Studying in New Zealand from the UK? Two graduate work visas open on 16 November 2026

Visa guide · 2026-09-23 · 4 min read

Three young adults chat in a sunny campus courtyard with Auckland’s skyline and Sky Tower behind them.

Choosing where to study is often really a choice about where you might work afterwards. For anyone in the UK looking at a course in New Zealand, the rules on staying on after graduation are about to shift. From 16 November 2026 there will be two routes: a brand-new Short-Term Graduate Work Visa and a wider Post-Study Work Visa (PSWV).

Here is how each one works, who it suits and the timing traps to avoid.

The gap these changes are meant to close

Plenty of graduates with diplomas and certificates have finished their studies qualified and keen to work, but with no visa that matched their level of study. The new rules aim squarely at that group. They also move applications for both visas onto Immigration New Zealand's upgraded Immigration Online system.

Route one: the Short-Term Graduate Work Visa

This is a new category for graduates whose qualification used to leave them with no work visa option. It gives up to six months of open work rights, long enough to look for a job, build some local experience and possibly move on to an Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV), the main employer-backed work visa.

To be eligible, you need:

a qualification at level 5 to 7 on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework (NZQCF)
at least 24 weeks of full-time study in New Zealand
no existing eligibility for a PSWV
evidence of at least NZD 5,000 in available funds
no earlier grant of this visa or of a PSWV
sign-off from MFAT or Education New Zealand if you studied on the New Zealand Scholarship Programme
medical and chest X-ray clearance where your length of stay calls for it

There are limits. Graduates of English-language, foundation and bridging courses cannot apply. You cannot own a business on this visa, and your family cannot be included as dependants, although they may apply separately as visitors or under another category.

Timing is strict. You must apply within three months of your student visa ending, so anyone whose student visa expired before 16 August 2026 has already missed out. It is also a one-off grant, with no renewals.

Route two: a wider Post-Study Work Visa

The PSWV already exists, but it now covers graduates of an NZQCF level 7 Graduate Diploma, as long as they also hold a bachelor's degree. That degree can be from New Zealand or abroad, and it does not matter when you earned it, so a UK degree counts.

The main requirements are:

full-time enrolment for the whole Graduate Diploma, with no cross-crediting or recognition of prior learning
a genuine bachelor's degree certificate showing the type of qualification and the institution
an official academic transcript

An overseas bachelor's degree will not need a separate International Qualification Assessment, though Immigration New Zealand can still check that it is genuine. As UK certificates are already in English, translations are rarely an issue, but certified copies may be asked for.

The length of the visa follows the length of your Graduate Diploma study, up to one year, and you can only ever hold it once. If you have had a PSWV before, this route is closed even with a new qualification. Unlike the short-term visa, though, PSWV holders can bring a partner and dependent children on their own visas.

Paper out, online in

From 16 November 2026, every application for either visa must go through the upgraded Immigration Online platform. Paper PSWV applications lodged on or before 15 November 2026 will still be handled under the old system. After that, it is online only. You can read about the main options on the New Zealand visas page.

Plan before you enrol, not after

The thread running through all of this is timing. Deadlines run at three, six or twelve months after your student visa ends, depending on the route and course, and both visas are one-shot chances. Whether you qualify can hinge on choices made long before graduation, such as studying full-time and how your course sits on the NZQCF.

If you are comparing courses now, map out your visa options first. For more on staying on after study, see our guides on the rules for master's graduates who want to stay and getting ahead of the student visa queue, or browse current jobs to see what employers are hiring for.

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