Foreign fee-paying student numbers fall, despite rise in approvals

10:51 am on 14 June 2023

John Gerritsen, Education correspondent

A young man in a classroom, writing, in a file photo to illustrate foreign students.

Photo: 123RF

The number of new foreign students coming to New Zealand is lower than before the pandemic, despite an overall increase in study visa approvals.

Between 1 September 2022 and 30 April 2023, Immigration New Zealand approved 20,331 study visas for international students, 22 percent or 5637 fewer than the same period in 2018-19.

The numbers included only new international students who were fee-paying tertiary or school students, on scholarships or exchanges, or enrolled in English-language study.

Previously reported figures for the eight-month period since the borders reopened to international students included a large group who received a study visa because they were the dependent of a foreign worker, and treated as domestic students for the purpose of school fees.

The biggest drop was among new Indian students, who received 2861 study visas, 45 percent fewer than pre-pandemic.

The number of visas from the other major source of students, China, barely changed with 4985 new approvals, increasing its share of new visas from 20 to 25 percent.

Visas for first-time students from South Korea dropped 41 percent to 842, and for Brazilian students they fell 54 percent to 468.

Japan and the United States remained significant sources of students with 1380 and 1285 study visa approvals respectively, about 20 percent fewer than in the same period for 2018-19.

Study visas for new students from Thailand increased 21 percent to 968, and visas for German students increased 2 percent to 931.

Immigration refused 31 percent of new Indian visa applications, the same percentage as in the pre-pandemic period, and 65 percent of new applications from Nepal.

It received 24,352 study visa applications from first-time applicants, 19 percent or 5874 fewer than in the same period of 2018-19.