You may be allowed to work part-time for up to 20 hours a week and full-time during all scheduled holidays and/or during the Christmas and New Year holiday period.

You can work up to 20 hours a week if you’re studying full-time for any of the following:

• for at least 2 years
• for a New Zealand qualification that gains points under the Skilled Migrant Category
• for a foundation programme for at least 1 academic year at level 4 or higher on the New Zealand Qualification Frameworkat an education provider in Canterbury.Part-time work (English lanaguage students)

You may be able to work full-time:

• during scheduled breaks in study, if you’re studying full-time for at least 1 academic year and your course is worth more than 120 credits
• during the Christmas and New Year holiday period, if you’re studying full-time and your course is worth less than 120 credits.

If you’re enrolled in Masters by research or doctoral degree programme awarded by a New Zealand tertiary institution, there are no restrictions on the hours you can work.

You can work for up to 20 hours a week while you have a valid Student Visa if your course meets certain conditions.

You can work part-time if all of the following apply:

• your study is full-time
• your programme of study for 6 months or longer
• we believe the main purpose of your study is to improve your English
• you have an International English Language Testing Systemcertificate with an overall band score of 5.0 that’s no more than 2 years old – you’ll need to provide this with your application.

You can work part-time if all of the following apply:

• your study is full-time
• your study is for at least 14 consecutive weeks
• you’re studying English language
• your study is with a university, or a high quality education provider.

When we assess if you’re eligible for work rights, we’ll look at any English language study you’ve done on previous Student Visas. We can count your previous English language study towards the 14 weeks if:

• your new study follows on from your previous study
• the study is with the same education provider.

If you’re studying in year 12 or 13, the last 2 years of secondary school, you can work up to 20 hours a week during the school year and full-time in the Christmas and New Year holiday period between school years.
If you’re under 18, you must have written permission from your school and your parents or legal guardian to work.
You don’t need written permission if you‘re over 18 and at secondary school, and want to work during the summer holiday period.

You’re allowed to work, to meet a requirement of practical experience for your programme of study in New Zealand, if practical experience is a course requirement.