After you graduate
Once you’ve finished your study, you may want to stay on and work in New Zealand for a while to gain work experience. You may even consider staying in New Zealand permanently.
There are pathways that make it easier for you to stay, if you meet certain conditions.
New Zealand’s immigration policies include a post-study work pathway for international students who have completed a New Zealand qualification. This lets you find a job and get work experience in a field directly related to your studies, and makes it easier to apply for residence.
There are two types of work visa specifically for students who have completed their tertiary study in New Zealand:
- The Post-study work visa (open). This gives you up to 12 months to find a job that is relevant to your studies
- The Post-study work visa (employer assisted). This option lets you work in a specific job, which must be relevant to your studies, for two more years. Check out who is eligible for a Post-study work visa.
Staying to work after study | Immigration New Zealand
Stay to work
If you want to stay in New Zealand for longer you’ll need to find a job that is relevant to the qualification you achieved here.
If you decide you’re going to look for work here Seek, TradeMe and New Kiwis are popular job search sites. You should also check out the Careers New Zealand website which has a list of online recruitment sites.
You’ll find links to those sites and more information in our Finding Work pages.
Our Newcomer guide and Worktalk website help you to understand how things work in a Kiwi workplace.
Worktalk tool: NZ workplace communication
Work Connect
Work Connect is a free Auckland based programme to help you get work ready for New Zealand’s job market. Work Connect offers a combination of group workshops and one-to-one coaching to help you job hunt, secure interviews and make a good impression with New Zealand employers.
To be eligible you need to have completed a degree level course or higher, at a New Zealand university.
