International students working part-time in the health care sector, including the aged residential care sector are now allowed to work full time for a period of 3 months.
Normally the visa requirements for international students only allow them to work for 20 hours per week.
This was a part of the new immigration instructions issued by the Minister of Immigration Iain Lees-Galloway last week in response to Covid-19 Alert Level 4 Lockdown.
The ministerial instructions had earlier also removed the hour-restrictions on the work rights of international students and work visa holders who were already working in major national supermarkets for a period of one month from April 25.
This was a part of the government's response to Covid-19 Alert Level 4 lockdown and addressing the major shortage of essential workers.
Meanwhile, Education New Zealand (ENZ) the crown entity that market NZ education to rest of the world has released a factsheet to guide international students during these uncertain times of Coronavirus pandemic.
"If students do not have access to suitable accommodation, they need to contact their place of study or, if they’re studying at a tertiary institution, the Tertiary Education Commission on 0800 123 797 (within New Zealand)," the factsheet says.
The factsheet provides a range of measures that the government has taken to provide financial and other kinds of support to the valued international student community.