India, New Zealand Add 5,000 Skilled Visas in FTA With Student Mobility and Post-Study Work
Updated
Updated · The Hindu · May 23
India, New Zealand Add 5,000 Skilled Visas in FTA With Student Mobility and Post-Study Work
5 articles · Updated · The Hindu · May 23
The pact formally folds student mobility into the India-New Zealand FTA, adding a dedicated framework for study, work rights and a 5,000-visa Temporary Employment Entry pathway for skilled professionals.
Students can work up to 20 hours a week during study, while post-study stays are explicitly set at up to three years for STEM undergraduates and master's graduates, and up to four years for PhD holders.
The employment route targets technology, engineering, healthcare, education and construction, linking course choices more directly to sectors where New Zealand says demand exists.
The framework is meant to reduce policy uncertainty by embedding these rights bilaterally rather than leaving them solely to shifting immigration settings.
Quotas, labour-market conditions, processing times and employer demand still limit outcomes, meaning the clearer pathway does not guarantee jobs or migration progression.
This new pact offers Indian students a clear path to New Zealand, but will it lead to a career or just a diploma?
Can 600 Indian chefs and yoga teachers truly build the promised 'living bridge' between India and New Zealand?