New Zealand Hikes Visa Costs for Nigerians and Other Countries from October 2024

The New Zealand government has decided to raise the cost of student visas and other types of visas for Nigerians and people from countries outside the Pacific area.

These new prices will start on October 1, 2024. This information comes directly from the New Zealand immigration website.

The price for student visas will go up quite a bit. Right now, it costs NZD 395 (about $238) to apply, but it will increase to NZD 750 ($452).

The system in New Zealand divides visa applications into three groups: Band A for locals reapplying, Band B for people from Pacific countries, and Band C for everyone else, including Nigerians.

The cost for visas after studying (post-study work visas) will also go up significantly for Band C, which includes Nigerians.

The new fee will be NZD 1,670 (about $1,006), a large jump from the current NZD 700 ($422). The fee for skilled residence visas in Band C will rise by 16% from NZD 2,480 ($1,494) to NZD 2,880 ($1,735).

Why These Changes?

The New Zealand government says these fee increases are needed to cover the actual costs of processing visa applications. However, they will keep lower fees for people from Pacific countries to help neighbors in the region.

Immigration Minister Erica Stanford said that despite the higher fees, New Zealand’s visa costs will still be reasonable compared to those in Australia and the United Kingdom.

There’s also a small decrease in the fee for the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV), the main temporary work visa, from NZD 540 to NZD 480.

But, the extra charge for this visa will go up a lot, from NZD 210 to NZD 1060. New rules for this visa include an English test for low-skilled jobs and stricter job duration limits to make sure local workers get priority and migrants are only hired when needed.

These changes are part of New Zealand’s effort to better manage the costs of processing visas and to tighten rules on hiring foreign workers.