National is promising to expand work rights for international students, and increase student recruitment from a wider number of countries.
The party's leader Christopher Luxon, Tertiary Education spokesperson Penny Simmonds and Immigration spokesperson Erica Stanford launched the international students policy at Southern Institute of Technology on Thursday morning.
It includes:
Fast track visa processing for international students who pay an additional fee
Increase the hours international students are able to work each week from 20 to 24
Expand work rights for international students and their partners to make New Zealand a more attractive destination
Diversify the countries Education New Zealand recruits international students from
In a statement, Simmonds said international education had been New Zealand's fifth-biggest export earner before the Covid-19 pandemic, contributing $3.7 billion to the economy and supporting at least 6000 jobs.
"We need to get sectors that can provide much-needed export earnings like international education back on their feet as soon as possible," she said.
Stanford said other countries had adjusted their settings to attract international students, but Labour had failed to take any action in the area.
"Making New Zealand more appealing for international students and reviving our once humming international education sector is part of National's wider plan to rebuild the economy," she said.