How to Move to Australia and New Zealand Through Study: Visas, Work Rights, and the Path to PR

Moving through study to Australia or New Zealand follows the same basic pattern — student visa, then a graduate or work visa, then permanent residency — but the student visa itself guarantees immigration in neither country.

In short

• A student visa guarantees PR in neither Australia nor New Zealand — an employer and signed contract are required.
• In New Zealand, a master’s of 30+ weeks and a PhD each earn 6 points, and the year-of-work requirement before applying for PR has been scrapped.
• Australia’s 485 graduate visa is available up to age 35, and PR applications under it must be filed before age 40 even with a research program.
• Australia’s student visa fee has risen to USD 2,500, and the roughly USD 30,000 financial threshold could be raised at least twofold.
• Australia’s student work limit is 48 hours per fortnight, not 24 hours a week as is often mistakenly assumed.

Student Visa and PR: What Studying Actually Guarantees

No student visa in either country guarantees immigration — education here is a tool, not a finished solution. Without an employer and real work experience in the country, permanent residency isn’t available in either Australia or New Zealand. Even once a degree is completed, the path to permanent status only opens after an employer is found and an employment contract is signed.

No student visa in either country guarantees immigration — education here is a tool, not a finished solution.

So before choosing a study program, it’s worth settling the main question first: is this a one-off trip with a return home, or a path aimed at PR and citizenship? The answer determines which visa to apply for, what happens after graduation, and what conditions need to be factored in from the start.

New Zealand and Australia set different frameworks. In New Zealand, PR applications can be filed up to age 55. In Australia, age limits work differently and are tied to specific visas — for example, the 485 graduate visa and the deadlines for applying for permanent visas afterward (more on this in the section on the 485 visa). Because of Australia’s tightening rules, some prospective students are now looking at New Zealand as the more predictable option.

Working While Studying in Australia and New Zealand

In New Zealand, a student can work up to 25 hours a week during term time, and without restriction during holidays. In Australia, the limit works differently: it’s not 24 hours a week, as is sometimes mistakenly assumed, but 48 hours per fortnight. The distinction matters — the total hours over two weeks add up the same, but they can be distributed unevenly, say 40 hours one week and 8 the next, without breaching the limit.

In Australia, a student has another option — registering as a sole trader, similar to self-employment. In that case, they provide services as a self-employed contractor rather than an employee, and can set their rate for completed work in a way that keeps them formally within the hours limit.

The gap between the two countries is sharper when it comes to partner and dependent rights. In New Zealand, the partner of a master’s student can work without restriction, and children can attend public school for free. Students enrolled in a master’s or PhD program also gain the right to unrestricted work themselves.

Table: Student Work Limits

Parameter	Australia	New Zealand
Work during study	48 hours per fortnight	up to 25 hours/week
Work during holidays	—	unrestricted
Master’s/PhD	—	unrestricted work
Partner	—	unrestricted (master’s level)
Children	—	free schooling (master’s level)

After Studying in New Zealand: Points, the Greenlist, and the Road to PR

A master’s degree of 30 weeks or more, and a PhD, each earn 6 points in New Zealand’s immigration points system — a change that took effect at the start of the year. As soon as a graduate finds an employer and signs a contract, they can apply for PR right away: the earlier requirement to work for a year before applying has been scrapped.

Program length matters here. If a master’s program runs under 30 weeks — a one-year program, for instance — it earns no points at all. Some programs on the market combine formats: four months online plus a year of in-person study. After finishing a master’s, graduates receive a work visa valid for up to 3 years.

A separate path to residency runs through the Greenlist, which is worth checking even at the program-selection stage. It splits into two tiers:

• Tier One — a job offer from an employer in a listed occupation is enough to apply for PR;
• Tier Two — requires a minimum of 2 years working in New Zealand, but covers a wider range of occupations.

New Zealand doesn’t work as a ‘back door’ into Australia: before moving there, a person needs to study, work, obtain New Zealand PR, and hold that status for 5 years before gaining citizenship. Only then does the path to Australia open up — whereas from the Australian side, the requirement is simpler: Australian PR obtained directly is enough.

After Studying in Australia: The 485 Graduate Visa

After earning a degree in Australia, graduates can apply for the 485 graduate visa and stay in the country for a further 2 to 3 years — it provides a window to gain official work experience and prepare an application for one of the skilled work visas.

Since 2024, this visa carries an age limit: applicants must be under 35 to apply. This applies to graduates of a master’s under the COSWORK program and to bachelor’s graduates — in this case, post-study work in Australia is allowed for 1 year.

If a student is 35 or older at the point of graduation, the path to the 485 visa isn’t fully closed: a research program is still an option. Choosing a research program keeps the 485 visa valid until age 50. But there’s a separate catch: applications for permanent residency through the main visa pathways must be filed before age 40 — even if the 485 visa itself is still formally active.

It’s important to understand: a degree from an Australian institution does not guarantee the 485 visa will be granted — this is a risk worth factoring into study planning. The age thresholds described above apply as a general rule, but details can vary depending on the specific program and an applicant’s circumstances, so it’s worth checking the current visa conditions before applying.

a degree from an Australian institution does not guarantee the 485 visa will be granted — this is a risk worth factoring into study planning

Admission Requirements: CRICOS, Interviews, Proof of Genuine Intent

Since late 2025, New Zealand has conducted an interview with prospective students — a call with an immigration officer that lasts about half an hour. It checks three things: how genuinely the applicant needs the course, their academic English level, and their financial standing. Just six months earlier, simply being accepted by an institution was enough for a visa. Now, after acceptance, the immigration department separately decides whether the applicant deserves a student visa — in other words, how genuinely they need that education.

The main criterion in both countries is financial logic. Tuition runs into tens of thousands of dollars (the exact figure depends on the program and country — see the section on tuition costs), and the officer wants to understand how long it will take for that investment to pay off. To demonstrate this, applicants need to show employment prospects: a job offer from an employer, or a business plan backed by screenshots of real job listings with salaries and demand for the relevant specialists. Previously, applicants’ word was taken at face value; now everything needs to be backed by documents — a business plan with screenshots from official sources. For school-age applicants this requirement is less critical, but those applying for a master’s degree are advised to have a letter from an employer specifying a concrete position and salary after completing the program.

In Australia, the process runs through the CRICOS system: the course and institution must be registered in it, or a student visa for that program simply isn’t available — even if it’s cheaper than comparable options. A list of registered institutions is available on a separate official website.

The officer needs to be satisfied they’re dealing with a ‘genuine student’: someone who will finish their studies, won’t jump to another visa type, won’t lodge an asylum claim, has sufficient funds, and will be able to return home if Australia’s rules change. A separate condition applies to the chosen field of study — it must fall within the list of in-demand occupations: medicine, education, engineering, some construction trades, and aged care. Film, design, and acting are not on that list. Since mid-2024, Australia has lifted a ban that previously prevented students from pursuing work and future PR — but that right only applies to the in-demand occupations list.

Alongside this, health insurance and a medical exam are mandatory.

Tuition Costs and Financial Requirements

Financial requirements and visa costs in New Zealand and Australia differ by a wide margin, and that’s worth factoring into the choice of country.

New Zealand

Metric	Amount
Savings for the main applicant	from NZD 20,000
Savings for a school pupil or student	from NZD 17,000
Calculation for a course under 1 year	NZD 1,667 per month
Student visa cost	NZD 850

The New Zealand visa remains the more affordable of the two by price — NZD 850 against several thousand dollars in Australia.

Australia

Metric	Amount
Minimum income for the first year of study	USD 29,710
Amount for a partner (PhD only)	USD 10,394
Amount for a child (PhD only)	USD 4,500
Proof for a child’s school enrolment	USD 13,500
Cost of a child’s schooling	USD 12,000–24,000
Student visa cost	USD 2,500
Visa cost for English language courses	around USD 2,100

Applicants only need to prove USD 29,710 for the first year of study, even if the program runs two or three years. Including a partner and children in the application is only allowed for PhD applicants — bachelor’s and master’s applicants no longer have that option. If a PhD candidate is relocating, schooling for children is free in most states, so a separate financial proof for a child isn’t required.

The student visa fee for Australia has recently risen to USD 2,500, which means its cost for short English-language courses now nearly matches the price of the course itself. Following a wave of pushback, the visa fee for English-language courses was lowered to around USD 2,100.

Beyond the visa fee and living costs, the tuition itself needs to be budgeted for. The minimum price, factoring in possible discounts, starts at AUD 28,500 a year, while average bachelor’s and master’s tuition runs AUD 35,000–45,000 a year.

Health insurance is a separate line item: in Australia it’s mandatory not just for the duration of study but for the entire length of stay in the country, since the student visa doesn’t carry exact validity dates. Length of stay is typically calculated with a buffer — 2–3 weeks before the course starts and around six weeks after it ends, stretching to two months if graduation falls just before the New Year.

The current financial threshold in Australia sits at roughly USD 30,000, and current projections suggest it could be raised at least twofold.

Financial Requirements: New Zealand vs Australia

Metric	New Zealand	Australia
Savings for self	from NZD 20,000	USD 29,710 (first year)
Student visa cost	NZD 850	USD 2,500
Visa for English courses	—	around USD 2,100
Partner and children on application	allowed	PhD applicants only
Health insurance	—	mandatory for entire stay

In-Demand Fields and Top Universities

In New Zealand, the list of in-demand programs covers IT, engineering, teaching, early childhood education, and construction. Engineering programs carry noticeably more weight here than in Australia — the country is putting its bet on technical fields.

In Australia, the list is broader: medicine, education, engineering, construction, and aged care, along with IT, healthcare, midwifery, agronomy, and veterinary science. More recently, occupations tied to fisheries, environmental conservation, and agriculture have also made the list.

One particular trap lies in teaching programs. To work as a teacher, applicants specifically need a Master of Teaching — not a Master of Education. English requirements here are higher: a minimum band score of 7, with 8 required on certain modules. A Master of Education qualifies graduates to work as consultants in the education sector, but not as school teachers — a distinction that often catches out people who choose the program with the lower English threshold.

The Group of Eight: Australia’s Top Universities

The Group of Eight (Go8) is a set of eight of Australia’s most prestigious universities, known for strong research programs and high levels of funding. It includes:

• University of Sydney and University of New South Wales — New South Wales;
• University of Melbourne and Monash University — Victoria;
• University of Queensland — Queensland;
• University of Adelaide — South Australia, recently merged with the University of South Australia;
• University of Western Australia — Western Australia;
• Australian National University — Canberra.

The Go8 is the strongest choice for anyone planning a PhD, a research-based master’s, or an academic career: teaching at university or school level requires exactly that kind of environment. At the same time, a price gap doesn’t always mean a gap in program quality — the same bachelor’s course can cost $50,000 at a prestigious university and $25,000 elsewhere. Go8 universities sometimes offer scholarships to students with standout research credentials, up to a full-ride grant.

The 2025-2026 Crackdown: Age, Queues, Priorities

Australia is closing a loophole known as visa hopping — switching from one student visa to another without genuinely finishing a program. In the past, a student could marry a fellow student enrolled in the same course: one would drop out of study while the other obtained a graduate visa, and then the next partner would enroll in the program in turn — a cycle repeated for years. As a result, some foreign nationals ended up staying in the country on temporary visas for 10–15 years, and the overall number of temporary residents with unresolved status climbed to 2 million — the department lost track of who would stay and who would leave, making it impossible to plan for the economy or housing.

the overall number of temporary residents with unresolved status climbed to 2 million

Processing times for student visas now depend on how full an institution is: below 80% capacity, applications are processed right away; at 80–115% capacity, a different process applies, and processing can stretch from 1–1.5 months up to 4. On top of that, the student visa fee has risen, and including family members on the application has been banned — except for PhD study.

For work visas and PR, five priority tiers have been introduced. Construction, healthcare, education, agriculture, culture, fisheries, the resources sector, police, the military, and defence are reviewed first — with an employer from this list, a visa is processed in 2–4 weeks. Solo applicants with an employer fall into the fourth priority tier, while those applying together with family fall into the fifth.

Applicants from Russia consistently end up at the back of the queue: in the past, the first three priority categories only considered people already inside Australia, and this could be worked around by entering on a tourist visa (subclass 8503) — but switching from that visa to other visa types is now banned. When PR places are allocated, 70% go to applicants already inside Australia, and only 30% to those applying from abroad.

The standard route after study is a student visa, followed by the 485 graduate visa, a year of work, and an application for one of the skilled migration visas. An alternative is finding an employer under the 482 visa while still studying and working for them for 2 years: with the right outcome, this leads to the 186 PR visa. Australia hasn’t yet closed off this 482/186 pathway starting during study, though the UK has already shut down the equivalent route.

Frequently asked questions

What happens if I don’t find an employer before my 485 graduate visa expires

The 485 visa gives 2 to 3 years to gain official work experience and prepare a work visa application, but it doesn’t renew itself and doesn’t guarantee a path to PR — this is a risk worth planning for when choosing a study program. If an employer and contract aren’t secured within that window, the standard path to a work visa and PR doesn’t open up.

Can I switch study programs after completing the interview in New Zealand

That situation falls outside what the process is designed to cover: the interview evaluates a specific stated study goal, English level, and financial standing tied to the chosen program. Switching programs after approval would require re-verifying all three points under the new conditions.

What happens to a 485 visa if the employer I find isn’t in a priority occupation

The 485 visa itself doesn’t depend on the priority occupations list — it grants time to find work and gain experience regardless of field. But the subsequent move to a work visa and PR depends on whether the occupation is on the in-demand list: outside that list, the standard skilled migration route becomes harder.

Can I apply under Greenlist Tier One if the job offer came while I was still studying

For Tier One, the job offer itself in a listed occupation is what matters — when it was received, during study or after, doesn’t matter; what counts is having a valid offer in hand at the time the PR application is filed.