Why are student visas taking longer to process

Over the past few months, international students and education providers in New Zealand have been facing a significant slowdown in student visa processing. This issue has become increasingly noticeable since December 2025 and is now beginning to affect both the reputation and operational efficiency of New Zealand’s international education sector.

In September 2025, Immigration New Zealand  introduced a new digital processing platform known as the Adept. The intention behind this transition was to modernise the application process and ultimately allow for faster and more efficient visa processing. However, the situation since December 2025 has been quite the opposite. Instead of improved timelines, many applications are now taking substantially longer to be processed.

Immigration advisers and education agents who manage a large number of applications for both offshore and onshore students have observed a growing backlog. Many student visa applications that were lodged more than two months ago remain unprocessed. A significant number of these applications were submitted for the February and March 2026 academic intakes. Due to the delays, many students are now likely to defer their studies to the July or August intake, which can disrupt both their academic plans and financial arrangements.

Another operational concern relates to the accuracy of some recently processed decisions. In several instances where student visas were approved for the February intake, the programme start date had already passed at the time the decision was made. In such situations, the usual process is for Immigration New Zealand to request an updated or deferred Offer of Place from the education provider. However, there have been cases where this step appears to have been overlooked, resulting in visas being issued with intake dates that had already expired.

Additionally,  some recent visa decisions have resulted in questionable or unfair declines, which has historically been an issue within the student visa category. When applications remain pending for long periods and ultimately result in a decline, the impact on students can be significant. 

New Zealand has built a strong reputation as a welcoming and high-quality destination for international education. However, prolonged delays and inconsistent processing outcomes can affect student confidence and the attractiveness of the country as a study destination.

Pawandeep Singh is a Licensed Immigration Adviser at
Kiwiana Immigration in New Zealand