Contents
Jobseeker Support Student Hardship : Contents

Qualifications

To get Jobseeker Support Student Hardship, a client must:

Note some clients under 20 years old must also meet a Parental Assistance Test to qualify for Jobseeker Support Student Hardship.

Clients already getting a benefit

When a client who is already getting a benefit advises MSD that they intend to study full-time, they will stay on that benefit until they start their full-time study. To keep getting their current benefit they must continue to meet the qualifications and their obligations. They should not be transferred to Jobseeker Support Student Hardship.

Jobseeker Support Student Hardship can only be paid to clients during the break between academic years of their programme of study.

A client may be able to get other financial assistance if they cannot get Jobseeker Support Student Hardship when their break is during the academic year, or if they are between 2 programmes of study.

For more information see:

For more information see:

Legislation

  • Jobseeker support: requirements section 20 Social Security Act 2018
  • Jobseeker support: discretionary grant on ground of hardship section 25 Social Security Act 2018
  • Hardship: full-time students clause 3 Direction in relation to Emergency Benefit and Benefits on Ground of Hardship
  • Hardship: full-time students: further criteria clause 4 Direction in relation to Emergency Benefit and Benefits on Ground of Hardship
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A person can be a New Zealand citizen by either:

For New Zealand citizenship, New Zealand includes the self-governing states of:

Citizenship is granted by the Department of Internal Affairs.

Note people born in New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Niue, or Tokelau may not automatically be New Zealand citizens. To be considered a New Zealand citizen from birth, a person born on or after 1 January 2006 must have:

A residence class visa means a:

A residence class visa allows people to live in New Zealand indefinitely. The visa also lets people work and study in New Zealand. There are different travel conditions based on the type of residence class visa.

Residence class visas are granted by Immigration New Zealand.

For the purpose of deciding if a person meets the residence criteria for financial assistance from MSD, people who ...

In terms of study, a programme means:

Legislation

To determine eligibility for Jobseeker Support Student Hardship, tertiary study, Student Allowance and Student Loan, “academic year” means:

Note this does not need to align with the calendar year.

For example, a 1-year course starts in July and finishes in May the following year. The academic year is July to May.