Now New Zealand interests desi students

Among the emerging educational destinations for Indian students, New Zealand is definitely among the most popular. “The interest is very high and growing steadily. In fact, we have now started a second annual New Zealand education fair in India to address the needs of students here. This will be targeted at the July intake of our universities which is largely for undergrad students,” says Paul Vaughan, trade commissioner New Zealand Trade & Enterprise. In fact, January 2006 saw an incredible 79% increase in student visa applications at the high commission in New Delhi. “New Zealand as an education destination is seeing tremendous growth and India is an important market for us. Our aim is to propel this momentum through platforms like New Zealand Education fairs, which allows a direct and detailed dialogue between universities and students,” Graeme Waters, the NZ High Commissioner, says. In fact, Education New Zealand now plans to appoint counselors in India, since it has become such an important market. While, during the past six years over 5,000 Indian students have studied in New Zealand, the annual rate of increase in the intake of Indian students at New Zealand institutions has been about 35%. A couple of significant changes in New Zealand’s student immigration policy last year have worked out very well for students from India and have resulted in the growing popularity of NZ. Firstly, foreign students can now remain in New Zealand for six months after they get their degree to look for work. This open work permit visa for six months is an innovation that is in keeping with international standards. In bringing about the change, Education New Zealand, the body that provides leadership in international education, has not just interacted with industry but also tracked global market realities. The other important change has been in the area of extension of opportunities for part-time work for international students, in terms of both hours and eligibility. The hours of part-time work now allowed has been increased to 20 hours weekly, from the earlier 15, for international students. These steps to ease student visa norms show that immigration policy is being fine-tuned to attract high-quality international students to the country. While there is a significant demand for qualified professionals in New Zealand, foreign students who get a job permit for two years after a course also gain additional points in terms of migration. “There’s greater awareness about the changes in India now since they have been in effect for over a year. Both the changes are in the area of jobs and students from India have been getting good job offers in New Zealand. This is what has put us among the most popular educational destinations,” Vaughan said. The other area which is now attracting Indian students to New Zealand is PhD. Last year New Zealand removed the international fee rates for foreign PhD students who now pay the same as domestic NZ students. “In one year, we have seen the number of PhD students from India at NZ universities, which is a dramatic increase. The other programme which is very popular and makes education in New Zealand very attractive for Indians is the option for the spouse to work. So, while the husband/wife enrolls for an educational programme the spouse gets a permit to work. Under this programme we see a large number of double applications from couples,” Vaughan adds. Significantly, in some niche areas such as biotechnology, forensic science and marine engineering, degrees from NZ are acknowledged as world class. Under the new rules, international students may apply to work up to 20 hours in any given week, rather than the previous restriction of 15 hours per week. International students undertaking a course of 12 months or more may apply to work full-time over the summer holidaysStudents in years 12 and 13; eligible English language students may apply to work up to 20 hours in any given week. Students graduating from a two-three year diploma, degree or post-graduate qualification will be eligible for a six-month open graduate job search work permit. This allows them to search a job relevant to their qualification. Once they have received a job offer the six month work permit will be extended to the length of their job offer. Most graduates are eligible to apply for NZ permanent residence in their first two years of work in NZ providing they meet the qualifications and other criteria inline with NZIS. International students, who have graduated from a course that would gain points under the skilled migrant category, may also apply for a six-month open work permit. Eligible students’ partners may apply for a work permit, valid for the duration of the partner’s study course. While the educational standards in NZ are high and there’s international recognition for most undergraduate and post-graduate courses globally, the multicultural society is an added attraction for Indians. Institutions offering courses in areas such as food & diary technology, plant science and horticulture, hospitality and hotel management, nursing, viticulture, forestry and sports management are very popular. Most courses offered by such institutions are accredited by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority. A recent educational fair in India had representatives from as many as 21 prominent educational institutions in New Zealand participating to provide counseling to parents and students eager to pursue their studies there. “MBA and hotel management courses are very popular in India with students in NZ being able to avail themselves of internationally accepted placement programmes,” Vaughan says. In New Zealand, tertiary education providers are innovative and provide programmes that are internationally recognized. Tertiary institutions provide flexible pathways between different levels, which are an avenue that Indian students can look for when considering their options. Such institutions must be signatories to the ministry of education code of practice for the pastoral care of international students. Qualification from recognised Indian universities is also accepted in New Zealand. All the six universities of New Zealand, institutes of technology and polytechnics and private education providers are keen on tapping the Indian market. Private institutes in NZ offer various courses ranging from hotel management to plumbing and can fill in skills gaps for Indian students. Mainstream universities offer courses in areas like business studies, engineering, IT and computing, food and dairy technology, plant science, horticulture, hospitality and hotel management.


Article shared from the Times of India