New Zealand Student Visa from Nepal: Costs and Rules
Visa costs, living-cost proof, work rights and post-study options for Nepali students applying for a New Zealand student visa, with institution fee sources.
Direct answer
A New Zealand student visa for a Nepali applicant needs an offer of place from a New Zealand provider, proof of funds, health and character checks, and insurance. The visa cost line for a single applicant is NZD 20,000; if you're bringing a partner or children, additional visa costs apply on top of that (see the table below).
This guide sets out what you need to show, what it costs by family situation, how much you can expect to spend on living costs depending on the city, and what work rights come with different qualification levels. For course-specific entry requirements and English scores, use the Master Reckoner tool — it matches your course, funds and English score in one pass rather than you checking each university page separately.
What the application actually needs
The core pieces are the same regardless of which city or university you pick:
- An offer of place from the institution
- Evidence of funds to cover the course and living costs
- Health and character requirements met
- Insurance arranged
- The visa cost paid for yourself, and separately for any partner or child coming with you
Where applicants get this wrong is treating the visa cost and the tuition fee as the same line item — they aren't. The tuition fee goes to the university or institute (see the fee table further down). The visa cost is separate and is paid per person, not per family.
Visa cost by family situation
| Family situation | Applicant visa cost (NZD) | Partner visa cost (NZD) | Child visa cost (NZD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single student | 20,000 | — | — |
| Couple, no kids | 20,000 | 7,400 | — |
| Couple + 1 child | 20,000 | 7,400 | 3,200 |
| Couple + 2 kids | 20,000 | 7,400 | 6,400 |
These are separate line items. Add them up for your own household rather than relying on a single quoted number from an agent — the total depends entirely on who is travelling with you.
Living costs you'll need to show, by city
New Zealand's living-cost expectation isn't the same in Auckland as it is in Invercargill. This matters for your funds evidence and for your weekly budget once you're there.
| City (university area) | Monthly living cost (NZD) |
|---|---|
| Auckland (UoA/AUT/Massey) | 3,662 |
| Wellington (VUW) | 3,200 |
| Christchurch (UC) | 2,800 |
| Hamilton (Waikato/Wintec) | 2,700 |
| Dunedin (Otago) | 2,500 |
| Palmerston North (Massey HQ) | 2,500 |
| Lincoln (Lincoln Uni) | 2,500 |
| Tauranga (Toi Ohomai) | 2,300 |
| Hawke's Bay (EIT) | 2,300 |
| Invercargill (SIT) | 1,950 |
Invercargill is the cheapest city on this list, Auckland the most expensive. If your funds evidence is tight, a Dunedin or Invercargill placement gives you more room than an Auckland one — the course itself may matter less than the city for your budget.
Work rights: while studying, and after
During study
Student visa holders can work NZD 23.95 an hour (the student minimum wage). The permitted pattern is 25 hours a week during the 36 teaching weeks, rising to 40 hours a week during the 16 break weeks. Don't assume you can work full hours year-round — the cap changes between term time and breaks, and working over the limit during term is a visa condition breach, not just an employer problem.
After study — by qualification level
Post-study work length depends on what you studied, not on which city or university:
| Qualification level | Post-study work (years) | Spouse work rights |
|---|---|---|
| Masters | 3 | Yes |
| UG (Bachelor's) | 3 | No |
| PGDip | 1 | Graduate List courses only |
| GradDip | 1 | No |
| Diploma | 2 | No |
| Foundation | 0 | No |
The spouse work-rights column is where families get caught out. A Bachelor's degree does not bring automatic work rights for a spouse — only a Masters does, with PGDip limited to Graduate List courses. If your spouse's income is part of your planning, the qualification level you choose decides whether that income exists at all.
If your spouse does get work rights, the reference wage used is NZD 35 an hour, for up to 40 hours a week across 48 weeks of the year — again, a rate and a cap, not a guaranteed annual figure.
Starting salaries and the Green List pathway
Starting salaries in New Zealand are tied to qualification level:
| Qualification | Starting salary (NZD/year) |
|---|---|
| UG | 60,000 |
| PGDip | 70,000 |
| Masters | 90,000 |
Some courses sit on New Zealand's Green List — occupations and qualifications flagged for residency pathways. Tier 1 is the stronger category. A few examples relevant to Nepali applicants looking at IT and Health:
| Field | Level | Institution | Course | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IT | PGDip | SIT | PGDip in IT — NZD 23,300 | 1 |
| IT | Masters | SIT | Master of IT — NZD 33,700 | 1 |
| Health | UG | SIT | Bachelor of Nursing — NZD 20,800 | 1 |
| Health | UG | Otago Polytechnic | Bachelor of Nursing — NZD 29,000 | 1 |
| Health | UG | Ara | Bachelor of Nursing — NZD 29,761 (IELTS 7, registration required) | 1 |
Green List status doesn't replace a visa requirement — it's a separate residency-track signal, and nursing courses in particular carry registration requirements on top of the degree. Check the course page before assuming a Green List tag means automatic residency.
Common mistakes that cause delays
Counsellors see the same errors repeatedly. The visa cost gets quoted as a single family figure instead of per-person. Living-cost evidence gets prepared using an Auckland figure when the student is actually going to Invercargill, under-stating what the visa officer expects for the cheaper city and overstating the cost for the expensive one. Spouse work rights get assumed for any postgraduate course, when the data shows it's Masters-only, with PGDip restricted to Graduate List courses. And students work break-week hours during term time because nobody separated the two figures for them.
None of this is a verdict on your individual application — it's where the paperwork most often doesn't match the actual rule.
Official sources
Tuition fees vary by institution and should be checked directly:
- University of Auckland — international fees
- AUT — international fees
- University of Canterbury — international fees
- Victoria University of Wellington — international fees
- Massey University — international fees
- University of Waikato — international fees
- University of Otago — international fees
- Lincoln University — international fees
- Ara Institute of Canterbury — international fees
- EIT — international fees
- Otago Polytechnic — international fees
- SIT — international fees
For course matching, entry requirements and a full cost picture side by side, use the Master Reckoner, or start from the New Zealand hub for an overview of cities and institutions. More guides are on the blog.
Common questions
How much does a New Zealand student visa cost for a Nepali applicant?
For a single applicant, the visa cost line is NZD 20,000. If a partner or children are travelling with you, their visa costs are separate: NZD 7,400 for a partner, and NZD 3,200 or NZD 6,400 for one or two children. These are distinct line items, not a single bundled family fee.
Does my spouse get to work in New Zealand while I study?
It depends entirely on your qualification level. A Masters gives your spouse work rights; a PGDip only does so if the course is on the Graduate List; Bachelor's, GradDip, Diploma and Foundation study do not carry spouse work rights at all.
Which city is cheapest for a Nepali student in New Zealand?
Invercargill (SIT) has the lowest monthly living cost on record here, at NZD 1,950. Auckland is the most expensive at NZD 3,662 a month. The difference matters for your funds evidence as much as your actual budget.
How long can I work in New Zealand after finishing my course?
Post-study work length is tied to qualification level: 3 years after a Masters or a Bachelor's, 1 year after a PGDip or GradDip, 2 years after a Diploma, and no post-study work period after a Foundation programme.