Contents
Student loan : Contents

Residency

A student is eligible to get a Student Loan if:

or

  • the student is ordinarily resident in New Zealand and
  • has lived in New Zealand for at least 3 years and
  • has been entitled under the Immigration Act 2009 to live indefinitely in New Zealand for at least 3 years

or

  • the student is a refugee or protected person and is entitled to live indefinitely in New Zealand under the Immigration Act 2009

or

  • for study starting from 1 May 2022, the student is a refugee or protected person and holds a valid temporary entry class visa under the Immigration Act 2009

or

  • for study starting from 1 May 2022, the student is an immediate family member of a refugee or protected person and is either:
    • living in New Zealand on a valid Temporary Entry Visa, and eligible to transition to a Residence Class Visa with the refugee or protected person under the Immigration Act 2009 or
    • the holder of a Residence Class Visa, the student transitioned to with the refugee or protected person under the Immigration Act 2009

or

  • the student is entitled to live indefinitely in New Zealand, and was sponsored into New Zealand by a family member, who at the time the student entered New Zealand, was recognised as a refugee or a protected person, and held a Residence Class Visa under the Immigration Act 2009

or

or

  • the student holds a Residence Class Visa under the Immigration Act 2009, and would have been eligible for a Christchurch Response Visa if they did not already hold a Residence Class Visa

or

  • for study starting from 1 January 2024, the student was granted a Residence Class Visa between 15 March 2019 and 31 December 2024 and is a family member of someone who:
    • has a Christchurch Response Visa or
    • was eligible for a Christchurch Response Visa, held a Resident Visa on 15 March 2019, and currently holds a Residence Class Visa or is a New Zealand citizen or
    • would have been eligible for a Christchurch Response Visa but already had a Permanent Resident Visa or New Zealand citizenship on 15 March 2019 or
    • was granted New Zealand citizenship after holding a Christchurch Response Visa

or

  • the student is an Afghan national, or a member of that person's family, who is ordinarily resident in New Zealand and has been granted residency. They were granted residency as part of a specific group of Afghan nationals who arrived in New Zealand in April 2013 and are exempt from the residency stand-down

or

  • for study starting on or after 1 January 2022, the student holds an Afghan Emergency Resettlement Residency Visa under the Immigration Act 2009

For more information see:

Guidelines for deciding ordinarily resident
Three years living in New Zealand
Entitled to reside indefinitely in New Zealand
Refugees
Protected person
Family member of someone affected by the Christchurch mosques attack

Legislation

Immigration Act 2009
Top

Christchurch response visa - a permanent resident visa provided by Immigration New Zealand under the Immigration Act 2009:

See:

A refugee means a person recognised under the Immigration Act 2009 as:

or

Legislation

A protected person under the Immigration Act 2009 means a person recognised as a protected person in New Zealand under the:

Legislation

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 ...

An immediate family member of a refugee or protected person is:

Note Immigration New Zealand determines who is a dependent child under the Immigration Act 2009 and its regulations.

Legislation

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:

Family member (affected person) includes:

either through birth, marriage or adoption.

Temporary entry class visas are issued to people who have arrived in New Zealand legally, but are only allowed to stay for a temporary period for the duration and purposes indicated on the visa.

A temporary entry class visa means:

Legislation