New Zealand Opens Short-Term Graduate Work Visa from 16 November 2026

Immigration New Zealand launches a Short-Term Graduate Work Visa on Monday 16 November 2026. The same day Post-Study Work Visa rules expand to cover New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework Level 7 Graduate Diploma holders who also hold a bachelor's degree. Amendment Circular 2026-24 places both changes in force from 16 November 2026.

If you finish a Level 5 to 7 programme in New Zealand and fall outside Post-Study Work Visa rules, the Short-Term Graduate Work Visa gives you six months of open work rights. You search for a job with any employer, in any occupation, in any location. Where the role fits, you then move onto an Accredited Employer Work Visa.

Applications open Monday 16 November 2026 through enhanced Immigration Online ADEPT. Use the Login button on the top right of the Immigration New Zealand website. No offer of employment is required to lodge the Short-Term Graduate Work Visa application.

Short-Term Graduate Work Visa eligibility

You need an NZQCF Level 5 to 7 qualification. The programme must meet every test below.

• You studied the qualification full-time for at least 24 weeks in New Zealand.
• The qualification is not an English language, foundation, or bridging programme.
• The qualification does not make you eligible for a Post-Study Work Visa.

Study weeks include exams and exam preparation. Holidays sit outside the count. Repeat study and credits transferred from other programmes also sit outside the count. Micro-credentials do not count as qualifications for the Short-Term Graduate Work Visa.

You also need at least NZD $5,000 available to support yourself. A valid medical certificate and chest X-ray are required, with the exact health checks tied to your intended length of stay. You must not have held a Short-Term Graduate Work Visa or a Post-Study Work Visa before. Scholarship students need written approval from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade or Education New Zealand.

Immigration New Zealand has not published a specific Short-Term Graduate Work Visa fee as of early November 2026. Check the Immigration New Zealand fees page closer to 16 November 2026 before you lodge.

Three-month application window

You must apply within three months of New Zealand student visa expiry. Timing decides eligibility on day one.

Example one. Your student visa expires on 20 September 2026. Three months run to 20 December 2026. Applications open on 16 November 2026, so you still sit inside the window on opening day.

Example two. Your student visa expires before 16 August 2026. Three months end before 16 November 2026. You fall outside the window when applications open and you are not eligible for the Short-Term Graduate Work Visa on 16 November 2026.

Plan your lodgement date against your student visa expiry now. Do not wait until the last week if your three-month clock is already running.

Work conditions and hard limits

Work on the Short-Term Graduate Work Visa must sit under an employment agreement or a contract for services. Business ownership is not allowed. The visa lasts six months. Immigration New Zealand grants only one Short-Term Graduate Work Visa. No extension exists. No second Short-Term Graduate Work Visa exists.

After you hold the Short-Term Graduate Work Visa, a later student visa is available only if both conditions below are met.

• The new study is a bachelor's degree or a programme at a higher NZQCF level than the qualification used for the Short-Term Graduate Work Visa.
• The new qualification makes you eligible for a Post-Study Work Visa.

Student visa holders who previously held a Short-Term Graduate Work Visa are not able to change programme or education provider unless the new path still meets those two conditions.

Family rules on the Short-Term Graduate Work Visa

Short-Term Graduate Work Visa holders do not support a partner for a work visa. Short-Term Graduate Work Visa holders also do not support children for a Dependent Child Student Visa. A visitor visa for family members remains a possible route if visitor rules are met. Dependent children are able to apply as international fee-paying students. Partners are able to apply for work visas on their own merit.

Compare the family position with the Post-Study Work Visa. Post-Study Work Visa holders are able to support partners and dependent children for visitor, work, or dependent child student visas when the usual requirements are met. Family plans should sit inside your pathway choice before you lodge.

Post-Study Work Visa expansion from 16 November 2026

From Monday 16 November 2026, Post-Study Work Visa eligibility extends to graduates who meet every test below.

• You completed a Graduate Diploma at NZQCF Level 7.
• You studied full-time in New Zealand for the full duration of the Graduate Diploma.
• You enrolled in the Graduate Diploma for the full duration. Cross-crediting and recognition of prior learning do not qualify.
• You hold a bachelor's degree completed in New Zealand or overseas. No time limit applies to the date the bachelor's degree was awarded.

Evidence includes the Graduate Diploma plus a bachelor's degree certificate showing qualification type and awarding institution, and an official academic transcript. An International Qualification Assessment is not required for an overseas bachelor's degree. Immigration New Zealand still checks authenticity for immigration purposes.

Post-Study Work Visa length for a Graduate Diploma matches the time spent studying the Graduate Diploma in New Zealand, up to a maximum of one year. Immigration New Zealand grants only one Post-Study Work Visa ever. Anyone who held a Post-Study Work Visa in the past is ineligible for another Post-Study Work Visa and is also ineligible for the Short-Term Graduate Work Visa.

Graduate Diploma pathways compared

Three Graduate Diploma outcomes now sit side by side from 16 November 2026.

• Graduate Diploma plus bachelor's degree. You receive a Post-Study Work Visa with open work conditions.
• Graduate Diploma without a bachelor's degree, listed in Appendix 13 of the Immigration Operational Manual. You receive a Post-Study Work Visa. Work is restricted to the occupation specified in Appendix 13 for the full visa period.
• Graduate Diploma without a bachelor's degree, not listed in Appendix 13. You are not eligible for a Post-Study Work Visa. Use the six-month Short-Term Graduate Work Visa instead, if you meet Short-Term Graduate Work Visa rules.

Appendix 13 routes matter for graduates whose diploma sits on the skills list but who do not hold a bachelor's degree. Confirm whether your Graduate Diploma appears in Appendix 13 before you choose between open Post-Study Work Visa conditions, restricted Post-Study Work Visa conditions, and the Short-Term Graduate Work Visa.

Existing Post-Study Work Visa settings

Existing Post-Study Work Visa rules still cover degree Level 7 and above after at least 30 weeks of full-time study. Master's and doctoral programmes of 30 weeks or more are able to attract up to three years. Level 8 or below often matches study time. The Graduate Diploma expansion sits on top of those settings from 16 November 2026 and does not replace them.

Path from Short-Term Graduate Work Visa to Accredited Employer Work Visa

Immigration New Zealand designed the Short-Term Graduate Work Visa as job-search time and, where appropriate, a bridge to an Accredited Employer Work Visa. Use the six months to find an accredited employer, secure a role, and lodge the Accredited Employer Work Visa while your Short-Term Graduate Work Visa remains valid. No job offer is needed to start the Short-Term Graduate Work Visa. An Accredited Employer Work Visa still needs an accredited employer and a qualifying job offer under Accredited Employer Work Visa rules.

Keep proof of funds, medical results, qualification documents, and student visa expiry dates ready before 16 November 2026. Scholarship students should request MFAT or Education New Zealand approval letters early. Graduates with a Level 7 Graduate Diploma and a bachelor's degree should weigh the longer Post-Study Work Visa against the six-month Short-Term Graduate Work Visa, because only one Post-Study Work Visa is available across a lifetime.

Amendment Circular 2026-24 takes effect on 16 November 2026. Read the Immigration New Zealand news pages on the Short-Term Graduate Work Visa launch and the updated Post-Study Work Visa options, then confirm current fees and health requirements on the official fees and medical pages before you apply.

Sources

• Immigration New Zealand: New Short-Term Graduate Work Visa launching on 16 November 2026
• Immigration New Zealand: New and updated post-study work visa options
• Immigration New Zealand: Staying to work after finishing your study
• Amendment Circular 2026-24 (PDF)
• Immigration New Zealand: Fees, processing times and refunds