students with valid study visas as of 31 July, which is a massive decline from the reported 60,000 visa holders as of early 2020. More than 12,000 visa applications have been processed so far, but it is unlikely that enrolment levels will reach anywhere near the level they were at in early 2020. Furthermore, New Zealand faces heightened competition for students given Australia’s recent expansion of its post-study work rights allowances for graduates of degrees in select fields. New Zealand’s longest duration of time that international students can remain in the country after studying is three years for graduate students.

The Ardern government has indicated that they plan to expand online and offshore provision of New Zealand education alongside increasing the quality of on-campus options. The government has invested heavily in a “Global Pathways” initiative whose target market is international students who would consider studying in their own country and then transitioning to on-campus programmes in New Zealand.

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