A new “one-stop shop” website has been launched in New Zealand for international students to get advice on their employment rights and student visa responsibilities.
Immigraiton Minister Michael Woodhouse introduced the website last week as part of the government’s overall efforts to expand education exports, a sector that contributes NZ$2 billion a year to the country’s economy. The government has set a target to double those exports by 2025.
“To meet this target and to ensure that New Zealand remains an attractive destination for international students, we need to constantly be looking to improve on the support and service we offer those students,” said Woodhouse.
“We need to constantly be looking to improve on the support and service we offer international students
The website, created by Immigration New Zealand, provides students with information on employment rights, health and safety, wages, and working after graduation.
A section is also available for employers on student’s eligibility to work and how to help them settle in.
Other measures the government has taken to entice students to come to New Zealand include changes to health screening to cut costs and red tape for students, and extending work rights to English language students in Canterbury.
“These sorts of initiatives – combined with recent improvements in processing times for student visas – will make a huge difference in growing our export education industry,” said Woodhouse.
Student visas are granted for full-time study for more than three months in New Zealand, and allow for up to 20 hours work a week during the academic year.
