Pathway Student Visa

A Pathway Student Visa allows students to study up to 3 courses, one after the other, on a single student visa.

It reduces the cost and hassle of applying for student visas and allows students to concentrate on their studies rather than having to worry about visa applications annually.

Students can only apply for a Pathway student visa if they have a Pathway Offer of Place from an approved Pathway Education Provider. The University of Waikato is an approved education provider for the Immigration New Zealand Pathway Visa Programme.

On a Pathway Student Visa, students can:

• Stay on a single student visa for up to 5 years, without the need to renew their visa annually.
• Study up to 3 courses (for example, English language, Foundation Studies and a degree programme) on a single student visa.
• Work part-time for up to 20 hours a week while they are studying and full-time in the holidays (depending on their course of study).

Students must meet the entry requirements for the second (and if applicable, third) course listed on their visa to keep their pathway visa valid. For example, if a student has a pathway visa for foundation studies and a degree programme but does not meet the entry requirements for the degree on completion of the foundation programme, they cannot proceed to the degree programme and will be required to apply for a new visa.

Students cannot include their partner or dependent children on their pathway visa.

For more information about Pathway Visas, please visit the Immigration New Zealand website.