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Dependent Child Student Visa

A Dependent Child Student Visa is needed by your kids to pursue regular schooling in New Zealand beyond 3 months. Once they get a Dependent Child Student Visa, they can attend primary and secondary schools, and even avail free education like the local children.
New Zealand is one of the best places in the world to raise your family. No wonder, then, that a lot of immigrants bring their children along when they come here to work or study. However, INZ (Immigration New Zealand) does not allow you children to attend more than 3 months of school unless they get a Dependent Child Student Visa.

Dependent Child Student Visa Requirements

The only qualification (beyond the requirements needed to be eligible for Visas for Dependent Children) criteria placed on the Dependent Child Student Visa is that the kid must be old enough to attend primary school.
Remember, all the visas granted by the INZ do not qualify for this visa. If your kid is not eligible for a Dependent Child Student Visa, he/she may still be able to get a New Zealand Study Visa to pursue their education.
If you are in New Zealand pursuing study on a student visa, your kid will not meet Dependent Child Student Visa requirements unless all these conditions are met:
  • He/she is younger than 19 years; and
  • You are enrolled in a PhD program at an INZ recognised institute, or are an approved exchange student; and
  • An approved aid program provides you with a scholarship
Once your child has graduated to the level where they now need tertiary education, the Dependent Child Student Visa will no longer suffice – it only works for primary, intermediate, and secondary grades. They will need a Student Visa to attend an educational institute after this.

It is not easy for most migrants to figure out if their children qualify for Dependent Child Student Visas as the INZ has excluded some visa categories from qualifying for the same. NZ Migration Help’s Auckland based team of immigration experts knows all about the Dependent Child Student Visas and has a lot of experience in getting them for various primary visa categories. Book a consultation to speak with our licensed immigration consultants.

Dependent Child Student Visa Conditions

The validity of the Dependent Child Student Visa is tied to the primary applicant’s New Zealand visa. Once your child’s Dependent Child Student Visa is approved, they can attend primary, intermediate and secondary schooling anywhere in the country, just like the domestic kids – they can even get access to the free education enjoyed by the locals.
Once your kid graduates to the last two secondary schooling years (12th and 13th years), he/she can work up to 20 hours per week during school days and take up full-time employment during school closures. Note that children under 16 are not allowed to work in New Zealand. Also, they will need parent, guardian, or school consent to work if they are below 18.

Dependent Child Visa Processing Time and Cost

Typical New Zealand Dependent Child Visa processing time is around 70 days. The INZ may take longer if they need to issue PPI (Potentially Prejudicial Information) letters to gather more information.

Your child’s early schooling days are their forming years. Don’t let this time go waste just because they are in a foreign country. Engage our immigration experts to avoid delays or rejections in getting their Dependent Child Visas. Our immigration team is dedicated to getting your visas as early as possible and at the lowest reasonable cost. We study every case carefully and represent the visa application in a manner so as to maximise your chances of approval. Book a consultation and see how we can help you prevent the waste of your child’s learning years.

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