Schooling in NZ- get residence or study visa? Pros and cons?

vrjim

So I want to attend a university in New Zealand. I currently live in the US. I'm thinking I may want to make NZ my home, but as of now I'll at least be studying there for three to four years. Is it smarter (or even possible) for me to apply for a residence visa or should I just stick to a student visa? I'm thinking with a residence visa I can avoid double taxation on my income and wont be limited on the number of hours I can work (a student visa limits you to 15 hours of work a week) which would be very helpful since I'll be on a very tight budget- I'll also be entitled to other benefits available to NZ citizens like health care. And don't kiwis pay less for a NZ education than foreingers? Am I missing something? Whats the catch? Confused

JCM · Posted: Mon Jul 05, 2004 8:36 am Post subject:

Hi vrjim, for residence in NZ, unless you can get a large number of "points" allocated on the basis of your existing qualifications and work experience, etc, you first need to get an offer of employment in work approved by the Department of Labout/Immigration Service. That doesn't sound like your situation. So the student visa is almost certainly the route to follow.