Dependent Child Student Visa

The Dependent Child Student Visa allows eligible dependent children of certain New Zealand work or student visa holders to live in New Zealand and study at a primary or secondary school.

One of the major advantages of this visa is that an eligible child may be treated as a domestic student, meaning their parents may not have to pay international school tuition fees.

Who can apply?

The child must generally be aged 19 or younger, financially dependent on their parent or the parent’s partner, and intending to study at a primary or secondary school in New Zealand.

Children aged 17 or younger are generally treated as financially dependent on their parents. A child aged 18 or 19 must have no children of their own and may be required to provide evidence that they remain financially dependent.

The supporting parent must hold an eligible New Zealand work or student visa.

Which work visa holders can support a child?

Many New Zealand work visa holders can support their dependent children for student visas, but there are important exceptions.

Eligibility can depend on the particular work visa, the parent’s occupation and, in some cases, their income.

Special rules apply to Accredited Employer Work Visa holders. Depending on the circumstances, eligibility may be affected by the skill level of the parent’s job, whether the occupation is on the Green List or another qualifying pathway, the parent’s earnings, and whether the child previously held or applied for a dependent visa under earlier immigration settings.

Some categories of work visa holders cannot support a Dependent Child Student Visa, including certain seasonal workers, working holiday visa holders and other specified temporary workers.

Which student visa holders can support a child?

Holding a New Zealand student visa does not automatically allow a parent to support their child for a Dependent Child Student Visa.

Eligible student visa holders include certain students participating in a New Zealand Government-approved student exchange scheme, students enrolled in a PhD programme at a New Zealand university, and qualifying Manaaki New Zealand Scholarship students.

Other international students may still be able to support their children for visitor visas. In some circumstances, where the student’s partner qualifies for a Partner of a Student Work Visa, that partner may then be able to support the children for Dependent Child Student Visas.

Can the child attend school as a domestic student?

An eligible child holding a Dependent Child Student Visa may be treated as a domestic student at a New Zealand primary or secondary school.

This is an important distinction because domestic students generally do not pay the international tuition fees that apply to fee-paying international students.

The child’s eligibility for domestic student status should nevertheless be confirmed for their particular circumstances.

How long can the child stay?

The Dependent Child Student Visa will normally be granted for the same period as the supporting parent’s eligible visa.

This means that if the parent’s visa expires, the child’s student visa will generally expire at the same time.

If the parent obtains a further eligible visa, a further application may be required for the child.

Children under five

Children cannot attend school in New Zealand before they reach school age.

If a child is younger than five and the application is being made well before they are due to start school, Immigration New Zealand may grant a visitor visa instead of a Dependent Child Student Visa.

Families should therefore consider the child’s intended school starting date when deciding when to apply.

Financial requirements

The supporting parent must generally demonstrate that there is enough money available to support the child while they are in New Zealand, unless an applicable exception applies.

Immigration New Zealand currently specifies living costs of NZD $17,000 for a full year of study or NZD $1,417 for each month where the period is less than a year.

Evidence can include bank statements, proof that living costs have already been paid, acceptable sponsorship or a financial undertaking.

Different requirements can apply where the supporting parent holds a work visa and earns sufficient income.

Custody and the right to bring the child to New Zealand

The supporting parent must have the legal right to remove the child from their home country.

This can become particularly important where the child’s parents are separated or divorced or where the other parent will remain overseas.

Depending on the circumstances, Immigration New Zealand may require custody documents, a court order, guardianship documents or evidence that the other parent consents to the child travelling to and living in New Zealand.

Health requirements

The child must meet the applicable health requirements.

Depending on the child’s age, country of residence, intended period in New Zealand and medical history, Immigration New Zealand may require medical information or a chest X-ray.

Character requirements

The child must also meet the applicable character requirements.

Police certificates may be required where the child is aged 17 or older and their total intended time in New Zealand reaches the applicable threshold.

Any criminal or previous immigration issues should be addressed when preparing the application.

Genuine intention to study

Immigration New Zealand must be satisfied that the child genuinely intends to study in New Zealand.

The application should therefore provide appropriate information about the child’s proposed schooling and the family’s plans while living in New Zealand.

Immigration New Zealand may consider the information supplied with the application together with the family’s circumstances and previous immigration history.

Can the child study at tertiary level?

The Dependent Child Student Visa is intended for study at primary or secondary school.

If the child wants to undertake tertiary study, they will generally need to obtain an appropriate student visa, such as a Fee Paying Student Visa.

What documents are required?

The application will generally require the child’s passport and photograph, evidence of the relationship between the child and supporting parent, evidence of financial dependency where required, and evidence of the parent’s eligible New Zealand visa.

Depending on the circumstances, the application may also require custody or consent documents, evidence of sufficient funds, evidence of onward travel, medical information and police certificates.

Documents not in English may need to be accompanied by acceptable English translations.

Applying at the same time as the parent

A child does not necessarily have to wait until the parent’s visa has been granted.

A Dependent Child Student Visa application can potentially be lodged at the same time as the parent’s eligible work or student visa application.

The child’s application will depend on the supporting parent ultimately obtaining a visa that permits them to support the child.

Preparing a strong application

Before applying for a Dependent Child Student Visa, it is important to confirm that the parent’s particular work or student visa permits them to support a dependent child for a student visa.

This is particularly important for Accredited Employer Work Visa holders because eligibility can depend on the parent’s occupation, skill level, earnings and other immigration settings.

The application should also clearly establish the parent-child relationship, financial dependency, custody arrangements where relevant, financial support and the child’s genuine intention to study.

For eligible families, the Dependent Child Student Visa can allow children to live with their parents in New Zealand and attend primary or secondary school while the parent works or studies in the country.