– the pilot project will continue until then

The Government has announced that the Pathway Student Visa pilot will continue until January 2021, after which it will become a permanent visa category. This pilot was introduced in December 2015, to enable international students to study up to three consecutive courses on a single student visa for up to five years. The visa is only available for study with approved education providers and for some courses of study.

Immigration NZ said in a release, “We are making two changes to the Pathway Student Visa when it becomes permanent in January 2021.

• Education providers will only be able to qualify to be a Pathway education provider if we approve at least 80 percent of the applications we receive from offshore students intending to study with them.

• We will update restrictions around study pathways that start with English language study so they are consistent with the English language requirements for international students set out in the New Zealand Qualifications Framework (NZQF) Programme Approval and Accreditation Rules 2018.

All other criteria in the pilot will remain the same.”

It also added that while the pilot is on, no new education providers can become part of the scheme. And those already on such a visa, their conditions will remain the same.

Immigration NZ will be releasing further information before the scheme becomes permanent in 2021.

-TIN Bureau