working & staying after study
Up to three years of open work rights, a residence pathway that is getting easier in 2026 — and one rule that can quietly cost you the whole entitlement if you sequence your study wrongly.
A single open work visa — no employer sponsorship, no job offer needed. The older employer-assisted variant was discontinued, so this is now the route.
Level 7 and above — bachelor's, master's, doctoral: open work rights, up to 3 years for master's and doctoral graduates and qualifying bachelor's
Minimum study requirement: you must have studied full-time in New Zealand for the required minimum — for example at least 30 weeks enrolled in the master's itself for a 3-year PSWV
When to apply: generally before your student visa expires, and in some defined scenarios within 12 months
The Post Study Work Visa can be granted only ONCE per person, and its length is tied to the qualification you use it on.
Work this out before you enrol, not after. If you are considering a diploma now and a degree later, using your one PSWV on the diploma forfeits the longer entitlement the degree would have carried. That decision is made at enrolment, silently, and cannot be undone.
Two confirmed changes, both of which widen the door — worth knowing if your timeline straddles the date.
New Short-Term Graduate Work Visa: up to 6 months of open work to find a job, from 16 November 2026
Expanded PSWV eligibility: widened from 16 November 2026 — for example a Level 7 Graduate Diploma alongside an existing bachelor's
New Zealand is one of the few destinations in this guide where the post-study rules are being loosened rather than tightened. Read that alongside the pro-growth policy setting on the overview page — the direction of travel here is genuinely different from Australia, the UK or Canada.
Two main routes, and one of them is considerably faster than most people expect.
The Green List: in-demand occupations with straight-to-residence and work-to-residence tiers — the fastest routes available
Skilled Migrant Category: the points-based Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa
Accredited Employer Work Visa: an employer-sponsored bridge toward residence
From August 2026: more SMC points for New Zealand university-level qualifications, and the skilled-work-experience requirement drops from 3 years to 2.
The Green List is the thing to check first. If your occupation is on it, you may have a straight-to-residence route that skips the points arithmetic entirely — which makes your choice of field, before you even apply to study, the single highest-leverage decision in this whole plan.
Residence is not automatic, and the lists and settings move. But New Zealand's route compares well: the UK has no study-to-settlement pathway at all, the US routes you through a lottery, and Canada's general threshold has been sitting above 500 points. New Zealand's is rule-based, currently being eased, and has a shortcut for in-demand occupations.
The real constraint is the one on the overview page: it is a smaller job market. An open work visa is only as good as the roles available to use it on, and New Zealand simply has fewer of them than Australia. Choose your field with the Green List open in another tab.