[Carey]

Has anyone gone out on a student visa and if so did you get a return flight? Assuming I get a year's student visa, can I book a flight with a return date a year later? When I put the dates into Air NZ for eg. it won't accept them?

Obviously we're hoping we won't return but we can't get a one way ticket can we without PR?

[nippa&pippa]

Book as normal, then when you arrive in NZ, change the dates at local airline's office or travel agents.
That what my MIL did, booked flight with a return date a month later after arrive even she plan to stay for 6months. Once she arrive in NZ, I took her to chch's air singapore's office to change the return date to end of march 08 instead of end of oct 07 without any charge!;)

[Brian]

Also check with STA travel. When I was looking at doing what you are, they had good deals on open ended flights for students.

[tigerlily]

Even on the cheap fare we had from Air NZ we are allowed one change in dates for free. Worth checking on. We booked a return flight for May, but will be changing that to much later in the year when we are actually planning to have a visit with family again.

[Caroline and Dave]

Hi,
This is a copy of an entry in the NZIS visa requirements for students.
Our Daughter is here on a Student visa and she had to provide evidence if she was staying more than 36 weeks that she had enough money to afford the flight back as well as money to live on.

U3.25 Outward travel


Applicants for student visas and permits must provide evidence that they have the means while their permit is current to travel to a country to which they have right of entry, in the form of:

a fully paid travel ticket to any such country, or sufficient funds held in New Zealand to purchase any such ticket, or an acceptable form of undertaking by a third party supplied to a visa officer before arrival in New Zealand, or a current approved undertaking on repatriation supplied by a sponsor, or
financial assistance available to the holder under any multilateral or bilateral aid programme administered in New Zealand by a government department or statutory body.Effective 24/03/2003

Hope this helps

[alan999]

Just double check the Visa, my daughter is here on a student visa and it states "outward passage waived". She came one way and didn't have to provide evidence or anything. Maybe things have changed, the visa was issued about a year ago.
Alan.

[Carey]

Thank for these replies; just realised I mean 'study', rather that 'student 'visa visa or is that the same thing...back to NZIS to check!