Hi. If a PhD student finds a full time job while still studying, is he allowed to apply for residency while he is on student visa? has any one tried this ?
Firstly you have to decide what visa you want, a work visa (for which you need a full-time job) or a student visa to study. International student fees are very expensive if you aren’t a New Zealand resident. Anyone can apply for residency if they have enough points to do so…
PhD students usually have unlimited work rights and no work hour limits. The government website for recruiting overseas PhD students even touts that possibility as an advantage for coming here. It’s perfectly reasonable to work full time while pursuing a PhD.
There’s nothing that prevents you from applying for the visa.
Since it’s a points-based visa, completing your degree would give you more points. Is the employment offered long term? That’s what counts. If you are outside of Auckland, that’s extra points.
Most applicants submitting Expressions of Interest for the Skilled Migrant visa are in-country and claim job or job offer.
If you don’t make the point cut yet, there are other pathways.
Option A: Check your visa conditions
PhD students usually have unlimited work rights.
You don’t need to suspend your studies in order to work full time.
Option B: Talk to your education provider
If your education provider lets you suspend studies, they must complete the COVID-19 student change notification form online to notify us of the changes.
Student change notification form
If your education provider doesn’t let you suspend studies, you may need to apply for a new visa.
Varying the conditions of a student visa
Option C: Apply to stay longer
Explore visas that let you visit, work, study, live or invest in New Zealand.
You must apply for a new visa before your current one expires.
Explore living here permanently