International students will find it easier to work in New Zealand and remain here as permanent migrants, Immigration Minister David Cunliffe announced today.

• From late November many international students will be able to stay in New Zealand for up to 12 months, instead of six, on a job search permit while they look for skilled work.
• Graduates who are currently on a six-month permit will be given an extra six months.
• Architecture and accounting graduates, who need three years practical experience to achieve professional registration, will be allowed to stay and work in New Zealand for three years without the need to reapply for a work permit.
• Students will be permitted to sit their English language test at anytime during their stay, rather than as soon as they arrive.

Feedback from the export education sector has been positive and education providers believe these changes will help to sell New Zealand as an education destination.

“There is increasing competition for skilled graduates and we need to allow them enough time to find a job in their area of expertise in New Zealand, and not run the risk that they will go elsewhere.

“It is important that we facilitate residence for qualified international graduates who have experience of living here while they study. In many cases, these are precisely the type of skilled workers we need in New Zealand,” said Mr Cunliffe.

“These changes set out an easier pathway for students to gain residence. I will also be releasing details next month of the Skilled Migrant Category policy changes that I announced earlier this year.

“This will include a refined definition of skilled employment and some adjustments to the recognition of qualifications at the lower-end of the quality scale. This will ensure that our skilled residence policies focus on those migrants with an appropriate level of skill and expertise.”

“Research has found 27 per cent of all international students who began study between 1999 and 2001 gained residence or stayed in New Zealand to work,” Mr Cunliffe said.

“Notably, the majority of the people gaining residence did so through the skilled / Business immigration stream – which means they are filling those skill gaps in our labour market.

“We know that the international education sector is a major contributor to the economy – worth an estimated $2 billion every year in foreign exchange. But this is also about the skills we can benefit from once those students have completed their New Zealand qualifications.”