Indian students face delays in New Zealand visa

Indian students applying for study visa to New Zealand are reportedly facing a longer waiting time this year, raising concerns among students and immigration experts. According to recent data shared by Immigration New Zealand (INZ), visa applications from India are taking much longer to process compared to applications from countries like China. 

As per data, Indian student visa applications processed between January 1 and April 21 took an average of 30 working days. In comparison, applications from Chinese students were processed in around 16 working days during the same period. The delay has also increased compared to last year, when Indian applications took around 19 working days on average.

Immigration New Zealand said the rise in application numbers is one of the main reasons behind the longer processing time. Officials stated that visa processing can vary depending on the number of applications received and the complexity of each case. Reportedly, student visa applications in 2026 have increased by 11 percent compared to last year.

Although delays have become a major issue, visa approval rates for Indian students have shown improvement. In 2024, nearly half of the applications from India were rejected. 

However, in 2025, around 75%of Indian student visa applications were approved. This year, the rejection rate has reportedly fallen further to around 21.5%.

Immigration advisers say Indian applications are currently going through more detailed checks, especially regarding financial documents and whether students genuinely plan to study in New Zealand.