Visas
New Zealand's post-study work visa, and what changes in November
In short
The Post-Study Work Visa runs up to three years: three for a master's or doctorate studied at least 30 weeks in New Zealand, and for level 8 and below, a period equal to the time spent studying. From 16 November 2026 eligibility widens to include some graduate diplomas and bachelor's degrees, and a new Short-Term Graduate Work Visa offers up to six months of open work rights.
New Zealand is the one destination in this group currently loosening rather than tightening, and the change is close enough that it should affect how you time an application.
The detail below is from Immigration New Zealand. Where the agency's own pages disagree with each other, which they currently do on one point, this piece says so rather than picking the friendlier reading.
What the visa gives you now
A master's or doctoral graduate who studied at least 30 weeks in New Zealand gets three years. For a qualification at level 8 or below, the visa length equals the time spent studying, confirmed by the education provider, and failing a course or taking longer to finish does not extend it.
A degree at level 7 or higher gives open work rights: any job, any employer. A non-degree qualification at level 7 or lower is tied to employment related to what you studied, and the qualification has to be on Immigration New Zealand's eligible qualifications list.
You can hold a Post-Study Work Visa only once, which makes the timing of the application a decision rather than a formality.
Deadlines and money
Apply no later than three months after your student visa expires. Doctoral graduates have six months, and can apply after submitting the thesis rather than waiting for the result.
You must show at least NZD 5,000 for living costs, and that figure applies whether the visa is for one year or three. Police certificates are required if your total time in New Zealand will reach 24 months or more.
What changes on 16 November 2026
Immigration New Zealand's pages state that from 16 November 2026, eligibility extends to applicants holding a level 7 graduate diploma studied full time in New Zealand, and to those with a bachelor's degree completed in New Zealand or overseas.
A new Short-Term Graduate Work Visa opens for applications on the same date, giving eligible graduates up to six months of open work rights. The agency's published pages do not yet set out the full eligibility conditions for it.
Paper applications also stop on that date, with everything moving online.
One contradiction worth knowing about
Immigration New Zealand's pages currently conflict on the timing rule where a second, shorter qualification follows an eligible one: one place says under 30 weeks, another says under 30 months. Treat the shorter reading as the safe one and confirm with the agency before relying on it.
That is a good general habit with any destination. A date or a threshold on a blog, including this one, is a prompt to check the official page, not a substitute for it. Our note on building an application timeline builds that check into the schedule.
Related questions
Does a one-year master's give three years of work rights?
A master's qualification with at least 30 weeks of study in New Zealand attracts a three-year visa under the current rules, regardless of the programme being one year long.
Can I apply from outside New Zealand?
The application must be made within three months of your student visa expiring, six for doctoral graduates. Check the application conditions on the Immigration New Zealand page, as the mode of application changes on 16 November 2026 when paper applications end.
Is the new short-term visa better than the main one?
It is shorter: up to six months of open work rights. It is aimed at graduates who do not qualify for the main Post-Study Work Visa, not at those who do.