The number of student visas issued by New Zealand in the past five months has reduced by half compared to the same period last year. The country in the Oceania region is said to have stiffened its visa regulations, which has affected many Indian students.
During the July-October period, 3,102 visas were approved for Indian students as against 6,462 during the same period last year.
The Press Trust India cities Radio New Zealand, official broadcaster for that country, as saying that the rules were tightened because a lot of students who were arriving in New Zealand had inadequate sums of money to support themselves and many also lacked English proficiency.
Spokesperson of ITENZ (Independent Tertiary Education New Zealand), Richard Goodall, said that though this measure wouldn’t affect top institutions, lesser known ones would have to shut shop.
Steven Joyce, Tertiary Education Minister, said they would continue with this approach for some time to come and defended allegations against INZ (Immigration New Zealand), which stated that they were being too fastidious.
He said that what they were doing was to concentrate on the aspects that are vital for students to succeed in New Zealand with their proficiency in English and their capability to fend for themselves financially when they are on their country’s shores.
If you are planning to study in New Zealand, approach Y-Axis, a premier immigration and visa consultancy services company, to get professional counselling to file for an appropriate visa from one of its multiple offices located in all of India’s metropolitan cities.