Student visa condition 8105: work hours and rules in New Zealand

Student visa condition 8105 is the standard work condition attached to most New Zealand student visas. It sets out how many hours you can work per week and when you can work. As of 3 November 2025, the work hours allowed on student visas increased from 20 to 25 hours a week. If your student visa was granted before that date and allows part-time work of 20 hours a week, you can apply for a variation of conditions to increase your allowed work hours to 25 hours a week. You must only work under the conditions specified in your visa, which can include how many hours you can work a week and when you can work.

What condition 8105 actually says

Condition 8105 is the Immigration New Zealand condition that governs work rights on a student visa. Your visa will state whether you are allowed to work at all, and if so, the specific limits that apply to you. The condition can include:

• how many hours you can work a week
• when you can work

Some student visas do not allow you to work at all. If your visa allows you to work, you must only work under the conditions specified in your visa. Working outside those conditions is a breach of your visa conditions and can have serious consequences.

The work hour limit: 25 hours per week from 3 November 2025

On 3 November 2025, the work hours allowed on student visas increased from 20 to 25 hours a week. This change applies to student visas granted on or after that date. If your student visa was granted before 3 November 2025 and allows you to work part-time for 20 hours a week, you can apply for a variation of conditions to increase your allowed work hours to 25 hours a week. To apply for a variation of conditions to work, you must meet the requirements for working on a student visa that are relevant to you.

How to check your current visa conditions

Your student visa will have conditions on it. Conditions describe what you can and cannot do on your visa. You can find your visa conditions in three places:

• in your eVisa
• in the letter Immigration New Zealand sent you when they gave you the visa
• online using the Visa Verification Service

The Visa Verification Service is an online tool that lets you check the conditions attached to your visa. If you are unsure whether your visa includes condition 8105 or what work hours it allows, check your eVisa or the visa letter first, then use the Visa Verification Service if you need confirmation.

Common conditions on student visas

Student visas come with a range of conditions beyond work rights. The following are some common conditions of student visas.

Condition	What it means
Visa expiry date	The last day you can stay in New Zealand on your visa
Return/onward travel not required	Unless your visa states this, you must have a ticket to leave New Zealand, enough money to buy a ticket out of New Zealand, or an acceptable sponsor who can pay for your ticket
First entry before	You must travel to New Zealand before this date, or your visa will no longer be valid
Number of entries	If your visa states multiple entries, you can leave and return to New Zealand as many times as you want before your expiry date travel
Expiry date travel	The last day you can enter New Zealand using this visa
Work conditions	How many hours you can work a week and when you can work
Study conditions	The education provider you can study at and the programme of study you must attend

Applying for a variation of conditions to work

If your visa does not already allow you to work, or allows fewer hours than you need, you can apply for a variation of conditions. To change any of your visa conditions, you will need to apply for a variation of conditions. You cannot apply for a variation of conditions to change the expiry date of your visa. If you want to stay longer, you will need to apply for a new visa.

You can apply to change your visa conditions to allow you to work part-time or during your holidays, if your visa does not allow you to do this already and if you are eligible. To apply for a variation of conditions to work, you must meet the requirements for working on a student visa that are relevant to you.

What you cannot change through a variation of conditions

A variation of conditions has limits. You cannot use it to change your visa expiry date. If you need a longer visa for a new course, you will need to apply for a new student visa — visa durations cannot be changed through a variation of conditions.

You should apply for a new student visa if:

• you are changing to a lower-level course, even if it is with the same education provider
• you are changing education provider, unless it is for reasons outside of your control
• your new course will finish on a date that is much sooner or much later than your current finish date
• your current course will finish soon — Immigration New Zealand cannot change your visa expiry date when you change your visa conditions
• you have a Pathway Student Visa and you want to change your education provider

Changing your course or study provider

You can apply for a variation of conditions if you want to change the location of your study, if you are staying with the same education provider, or change your course of study to one at the same or a higher level, if you are staying with the same education provider. If you want to change your education provider, even if your course of study stays the same, you must apply for a new student visa. A variation of conditions does not cover changing provider, unless the change is due to circumstances outside of your control — for example, your education provider closes.

If you meet the criteria for a variation of conditions to change your course, education provider, or study location, Immigration New Zealand must be satisfied that you:

• meet student visa requirements
• have not breached your visa conditions
• would have been granted your current student visa if you had applied for the proposed new course, education provider, or study location in that application
• genuinely intend to study

To apply to change your visa conditions, you will need to provide evidence showing the reason for the change is outside of your control, if you are changing education provider; an offer of place from the new education provider you want to study at; and evidence that you have paid the course fees — you can provide this after your application is submitted.

You must not leave your current course before Immigration New Zealand fully approves the changes to your visa. If you do, you will breach the conditions of your current visa and you may have to leave New Zealand.

What to do if you want to stay longer

If you are in New Zealand and want to stay past the date your visa expires, you cannot extend your visa. Instead, you must apply for another temporary visa to visit, study or work before your current one expires. To apply for another temporary visa while you are in New Zealand, you must have a current visa that is not a limited visa, Interim Visa or Transit Visa. You should apply for another visa at least 1 month before your current visa’s expiry date.

If your current temporary visa is going to expire while you are waiting for a decision, Immigration New Zealand will normally issue you an Interim Visa to let you stay in New Zealand lawfully. The conditions on an Interim Visa depend on the visa you previously had and the new visa you have applied for.

You must have a current New Zealand visa to be in New Zealand lawfully. If your visa expires and you are still in New Zealand without a new visa or an Interim Visa, you will be here unlawfully and may be deported.

What to do next

Check your eVisa or the visa letter to confirm whether your student visa includes condition 8105 and what work hours it allows. If your visa was granted before 3 November 2025 and allows 20 hours of work per week, you can apply for a variation of conditions to increase this to 25 hours. If your visa does not allow work at all, you will need to apply for a variation of conditions and meet the requirements for working on a student visa. If you want to change your education provider or extend your stay, you will need to apply for a new student visa rather than a variation of conditions. Verify all requirements on the Immigration New Zealand page for checking or changing your student visa conditions before you apply.