V2.35 Short-term study in schools

1. Visitor visa holders can study without the need to obtain a student visa or a variation of conditions if they attend primary, intermediate, secondary, or composite school for a single period of study of up to three months per calendar year. The single period of study:
   1. must start and finish within a calendar year; and
   2. must not be in term 1 if a visitor visa was held and a single period of study was undertaken in term 4 of the previous year.
2. Visitor visa holders undertaking a single period of study in (a) above must attend a school that is a signatory to the Education (Pastoral Care Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021, if at least one of the following applies:
   1. they attend for more than two weeks; or
   2. they are fee-paying foreign students.
3. Despite (b)(i) above, attendance at a school that is a signatory to the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021 is not required where the visitor visa holder is studying under a reciprocal exchange scheme managed by an Exchange Programme Organisation (EPO) approved by the Ministry of Education (see U4.15).

Effective 31/07/2022