According to a report, the changes that have been made by the Immigration Minister of New Zealand, Hon Jonathan Coleman, are affecting overseas students. Education is among the top five export sectors of New Zealand, contributing about $2.3 billion to the economy of the country every year by supporting 32,000 jobs.
These changes are made with a purpose of attracting more genuine overseas students and to enable the best and brightest students to stay in this nation. It will actually lead to the economic growth of the country with enhanced productivity and innovation. The changes came into effect from 25 July 2011. These changes include:
- Improve the Visa Requirements
- Provide facility to access to study and training for genuine students, and
- Provide ways to get employment opportunity and residence status in the country for highly skilled graduates.
As a whole, these changes are considered to be beneficial, as they are expected to support the development in the export education sector and will be very helpful in achieving the broader economic objectives of the nation. These changes became applicable to those students started studying in New Zealand on or after 25 July 2011. These changes are not applicable to students already holding New Zealand qualifications or are at present studying for New Zealand qualifications.
