New Zealand Student Visa Work Rights for Pakistani Students: The 25 Hour Rule, Wages and Breaks (2026)

How many hours can a student work in New Zealand?

The number changed recently. For years it was 20 hours a week. Now it is 25 for eligible students.

Immigration New Zealand's announcement of the change says that from Monday 3 November 2025, eligible tertiary and secondary school students can work up to 25 hours a week during the semester, up from 20, and the higher limit applies to every new student visa granted from that date. The detailed rule changes are set out in INZ's Amendment Circular 2025/39, which also covers some dependent children and interim visa holders.

Two points sit underneath that headline. First, the limit applies "during the semester", which means term time. Holidays are treated differently, as covered below. Second, the number that matters is the one printed on your own eVisa. Immigration rules describe what can be granted. Your visa conditions describe what you have been granted.

Why did the limit go up?

The New Zealand government presented the change as part of a wider push to make the country more attractive to international students and to ease the cost of living. Whatever the reason, the practical effect for a Pakistani student is five extra paid hours each week, which at minimum wage is close to NZD 120 before tax.

Which students get work rights?

Not every student visa comes with work rights. It depends on the course.

INZ's operational instructions on student work conditions give in-study work rights to full-time students on a programme of at least two academic years, or a programme leading to a New Zealand qualification at level four or higher, plus some exchange and English language students. Micro-credentials do not count toward the level four test.

What this means for typical Pakistani applicants

• Bachelor's degree (level 7): qualifies, because it leads to a level 7 qualification.
• Postgraduate diploma or taught master's (level 8 or 9): qualifies, even when shorter than two years, because it is above level four.
• Diploma at level 5 or 6: qualifies, as the level is above four.
• Short English course: only qualifies in specific cases, such as at least 14 consecutive weeks at a university or a Category One provider, so check carefully.
• School students in Years 12 and 13: may work, but need written permission from their school and their parents.

The study has to be full-time. A student who drops to part-time study without INZ approval is no longer meeting the basis on which the visa was granted, and work rights are one of the first things to go wrong.

What if your visa still says 20 hours?

This catches many students out. The 25 hour limit was not added automatically to visas granted before 3 November 2025.

INZ says students on a visa with a 20 hour condition who want to work up to 25 hours must apply for a variation of conditions or a new student visa. As of 21 October 2026, INZ's work rights announcement puts the variation of conditions fee at NZD 325, the same figure shown for a temporary visa variation in INZ's published fee table.

So the question is whether the extra five hours are worth NZD 325 to you. A rough way to decide:

1. Count how many term weeks are left on your current visa.
2. Multiply by five hours and by your hourly rate.
3. Compare the result with the fee, and remember that you will apply for a new student visa anyway when the current one runs out.

If you have, say, 30 term weeks left at NZD 23.95, five extra hours a week would earn about NZD 3,590 before tax. That clearly covers the fee. If you only have a few weeks of term left before your next visa, it may not be worth it. INZ itself points out that you might wait until after summer if your visa already allows full-time work in breaks.

Changing your education provider or dropping to a lower level of study is different. That generally needs a new student visa, not a variation, apart from special cases like a provider closing suddenly.

Can you work full-time in the holidays?

Usually, yes. INZ notes in its work rights announcement that most student visas already allow full-time work during summer and other scheduled breaks.

INZ's instructions allow full-time work during all scheduled vacations for students on a full-time programme of at least one academic year. There is one exception worth knowing: at non-university tertiary providers, full-time holiday work may not be granted where the scheduled vacations make up more than a third of the programme.

"Scheduled break" means the official holidays in your provider's academic calendar. It does not mean a week you decide to take off, or a gap between your last exam and graduation unless the calendar treats it as a vacation. If you are unsure, ask your provider's international office for the official term dates and keep a copy.

Why the summer break matters so much

New Zealand's main summer holiday runs from roughly late November to late February. For a student on a full-time visa, that is around three months of potential full-time work. For many Pakistani students it is the period when savings are rebuilt.

What about research masters and PhD students?

Research students are treated more generously. The government's Study with New Zealand work rights page says Masters by Research and PhD students do not have a limit on the hours they can work.

INZ's instructions add one condition: the research qualification must be awarded by a New Zealand tertiary institution. A PhD student on a scholarship with a stipend may not need to work much, but the flexibility helps with teaching assistant roles and research assistant contracts that do not fit neatly into a 25 hour week.

Unlimited hours does not mean the university will accept unlimited hours. Many scholarships and supervisors expect full-time research progress, and some stipend agreements restrict outside work. Read your scholarship terms before taking on extra jobs.

What will you be paid?

A student is an employee like any other. New Zealand employment law applies in full, and there is no separate student wage.

As of 21 October 2026, Employment New Zealand's minimum wage notice sets the adult minimum wage at NZD 23.95 an hour from 1 April 2026, up from NZD 23.50, before tax. As of 21 October 2026, the starting-out and training minimum wage is NZD 19.16 an hour, according to the same Employment New Zealand notice. The starting-out rate applies only to certain young workers, such as 16 and 17 year olds in their first six months with an employer, so most university students should be on the adult rate.

What else are you entitled to?

• Holiday pay. If your work is irregular or on a short fixed-term agreement, your employer may pay holiday pay as you go, usually 8% of gross earnings, shown as an identifiable amount.
• Public holidays. Working a public holiday that is normally a working day can earn you an alternative day off as well as higher pay.
• Sick leave. Eligibility begins after six months of continuous employment, with conditions for casual workers.
• An employment agreement. Every employee should have one that describes the work arrangement. Ask for it in writing before you start.

If an employer offers cash below minimum wage, or asks you to work "off the books", walk away. The law protects you, but proving unpaid hours later is hard, and undeclared work can also put your visa at risk. We cover similar protections for Australia in our guide to minimum wage and pay rights for Pakistani students in Australia.

How much can you realistically earn?

At the adult minimum wage, 25 hours works out to roughly NZD 599 a week before tax, and a typical semester of term-time work plus full-time summer hours can add up to a meaningful contribution, though nowhere near full tuition.

These are gross figures. Income tax and the ACC earners' levy come out of your pay. The real number also depends on whether you find 25 hours of work at all. Hospitality, retail and warehouse jobs fluctuate with the season, and term-time hours are often lower than students hope, especially in smaller cities.

Does this change your visa funds requirement?

No. INZ still expects you to show money for living costs when you apply. Part-time income is a bonus, not a substitute. Our guide to the New Zealand student visa funds requirement explains what INZ checks. For the full picture of fees and living costs by city, see how much it costs to study in New Zealand from Pakistan.

What kind of work is allowed, and what is not?

The rule is short. You may work as an employee. You may not work for yourself.

The Study with New Zealand guidance says students cannot be an independent contractor, self-employed or run their own business. That rules out more jobs than students expect:

• Food delivery and ride-share platforms that treat drivers as contractors.
• Freelance design, tutoring or coding paid by invoice.
• Selling goods through your own business, online or at markets.
• Labour-hire "contracts" where you are paid as a contractor rather than an employee.

Typical allowed work includes café and restaurant jobs, supermarket and retail shifts, warehouse and packing work, campus jobs such as library or student ambassador roles, and seasonal fruit picking, as long as you are on the payroll.

Is unpaid work or volunteering allowed?

Genuine volunteering for a charity, with no reward and no expectation of a job, is generally different from employment. An unpaid "trial" that runs for weeks is not. If something looks like a job and the business benefits from your work, treat it as employment and count the hours.

What do you need before your first shift?

1. A valid student visa with work conditions printed on your eVisa.
2. An IRD number from Inland Revenue. Our step-by-step guide on getting a New Zealand IRD number covers the documents.
3. Local bank account, since wages are paid electronically.
4. Tax code declaration for your employer. Most students with one job use the main tax code.
5. A written employment agreement showing your hours and pay rate.

Without an IRD number, your employer has to deduct tax at the non-declaration rate, which takes a large share of every pay. Applying for it in your first week saves you real money.

Employers are also expected to check that you are entitled to work. Many use INZ's online VisaView system, which shows your work conditions directly. Be honest about your hours limit; an employer who knows your conditions is less likely to roster you over them.

How does New Zealand compare with Australia, the UK and Canada?

For Pakistani families choosing between destinations, term-time work rules are one factor among many. Here is a side-by-side view of the student work rules as they stand.

New Zealand's 25 hours a week is now one of the more generous term-time limits for degree students. The trade-off is a smaller job market than Sydney, London or Toronto. If you are weighing the two Pacific options, our comparison of Australia and New Zealand for Pakistani students covers costs and post-study routes too.

Which mistakes put a student visa at risk?

INZ does not publish refusal or cancellation data by nationality for work breaches, so we will not quote numbers. From the cases we see, these are the patterns that cause trouble:

• Assuming 25 hours applies to an older visa. If your eVisa says 20, the limit is 20.
• Counting hours by pay period, not by week. The limit is weekly. Two light weeks do not allow one heavy week.
• Working on a delivery app. Contractor platforms count as self-employment.
• Working full-time in a week that is not an official break. Exam weeks are not holidays.
• Dropping to part-time study. Work rights depend on full-time enrolment.
• Taking cash work below minimum wage. It leaves you unprotected and can raise questions about your conditions.
• Letting work crowd out study. Poor attendance or failed papers can affect your next visa and any post-study work application.

That last point is easy to underestimate. A future post-study work visa depends on completing an eligible qualification. A part-time job that costs you a semester is an expensive job.

What does a real week look like?

Here is a worked example. Hamza, from Faisalabad, starts a two year master's at a New Zealand university in February 2026. His student visa is granted in January 2026, after the change, so his eVisa shows 25 hours a week in term and full-time work in scheduled breaks.

1. First week: he applies for his IRD number, opens a bank account and registers with the university careers service.
2. Week 3: he gets a café job at 18 hours a week, paid NZD 23.95 an hour, with a written agreement.
3. By week 8: he adds a five hour campus library shift. His total is 23 hours, under the limit.
4. Exam period, June: he cuts to 12 hours. Exams are term time, not a break, so the 25 hour cap still applies.
5. Mid-year break, July: his provider's calendar lists two weeks of scheduled vacation. He works 38 hours both weeks.
6. November to February: summer break. He works full-time in a warehouse, then returns to about 20 hours when classes restart.

Across the year, Hamza's wages cover a large part of his day-to-day spending. They do not cover tuition, which his family paid upfront, and they do not change what INZ expected to see in his funds evidence when he applied.

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