Vocational Trainee Student Visa
Apply for this visa if you are a trainee who has been awarded a New Zealand Short Term Training Scholarship by Manaaki New Zealand Scholarships, or you are a nautical student.
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Length of stay
Varies depending on
your study or scolarship
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Cost
From
NZD $850
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Processing time
80% within
3.5 weeks
To apply you must:
- have a New Zealand Scholarship under the Short Term Training Award scheme, or
- have a paid place at Manukau Institute of Technology, and a guarantee from your employer, if you are a nautical student, and
- meet the other requirements of this visa.
This visa lets you:
- train in a government agency, private establishment or tertiary institute, if you have been awarded a New Zealand Short Term Training Scholarship, for the duration of the award
- study a nautical programme full-time at Manukau Institute of Technology, if you work for a shipping company
- work part-time up to 20 hours a week while studying, and full-time in the holidays.
You cannot include your partner or children in your application, but they can apply for visas based on their relationship to you.
Who can apply
Check if you are eligible to apply for this visa and what supporting documents and information you need to provide.
Identity
As proof of your identity, you must provide:
- 1 acceptable photo if you apply online, or 2 photos if you use a paper application form.
- your passport or
Note
Your passport must be valid for at least 3 months after you plan to leave New Zealand.
If you apply online, you must upload a copy of your passport when you apply. We will let you know if you need to send your passport after you have applied.
If you submit a paper application, provide your original passport or a certified copy. We can usually process your application faster if you provide your original passport.
Citizens of China applying from China
You must also provide your:
- Hukou (household registration book)
- Chinese identity card.
If you submit a paper application form in China, you must also complete a supplementary form.
Applicants from Hong Kong or Macao applying within Hong Kong or Macao
You must also provide a copy of your Identity card.
If you submit a paper application form, you must provide a supplementary form for Hong Kong and Macao visitors, workers and students.
Citizens of Indonesia
If you are a citizen of Indonesia, you must also provide your
Applicants applying from French Polynesia or Wallis and Futuna
If you are not a French national, you must also provide a copy of your carte d’assuré.
Applicants applying from New Caledonia
You must also provide a copy of your livret de famille.
If you are not a French national, you must also provide a copy of your carte d’assuré.
Health
You must be in good health.
We may ask you to have a chest X-ray, a medical examination or both as proof of your good health.
If you are staying less than:
- 6 months you do not normally need a chest X-ray
- 12 months you do not normally need a medical certificate.
When we process your application we let you know if we need you to have a chest X-ray or medical examination.
Applicants from China, Hong Kong or Macao applying within China, Hong Kong or Macao
You must provide a chest X-ray completed in the last 3 months, even if you have provided one to us previously, if:
- you have spent 6 months in a row in China since the last X-ray certificate was issued, and
- you are now coming to New Zealand for more than 6 months.
Character
You must be of good character.
If you have a criminal conviction or are a security risk to New Zealand we may not be able to give you a visa.
You must provide police certificates if your total time in New Zealand will be 24 months or longer across all visits. This includes any time you have spent in New Zealand in the past on other visas, even if you have been out of the country since then.
You also must provide police certificates if we ask for them.
Police certificates must be less than 6 months old when you submit your application. They must be from any country you are a citizen of, or have spent more than 5 years in since you turned 17.
If you are aged 16 or younger you do not need to provide police certificates.
How to get a police certificate
If you have already sent us police certificates with a previous visa application and they are less than 24 months old, you do not need to send them again.
Genuine intentions
You must genuinely intend to meet the conditions of your visa.
When we decide if your intentions are genuine, we consider all the information:
- you provide to support your application
- we have about your personal circumstances
- you provided in any previous applications.
New Zealand employer guarantee
If you are a nautical student, your employer must provide a guarantee.
You must provide a letter from the shipping company that employs you, guaranteeing to pay:
- your living costs while in New Zealand
- for you to leave New Zealand at the end of your stay.
Place at Manukau Polytechnic
If you are a nautical student, you must have a paid place at Manukau Polytechnic.
You must provide evidence that:
- you have a place at Manukau Polytechnic, such as an offer of place or a confirmation of enrolment
- your tuition fees have been paid, like receipts.
Note
If you are a
Short-Term Training Award
If you are a
You must provide evidence of your New Zealand scholarship under the Short-term Training Award.
How to pay and submit
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When you arrive
Entry permission
You must apply for permission to enter New Zealand. You do this by completing a New Zealand Traveller Declaration (NZTD) form.
You can start your digital declaration any time, but the earliest you can submit it is 24 hours before starting your travel to New Zealand.
A paper declaration form is available for travellers who cannot complete it online.
New Zealand Traveller Declaration
New Zealand Customs and Biosecurity also check that you meet their entry requirements.
Alert
You can be refused entry permission if you:
- do not meet our character requirements
- have had a change in circumstances since we issued your visa
- refuse to let us take your photo, fingerprints or an iris scan
- you are unable to provide evidence of any onward travel or funds required by the conditions of your visa.
While you are in New Zealand
These are the conditions that you must meet once you have your visa. Your visa conditions are recorded in your eVisa.
Work
You can work part-time for up to 20 hours a week while you are doing your training or study.
You can work full-time during all scheduled holidays.
Note
If you need to do practical work experience as part of a programme of nautical study, you can do this work in addition to the other hours you are allowed to work.
Everyone who has a job in New Zealand pays tax on what they earn. An IRD number can be applied for online through
Apply online for an IRD number
You are not allowed to be self-employed. You have to work as an employee with an employment agreement and not as an independent contractor.
You cannot provide commercial sexual services or operate a business that provides these services.
Travel
If you want to travel in and out of New Zealand, you must have valid
Check or change your student visa conditions
Note
If you are applying from inside New Zealand, we will normally give you multiple entry travel conditions when we grant you this visa.
If you do not have multiple entry travel conditions and you leave New Zealand, your visa will expire.
Your travel conditions will be recorded on your visa label or in your visa letter.
Study
If you are a nautical student, you can only study nautical programmes of study at the Manukau Polytechnic.
You must study
Note
If you later apply for another student visa, you will need to provide:
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- a reasonable excuse for any absences from your study
- information about your progress on your course.
Visa expiry
You must leave New Zealand before your visa expires.
Note
Visa expiry dates are printed on a visa label or included in a visa letter.