Recently, there has been a significant rise in the number of Indian students going abroad for studies.
With India’s growing economy, many Indian businessmen and students are also traveling to countries like New Zealand.
However, it is becoming increasingly difficult for them due to a sharp rise in visa fees in New Zealand.
Now, people will have to pay about 60% more for visas to enter the country. In 2023, New Zealand issued 115,008 visas to Indian applicants.
New Visa Fee Structure
Student Visa Fee Increase
The student visa fee has increased from $300 to $485. Currently, Indian students are the second largest group of international students in New Zealand, making up 17% of the total.
This increase took effect on October 1, according to Immigration Minister Erica Stanford.
She stated that the aim is to shift the financial burden of visa processing onto the visa holders instead of taxpayers.
Tourist Visa Fee Increase
The tourist visa fee has also risen, from $190 to $300.
Erica Stanford explained that these higher fees would help reduce the overall costs of processing visas, saving the government approximately $563 million over four years.
She noted that, despite the increases, New Zealand’s visa fees are still lower than those of Australia and the UK.
Additionally, the fee for the Entrepreneur Residence Category has surged from $3,710 to $11,320, while the Active Investor Category fee has increased from $4,630 to $12,070.
