Source: Tertiary Education Commission
Last updated 6 October 2025
This page sets out the residency requirements for final-year Fees Free learner eligibility.
On this page:
Learners must meet the residency requirements on the day they complete their qualification or programme.
If a learner needs help determining their visa status or duration, advise them to contact Immigration New Zealand through its contact centre on 0508 558 855.
Citizenship
Learners meet the residency requirements if they are a New Zealand citizen.
Resident visa
Learners who are not citizens must have a resident visa. Provider-based and work-based learning have different criteria for resident visa holders.
Provider-based residency requirements
Provider-based learners who are not citizens must be:
a holder of a residence class visa, and:
ordinarily resident in New Zealand and have held a residence class visa for at least three years while living in New Zealand.
Work-based residency requirements
Work-based learners who are not citizens must be:
a holder of a residence class visa, and:
ordinarily resident in New Zealand, or
a person who:
is working in New Zealand on an Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV), and
is working in an occupation that is specified on the Immigration New Zealand Green List or within the scope of a sector agreement, and
the qualification has been identified by the appropriate Workforce Development Council as being in the national interest, and
the qualification has been approved by the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) as being in the national interest.
See TEC’s list of funded programmes for eligible AEWV work-based learners:
Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) holders – Funding eligibility
Exceptions to the citizenship or residency requirements
Learners who are not citizens and do not hold a resident visa may still meet the residency requirements if they are one of the following.
Refugee or protected person or their immediate family
a person granted refugee or protected person status prior to gaining a residence class visa, or
a family member of a person with refugee or protected person status in New Zealand, who is:
the partner or any child of the person granted refugee or protected person status, or
the parent or any sibling of the person granted refugee or protected person status, if the person granted refugee or protected person status is a dependent child.
Christchurch response visa holder, or their immediate family
a holder of the Christchurch Response (2019) Permanent Resident Visa, or
a holder of a residence class visa who would have been eligible for the Christchurch Response (2019) Permanent Resident Visa, or
a holder of a residence class visa who is a family member of a living person, where that living person is:
the holder of a Christchurch Response Visa residing in or outside of New Zealand, or
a New Zealand citizen residing in or outside of New Zealand, who:
was a resident visa holder under the Immigration Act 2009 on 15 March 2019 and was eligible for a Christchurch Response Visa, or
would have been eligible for a Christchurch Response Visa had they not already been the holder of a permanent resident visa under the Immigration Act 2009 on 15 March 2019, or
would have been eligible for a Christchurch Response Visa had they not already been a New Zealand citizen on 15 March 2019, or
was granted New Zealand citizenship after holding a Christchurch Response Visa, or
the holder of a permanent resident visa under the Immigration Act 2009 residing in or outside of New Zealand, who:
was a resident visa holder under the Immigration Act 2009 on 15 March 2019 and was eligible for a Christchurch Response Visa, or
would have been eligible for a Christchurch Response Visa had they not already been the holder of a permanent resident visa under the Immigration Act 2009 or on 15 March 2019, or
is the holder of a resident visa under the Immigration Act 2009 residing in or outside of New Zealand, who held the resident visa on 15 March 2019 and who was eligible for a Christchurch Response Visa.
Afghan evacuee
a holder of the Afghan Emergency Resettlement Resident Visa.
