The government is looking to recalibrate visa procedures to make sure genuine student applications from India are not rejected on legalese, says Erica Stanford.
In an exclusive interview with The Indian Weekender, the immigration minister pointed to the potential the Indian market holds for New Zealand’s education sector in the context of high rejection rates.
In the first four months this year, nearly 40 per cent of student visa applications from India were rejected. That’s in stark contrast to the 98 per cent approval rate for Chinese students in the same period.
“I have been watching that closely,” Erica says. “A key reason for rejections in the case of Indian students has been proof of finances. I want to make sure the process is simplified enough to offer genuine students a stronger chance at getting their applications approved.”
Erica didn’t say how soon the changes might be announced but suggested New Zealand wants to seize the moment as Australia and Canada tighten the screws on international student intakes.
“It’s a massive opportunity for us. Our international student intake is not yet close to pre-Covid levels and I intend to do everything possible to get it back to where it was,” Erica says.
The minister indicated her ongoing top priority is plugging holes in the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV), work that she says is consuming a chunk of immigration system’s bandwidth.
“As you can imagine, the system we inherited was a mess. I would have loved to pick up other stuff right away but the truth is fixing AEWV is taking most of our time. But I intend to get on to the student visa issues very soon.”
New Zealand universities have lately directly engaged with the government about the high student visa rejection rate of Indian applicants in 2024.
Most universities have done so through Universities New Zealand, an organisation representing and advocating for all eight of New Zealand's tertiary institutions.
"At the start of semester one this year, nearly 10 percent of visas to study at a New Zealand university were not yet allocated to an Immigration NZ official for processing, and another two percent were still being processed," Chris Whelan, chief executive of Universities New Zealand, said.
Vandana Rai, senior Licensed Immigration Adviser and Director of Immigration New Zealand Ltd, commended Stanford for recognising India's potential and planning to amend student visa guidelines. However, she said there's a noticeable disconnect between the minister's statements and the actions of Immigration New Zealand (INZ).
"Although INZ reports an 87 per cent overall student visa approval rate, this statistic is deceptive as it includes dependent child student visas, which is domestic fee paying. This discrepancy raises concerns about why INZ presents an overly optimistic view while the minister acknowledges the issue and wants to address it?" said Rai.
She added, "Even if the INZ stats are true, Indian students and education consultants are experiencing a reality where nearly 70 per cent of Indian student visa applications have been rejected this year. This inconsistency is troubling, especially with India being labelled as a high-risk country for financial documentation despite its robust governance and financial regulations over the past decade."
Rai said the scenario highlights the urgent need for transparent and fair guidelines to restore INZ's credibility, which is rooted in fairness and natural justice. Addressing these issues promptly is crucial for New Zealand to be a top choice for overseas study, she said.
ISSUE
