Enrolling at school in NZ on a Visitor Visa?

[sasvanb]

Hi all,

It's been a while since I've posted... apologies. Busy settling in! And it appears my sister now has the NZ immigration bug!

So she's looking into coming over in Feb on a visitors visa (gives her 6months) and looking for work etc/ doing the residency application when she's here. She can stay with us so the pressure is off in terms of all that malarky.

Here's the rub... I've been trawling websites trying to find out info for her about how easy/ or not it may be to enrol her 11yr old son at school if he's on a Visitor Visa? Has anyone else done this? Is it straightforward, and more importantly are any fees involved if you don't have residency rights yet?

Any advice gratefully received!

Thanks

Saskia

[dharder]

I've been trawling websites trying to find out info for her about how easy/ or not it may be to enrol her 11yr old son at school if he's on a Visitor Visa? Has anyone else done this? Is it straightforward, and more importantly are any fees involved if you don't have residency rights yet?

I think you might want to talk to the school that you think will be the one, or check out their website. I know that ours has international students mentioned on their website. There will be student fees for international students (around the $11000 at our school, I seem to remember), but I also think you need to get a student's visa for the child.

One thing to bear in mind is that if you start going as a fee paying international student, the enrolment zones do not apply to you and you can go to out of zone schools. If you then change your visa status to a resident student, the enrolment zone will apply. So it may be worth starting with a school that you are in zone for if you intend to change your visa status at some point.

Good luck with all this, and good for you to have family considering moving her, too

Daniela

[Nick88]

It might be easier to homeschool until the immigration is sorted out.

[sasvanb]

Thanks for the advice guys. I am gonna ring round a couple of schools here in Wellington and see what they say. There's no way my sister could afford international fees should they apply, so it may well be that her son gets an extended holiday until she has her Visa sorted out (which I've no doubt he'll be delighted about! )

I presume that if she gets a Work to Residence Visa rather than PR that will also allow her to enrol her son at school without fees?

Thanks again

Saskia

[NZ Hopeful]

I'm pretty sure I have read that if you have a work visa for 2 years or more then your children can get student visas, I'll have a search and see if I can find where I read it

[IanW99]

...
I presume that if she gets a Work to Residence Visa rather than PR that will also allow her to enrol her son at school without fees?

Thanks again

Saskia

If she gets a WTR then she can also apply for her son to get a student visa / permit.

With the student permit he will be able to attend school as a domestic student (but not tertiary education).

Ian

[IanW99]

...
One thing to bear in mind is that if you start going as a fee paying international student, the enrolment zones do not apply to you and you can go to out of zone schools.
...

One additional point for the above information, they must also be approved for enrolment by the school board.

It has also been mentioned previously on the forum that some schools have refused to accept students with parents on WTR. So, would definitely ensure that the preferred school is happy to accept her son. If not, the Ministry of Education may be able to some offer advice?

Ian

[sasvanb]

Hi guys,

Thanks again for the advice. I've not had a chance to contact schools yet, but once I have and there's anything further I can share, I will do...

Saskia

[sasvanb]

Hi all,

Just thought some may be interested in one of the responses I got from an Intermediate School:

Your sister will be welcome to enrol her son at --- Intermediate School in 2009. My understanding is that the only costs required will be the usual school donation/uniform/stationery costs that any new student will have. International/Fee paying students are a different proposition but the 3mth timeframe on the visitor visa does not make him a fee paying student.

Happy days...

Saskia