Student visa fees will rise to NZD$750 from October 1 for those coming from non-Pacific countries, while post-study work visas fees will increase from NZD$700 to NZD$1,670.

The New Zealand government announced visa fee increases across almost all visa categories on August 9, in a move that it said will “free up” more than NZD$563 million over the next four years, help to restore fiscal discipline and rebuild the country’s economy.

“Until now, our immigration system has been heavily subsidised by taxpayers,” said immigration minister Erica Stanford in a statement.

“The changes we’re making are shifting the cost to those benefitting from the system. We’re ensuring it is self-funding and more efficient,” she continued.

“The new charges reflect the costs associated with visa processing, assessing and managing more high-risk applications, and increased compliance costs as we deal with higher levels of migrant exploitation, managing more asylum claims, and maintaining and upgrading Immigration New Zealand’s ICT systems. 

Stanford highlighted that Pacific neighbours will see the continuation of subsidised fees for visa applicants from Pacific countries.  

“We expect that once further improvements are made to modernise immigration systems in the coming years, the running costs will reduce over time and efficiencies will improve,” she continued.

The charges remain competitive in comparison to countries like Australia and the United Kingdom

Erica Stanford, immigration minister

Standford said that in comparison to that of Australia and the UK, the charges “remain competitive” and added the government is therefore “confident New Zealand will continue to be an attractive destination to live, work, study and visit”.

The news follows Australia’s doubling of student visa fees in July.

In April, a spokesperson for New Zealand’s Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment confirmed to The PIE News that targeted consultation on proposed fee and levy rates had begun.

And they said “it’s appropriate that those using and benefiting from the immigration system cover the costs of running it”.

At the time, stakeholders reacted to the potential increase, voicing concerns that increased fees could act as a deterrent to students from some countries with weaker currencies.