High visa-rejection rate for Indian students worries New Zealand universities

New Zealand universities are requesting the government to act on the high rejection rates of student visas for Indian applicants.

Universities New Zealand, representing all eight tertiary institutions, has voiced concerns over this issue. In 2023, the rejection rate for Indian student visa applications rose to 40%, up from 28% in 2022, according to Immigration New Zealand.

Due to affordability, New Zealand is a favourite destination of Indian students wanting to study abroad. The New Zealand dollar is relatively cheaper compared to other currencies like the US dollar, pound sterling, and euro, making it a cost-effective option for Indians to study in New Zealand.

New Zealand has eight universities, and they are ranked in the top 3% in the world by QS World University Rankings.

These universities provide hundreds of courses in various fields, including computer science, medicine and business administration. Popular courses among Indian students in New Zealand are MBA, artificial intelligence, engineering and hotel management, among others.

Chris Whelan, chief executive of Universities New Zealand, highlighted the problem, noting that at the start of semester one, nearly 10% of visas were not yet allocated for processing, with another 2% still being processed.

“At the start of semester one this year, nearly 10% of visas to study at a New Zealand university were not yet allocated to an Immigration New Zealand official for processing, and another 2% were still being processed,” Whelan said, reported Radio New Zealand (RNZ).

He also mentioned that 18% of visas overall were not confirmed at the start of the term, causing delays and uncertainty for students.

“This meant uncertainty for students, and far too many had their studies impacted by late starts and, once they were able to start, having to deal with the double pressure of familiarising themselves with a new country while catching up on missed studies,” Whelan explained.

He stressed that these delays are unfair to students and harmful to New Zealand’s reputation as a top study destination.

“We need to do better for these students if we want this country to enjoy the benefits of international education,” he added, reported RNZ.

INDIAN STUDENT VISA APPLICATIONS HIGH REJECTION RATE
According to an RNZ report, between January and April 2024, Immigration New Zealand processed 5,018 study visa applications from Indian students, with 2,010 of these being rejected.

In contrast, the agency processed 8,012 study visa applications from Chinese students, rejecting only 206, resulting in a rejection rate of just 2%.

In 2023, a total of 8,810 visa applications were submitted by Indian students, with 5,074 approved and 3,523 declined, resulting in a rejection rate of 40%.

However, the number of student visas disapproval rate in 2022 was significantly lower. Only 700 Indian student visa applications were declined, which is 12% less than the number of declines in 2023, according to Immigration New Zealand.

UNIVERSITIES EFFORTS TO ATTRACT INDIAN STUDENTS

New Zealand universities are increasingly collaborating with Indian entities to attract more students.

In July 2023, a university was close to signing an agreement with Mumbai’s Bombay Stock Exchange Institute.

Education New Zealand partnered with the High Commission of India to feature India as the “country of honour” at the New Zealand International Education Conference, NZEIC KI TUA 2024.

“The recognition of India as the country of honour acknowledges this strong relationship and provides a platform for further partnership and development of bilateral relationships,” a spokesperson for Education New Zealand told RNZ.

STUDENT VISA PROCESSING CHALLENGES
Celia Coombes, director of Student Visa at Immigration New Zealand, mentioned that rejections often occur due to insufficient proof of funds or genuine study intentions.

“We have recently implemented initiatives to help facilitate student visas as quickly as possible, while protecting the integrity of the immigration system,” Coombes said, reported by RNZ.

She noted that 90 full-time workers were processing student visa applications, with average processing times of 31 working days, or approximately six weeks.