New Zealand universities urge govt to act on high visa-rejection rate for Indian students

After Australia and Canada, now New Zealand universities are also worried about the increasing visa-rejection rate for Indian students. The universities have requested the government to act on it.

In the wake of the increasing rejection rate for Indian student visa applications in New Zealand, Universities New Zealand has voiced this concern.

According to Immigration New Zealand, in 2022, 28% of study visa applications from India were rejected and in 2023, this figure increased to 40%. New Zealand is a favourite destination among Indian students looking to study abroad thanks to the affordable study as compared to other study-abroad destinations. Also, it offers a welcoming and safe environment. The eight universities of New Zealand include - Massey University, University of Waikato, Lincoln University, University of Auckland, University of Otago, Victoria University of WellingtonUniversity of Canterbury, and Auckland University of Technology. These universities are ranked in the top 3% of the world by QS World University Rankings. These universities offer hundreds of courses in multiple fields including medicine, business administration, and computer science. The most popular courses among Indian students include Artificial Intelligence, MBA, engineering and hotel management, among others.

Unconfirmed visas creating delays and uncertainty: Universities New Zealand

Chris Whelan, chief executive of Universities New Zealand raised this issue and said that at the beginning of the semester one, nearly 10% of visas were not yet allocated for processing, with another 2% still being processed.

Radio New Zealand (RNZ) quoted Chris Whelan saying, "At the start of semester one this year, nearly 10% of visas to study at a New Zealand university were not yet allocated to an Immigration New Zealand official for processing, and another 2% were still being processed."

At the start of the term, 18% of visas overall were not confirmed which is causing delays and uncertainty for students.

Whelan added, "This meant uncertainty for students, and far too many had their studies impacted by late starts and, once they were able to start, having to deal with the double pressure of familiarising themselves with a new country while catching up on missed studies."

The Indian student visas are being rejected at a time when New Zealand universities are increasingly partnering with Indian entities to attract more students.

At the New Zealand International Education Conference, NZEIC KI TUA 2024, Education New Zealand partnered with the High Commission of India to feature India as the "country of honour".

"The recognition of India as the country of honour acknowledges this strong relationship and provides a platform for further partnership and development of bilateral relationships," a spokesperson for Education New Zealand told RNZ.

Read more:

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