IMMIGRATION NEW ZEALAND

INZ Contact Centre: +91 11 42596300 Enquiry email: [email protected] Web address: www.immigration.govt.nz/branch/india

INFORMATION TO ACCOMPANY APPLICATIONS FOR A STUDENT VISA TO NEW ZEALAND IMPORTANT:

Before sending/lodging your visa applications please ensure that you have included all the documentation as mentioned on the guidelines below. All documents submitted in support of an application must be originals, or certified copies unless uncertified photocopies are specifically requested on the relevant INZ form or guide. Certified copies must be stamped or endorsed as being true copies of the originals by a person authorised by law to take statutory declarations. Examples: a lawyer, notary public, Justice of the Peace, or court official. If you are providing original documents, please ensure copies are also submitted. An immigration officer may request to see the original documents before making a decision on the application. Submission of Application TTS is the specialist company contracted by Immigration New Zealand (INZ) as a collection agent for visa applications. TTS charges a fee for their services of INR 860 per application submitted. This is payable by way of a Bank Draft favouring TT Services. They accept visa applications on behalf of Immigration New Zealand, New Delhi Branch based on the area where an applicant resides. Hence all applications / documents should be sent directly to TT Services. Contact details of TT Services collection centres across India can be found at https://www.ttsnzvisa.com/Home.aspx Please refer to the following table to know the location of the office of TT Services to lodge your application: States and Union Territories covered New Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir. Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh. Gujarat Maharashtra, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Daman and Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli. Andhra Pradesh Karnataka TTS Office location Delhi

Chandigarh Ahmedabad Mumbai

Hyderabad Bangalore

West Bengal, Orissa, Bihar, Jharkhand, Sikkim, North East states. Tamil Nadu, Lakshadweep, Puducherry, Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Kerala

Kolkata Chennai Cochin

COUNTRY Bangladesh Bhutan Nepal

TTS Office location Kolkata Kolkata New Delhi

1. Translations: Any documents not written in the English language must be accompanied by a full English translation containing the information normally found in an equivalent New Zealand document; or sufficient information to demonstrate that the policy criteria have been met. However, Immigration New Zealand may, at its discretion, require applicants to provide full English translations of documents if this is considered necessary. Translations must: 1. be certified as a correct translation made by a person familiar with both languages and competent in translation work; and 2. be prepared and certified by a recognised private or official translation service; and 3. not be completed by an applicants family member or a person with an interest in the outcome of the application; and 4. be on the official letterhead of the translation service; and 5. bear the stamp or signature of the translator. 2. Licensed Advisors New Zealands Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007 aims to protect migrants by licensing people who provide New Zealand immigration advice, both within New Zealand and offshore. Anyone who is providing immigration advice about New Zealand immigration matters must be licensed, unless exempt. 3. New Zealand Specialist Agents (NZSA) People who provide immigration advice offshore on student visa applications only are exempt from licensing. This exemption does not cover advice on any other associated application types submitted with a student application, such as guardian, visitor or work applications, or subsequent graduate work, work experience and residence applications in New Zealand. The NZSA group has been established by Education New Zealand and comprises of student agents operating in this market who are committed to developing New Zealand as a study destination. Student agents who meet strict criteria are selected to be a member of this group. The details of agents who have been selected to join the group can be found on the Education New Zealand website via the following link: http://www.newzealandeducated.com/in/en/blog/entry/local_agents/ Please note that Immigration New Zealand will continue to liaise with and accept applications for student visas from individuals and/or agents that are not part of the Education New Zealand approved group.

4. If residence is your eventual aim, we recommend you read what current residence requirements are. However, we also advise that residence requirements do change from time to time and there is no guarantee that the residence requirements in place when you apply for a student visa will be the same if you decide to make a residence application at a later point in time. Therefore, you will need to get updated information before making any residence application. Please see Skilled Migrant information on our website at www.immigration.govt.nz

HOW TO LODGE YOUR STUDENT VISA APPLICATION:

The following documents are required to be submitted with a student visa application. Please note that the order of the documents attached to the application should be the same as mentioned below. 1. Student Visa application form and the supplementary information form Please ensure that ALL questions on the Student Visa Application Form AND the Supplementary Information Form (attached with the checklist) complete with the family details of the applicant (pages 6 and 7 of this guide) are answered fully and in English. Both forms should be signed and dated. 2. Passport or travel document: Passports must be valid for 3 months beyond intended date of departure from New Zealand. Passports should be submitted in original along with the application. In cases where the original passport cannot be submitted, applicant is required to submit attested copy of the complete passport. 3. Photograph: Two recent passport sized photograph (must be less than 6 months old) should be affixed to the visa application form. 4. Application Fee: For applicants applying from within India : The current student visa fee is Indian Rupees INR 11,100. We do not accept CASH, credit cards or have EFTPOS. The fee must be paid by bank draft payable at par and drawn in the name of Immigration New Zealand. We do not accept drafts payable to New Zealand High Commission or Embassy. For applicants applying from outside India : The current student visa fee in US dollars is US$225. The fee must be paid by bank draft in US dollars only drawn on any bank in USA and made payable to the Immigration New Zealand. We do not accept drafts payable to New Zealand High Commission or Embassy.

Note: The application fee is not refundable in case your application is not successful.
Due to currency fluctuations, fees are subject to change without any notice. 5. Covering letter Please give the background of the student covering the evidence of funds and the students English Language ability. In addition please provide a statement of purpose which should contain reasons as to why the student is applying, what he/she wishes to do and how the course would help him/her in the future. This statement of purpose should be hand-written by the student himself/herself. 6. Offer of a place The offer of a place at an educational institution should provide the following details: a) the name of the course and the minimum time required for completion; and b) evidence that the course meets foreign student instructions requirements; and

c) notification of the amount of the fee for the complete course or, where the course is longer than one year, the annual fee; and d) whether the student does or does not have to pay course fees Fee-paying foreign students who are under the age of 18 must provide, with their student visa application, a statement from their education provider confirming that the students accommodation is compliant with the Code of Practice for the Pastoral Care of International Students. 7. Financial Documents You must submit evidence of sufficient funds for maintenance during your stay in New Zealand including: a) Financial Undertaking Form/s (If more than one guarantor). b) Affidavit/s of Support from Guarantors (also stating the exact relationship of the guarantor with the applicant). The guarantor must provide documentary evidence of their identity including date of birth, proof of signature and full contact details including telephone numbers. c) Authorisation letter/s from guarantors authorising Immigration New Zealand to verify their financial documents on their behalf. If guarantors are outside India the contact name and telephone numbers/e-mail addresses of officials in the Bank who can be contacted for verification. d) The students should provide evidence of funds upfront for courses for the first year inclusive of living expenses (NZ$ 15,000) in New Zealand. If the duration of course is longer than one academic year, students should provide a plan of payment to show that they have access to funds and have the ability to meet the rest of the course cost and living expenses while they are studying in New Zealand. We accept the following evidence of funds: Education loan sanction letter from a nationalised or multi national bank only Latest bank statements for the past 6 months. It should not be more than 1 week old at the time of lodgement of the application. Please ensure that statements and not balance certificates are provided. Fixed Deposits. In case of providing fixed deposits as evidence of funds please ensure that a copy/counterfoil of the deposit along with a letter from the bank giving the details of the deposit is provided. Public Provident Fund Accounts/Employers Provident Fund Accounts. Post Office Accounts. National Saving Certificates.

Please note that the telephone numbers along with the STD codes of the place/institution where the funds shown can be verified should be provided with the financial documents. Applicants are required to provide documentary evidence of income and source of income of their parents, even if the cost of study is being sponsored by another person. What can an acceptable payment plan include? Form 16 of the sponsor showing income and saving patterns EPF or GPF accumulated over a period of 1 year Fixed deposits NSCs due to mature in the following year KVPs due to mature in the following year

LIC due to mature in the following year

Please note that we do not accept land documents and/or property valuation as payment plan Funds Transfer Scheme INZ has put in place a system wherein the students may choose to transfer 12 months living expenses to a bank account in NZ, in addition to paying the tuition fee for 1year. The amount deposited in the bank is locked for a period of 12 months and then drip fed to the student on a prearranged basis. The funds transfer option is to facilitate student visa applications from those students who genuinely intend to study in New Zealand but may not have access to funds older than six months. Students who opt for this process will not be required to provide verifiable documentary evidence to demonstrate the source of recent funds. This option does not preclude the applicant from submitting satisfactory evidence of funds and source of income for their financial guarantors. More information about the Funds Transfer Scheme is available on the webpage http://www.immigration.govt.nz/branch/India/studentinfo/stuvisareqments.htm 8. Educational certificates (with translations if required) All educational certificates and the transcripts should be provided which includes: a) Class 10 & Class 12 b) Graduation Certificate c) Post Graduate Certificate d) Other courses and Diplomas done Please note that if you intend to pursue aviation or marine courses in New Zealand, then evidence of your related qualification and/or work experience should be provided. 9. English language requirement Evidence of English language ability can be a very good indicator of how the student will manage the requirements of a New Zealand course that is taught in English medium. We therefore, regard proficiency in English language as a positive indicator in assessing a student visa application. We strongly recommend that IELTS certificate is provided with the student visa application. New Zealand Education Providers will have their own English language requirements for an offer of place depending on the course you enrol in. The following guidelines have been suggested to us by a number of Education Providers in New Zealand and reflect their experience with students from this market. English scores in CBSE, ICSE, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu boards can also be presented in lieu of IELTS reports. A 60% score in English from one of the aforementioned boards is considered equivalent to an overall IELTS score of 5.5; 65% is considered equivalent to 6.0; 70% to 6.5 and so on. Notwithstanding this, if an IELTS result is available, it is considered as conclusive evidence of students English language ability and considered against the course entry

requirement. We have to be satisfied that the student meets the entry requirement for the course they enrol in. We do not consider TOEFL results in isolation as conclusive evidence of English Language ability, as they are unable to be readily verifiable. We strongly recommend that if a student is to undertake a test they should undertake the IELTS test so that their level of English is clearly measured against the course requirement. You may also provide any other additional information in support of your English language ability. Any other evidence provided in relation to English language proficiency will be considered and should be supported by a full explanation as to why this might demonstrate that you meet the required level of English. We take account of the evidence and all the circumstances of the application (which includes nature of your employment history, qualification) to assess if you meet the minimum standard of English language required for the course you are enrolled in. 10.Evidence of Employment If you are working and/or have worked in the past please provide all work references from your employers on company letterhead and any other documentary evidence to demonstrate you have been employed. The company address and phone number must be included on the letter. 11. Health Requirements a) Applicants, who intend to be in New Zealand for more than 6 months but less than 12 months, must undergo a TB screening X-ray unless: i they are pregnant; or ii they are under 11 years of age b) The certificate should be no longer than 3 months old at the date of submission and the applicants must provide the following: i a fully completed Temporary Entry X-ray Certificate form, NZIS 1096; and ii any associated medical reports required for the X-ray. All applicants who intend to stay in New Zealand for a total of more than 12 months must undergo a full medical and x-ray examination. The certificate should be no longer than 3 months old at the date of submission and the applicants must provide the following: i ii a fully completed Medical and Temporary Entry X-ray Certificate form NZIS 1007; and any associated medical and laboratory reports

Submission of TB screening and report and/or full medical report (as applicable) is a mandatory lodgement requirement. Note: Pregnant women and children under the age of 11 are not required to have an X-ray examination. INZ has appointed Panel Doctors. The medical certificates must be completed by one of the panel doctors and x-ray reports should be completed by a Radiologist referred by a panel doctor. Please visit http://www.immigration.govt.nz/branch/India for the details of the Panel Doctor in India, Nepal and Bangladesh. 12.Police Clearance Certificate All applicants who are above the age of 17 years and intend to stay in New Zealand for a total of more than 24 months must provide their Police Clearance Certificate. Certificates must be less than 6 months old at the time it is submitted to us. For applicants in India, only Police Clearance Certificates issued from the Regional Passport Office (The passport office

which has issued your passport) of the Ministry of External Affairs or from the Office of Deputy Commissioner of Police are acceptable. Applicants in other countries should contact the local police authorities. 13.Applications from Bangladesh For applicants from Bangladesh, we have a process where the students can get their documents pre-verified by our outsourced partner BNZEF. This is purely voluntary and comes at a charge which will need to be borne by the student. The contact for BNZEF, also known as TTT is Eshon Naheed. The address is: Bangladesh New Zealand Education Foundation (BNZEF) Training & Technology Transfer House # 59 (New), Road # 12A ( New) Dhanmondi R/A Dhaka 1209 Bangladesh Ph +0088 02 9141672, 9134194 Fax +0088 02 9141671 E-mail: [email protected] For information on documents required for the pre-verification process please contact Immigration New Zealand or Eshon Naheed at BNZEF.

AFTER THE APPLICATION IS SUBMITTED

1. Processing timeframe: All student visa applications are currently being processed at INZ Mumbai and being allocated to an Immigration officer for assessment within two-three weeks of being received by INZ. Total processing time should be 8-10 weeks depending on the level of investigation and verification required. If the application does not include the required documents that are given in this check-list, it is likely that the application will be processed under the Other student visa applications category above 2. Interviews and/or further information Please note that you may be required to attend telephonic interview, an interview at our Office or to provide further information to enable us to make a decision. You will be informed of this when the application is allocated to an immigration officer. An immigration officer may contact you for an interview. The purpose of an interview, if required, is to help INZ make a decision on your application. If you fail to be interviewed when contacted a decision will be made on your application with the information provided. 3. Bona fides As well as meeting all mandatory requirements for lodging your application for a temporary entry visa, you will need to demonstrate that you are bona fide and that you intend a genuine temporary stay in New Zealand for a lawful purpose. Evidence you may submit to show your genuine intent and lawful purpose may include but is not limited to the following: a. any information or submissions showing that you have legitimate need to spend time in New Zealand for a specific period; and b. any documents or submissions showing that you meet the requirements of the immigration instructions relevant to the type of temporary entry class visa or entry permission applied for.

When assessing your application, the immigration officer will determine whether you have met all requirements as set out in the relevant immigration instructions. This includes whether or not you are bona fide. In determining whether you are a bona fide applicant, the information that the immigration officer will consider is included but not limited to: a. any evidence of genuine intent and lawful purpose submitted by you; and b. your ability to leave or be deported from New Zealand to your country of citizenship; and a. any relevant information held about previous applications, including but not limited to: i. whether you have previously overstayed; ii. whether you have previously breached visa conditions; iii. whether you have dependants who are unlawfully in New Zealand; and b. your personal circumstances, including but not limited to: i. the strength of any family ties in your home country and New Zealand; ii. the nature of any personal, financial, employment or other commitments in your home country and New Zealand; iii. any circumstances that may discourage you from returning to your home country when any visa expires. 4. Applications Approved in Principle Once all the requirements have been met, you will be advised in writing that your application has been approved in principle. You will be given a month to submit the documents mentioned in the AIP letter. Please note:

a) Only fee receipts issued by the New Zealand Education Institute will be accepted. This fee
receipt along with other AIP requirements, if any, should be e-mailed to [email protected] b) Any other requirement which needs to be fulfilled at that stage for the visa to be issued. We will require 5 working days after the receipt of all final documents to issue your visa. The visa would not be issued any earlier than 3 weeks prior to course commencement. Future Visas: Please note that where feasible INZ Mumbai will issue future visas and it is the applicants/ agents responsibility to ensure that the visa holder does not arrive in New Zealand before the start date mentioned on their visa label. In an event where the visa holder travels before the start date mentioned on the visa label, there is a high probability that they will be refused boarding while departing India or turned back at the border on arrival in New Zealand. Note: All passports are returned by registered mail or courier, unless other arrangements are made by the applicant. Passports are sent by courier within India, only at places, where courier service is available.

5. Validity of Student Visa Please note that if the course duration in New Zealand is more than 1 year, the student visas will only be issued for 1st year of study irrespective of the fee paid by them to the education provider. The student will have to apply for and meet the requirements for a further student visa in New Zealand. The only exception is when students are pursuing a course of study at an education provider who has a MOU with INZ. Relevant student visa instructions are quoted below: U6.35 Visas for the length of a course of study a. Student visas may be granted for the length of a student's course of study, regardless of the period for which they have paid their course fees, where: i. the student has an offer of a place with an education provider with which INZ has a Memorandum of Understanding for the Students Online Initiative which allows for the grant of visas for the length of course of study, and ii. the education provider supports the grant of a length of course visa. b. Evidence of the education provider's support to grant a length of course visa must be provided. Acceptable evidence may include written confirmation from the education provider, such as an offer of a place which indicates the education provider's support. In above cases, the student would need to pay the entire tuition fee to be issued with a two year student visa. You can find the list of the education providers that INZ has the MOU with on the INZ website, link below: http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migrant/stream/study/application/educationproviders/ Telephone enquiry hours are as follows: All general e-mail and telephone queries will be received by the Contact Centre staff who will reply to all general queries related to visa applications. Telephone enquiries will be answered from 9.00am to 3.00pm from Monday to Friday. All e-mail queries will be responded to within 72 hours. E-mail is the preferred mode of communication: The general queries can be sent to [email protected] and we would aim to reply to you within 48-72 hours.

Supplementary Information form to accompany the application for a Student visa What is your educational background?

Up to Year 10 or Year 12: Pre-University (if undertaken): Undergraduate: Postgraduate: Have you studied English before? Yes/No Why do you wish to study in New Zealand?

date of graduation: date of graduation: date of graduation: date of graduation: If yes, how long?

Please provide us with FULL list of ALL your family members (parents, brothers, sisters, spouse and children including deceased or adopted members) Name Date of birth Relationship to you Country of Birth Passport Number Date of expiry of passport Nationality

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Do you have any friends in New Zealand? Yes/No If yes, please provide full details as follows: Name Date of Birth Address in New Zealand

Please provide brief details of your family background.

Please tick the type of accommodation you have been told you will be staying in when you first arrive in New Zealand: Apartment, shared with other students Student Hostel Home stay with a New Zealand family Family A student permit holder who breaches any of the conditions of their permit (in particular those relating to attendance, employment) is liable for a revocation of student permit. You may face removal action and may be barred from re-entry to New Zealand in the future. Do you understand this?

Living costs in New Zealand are expensive compared to India. It is important that you have enough money to live on. In addition to your accommodation costs, you will need at least an additional NZ$400 (USD $200) per month for books, stationery, bus fares, living expenses and health insurance. If you pay for your own accommodation in New Zealand, you may need up to NZ$1,000 (USD $450) per month for accommodation and the living costs above. Do you understand this?

I confirm that I have read, understood and answered ALL the questions contained in this questionnaire. Name of applicant: Applicants signature: Date:

Updated July 2013

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