# Australian PR Visa = NZ PR Visa?



## abhishek.jayakumar

Hey there guys,
Just have a quick question regarding my australian permanent residency. The thing is I've applied for a masters programme at the University of Auckland (masters programme is much cheaper in NZ lol) and I was just wondering if I need to apply for residence permits of any kind to study there? Does having an australian PR make me eligible for social security benefits if I'm not able to find a job there? Also does the NZ Government require visa labels (I can get an australian PR visa label but I have to pay AUD 70 for it, so if NZ government doesnt require visa labels then I wouldnt bother going through with the process).
Cheers


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## abhishek.jayakumar

abhishek.jayakumar said:


> Hey there guys,
> Just have a quick question regarding my australian permanent residency. The thing is I've applied for a masters programme at the University of Auckland (masters programme is much cheaper in NZ lol) and I was just wondering if I need to apply for residence permits of any kind to study there? Does having an australian PR make me eligible for social security benefits if I'm not able to find a job there? Also does the NZ Government require visa labels (I can get an australian PR visa label but I have to pay AUD 70 for it, so if NZ government doesnt require visa labels then I wouldnt bother going through with the process).
> Cheers


bump


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## topcat83

abhishek.jayakumar said:


> bump


Please don't bump - and especially not after just 20 minutes. It's the middle of the night here so it's hardly surprising that no-one has answered you yet. 

I'm afraid I don't know about studying in NZ with an Australian residency visa. You could work here so it may be the same for study. 

On social security in Australia - probably a question for the Australian forum,


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## abhishek.jayakumar

Oh right sorry about that man. Was just a bit anxious to find the answers lol. I posted this question on the Aussie forum as well and one of the moderators there told me that there are no welfare payments in NZ. Is that true?

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## topcat83

Yes we do have social security payments here, but you wouldn't be eligible for them immediately (and rightly so!)

I must say that I'm questioning the motives of someone who is asking about these kinds of handouts in a country that they haven't even moved to yet. 

If you can't find a job to support yourself here then should you be considering moving here?


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## abhishek.jayakumar

topcat83 said:


> Yes we do have social security payments here, but you wouldn't be eligible for them immediately (and rightly so!)
> 
> I must say that I'm questioning the motives of someone who is asking about these kinds of handouts in a country that they haven't even moved to yet.
> 
> If you can't find a job to support yourself here then should you be considering moving here?


No no don't get me wrong. I don't intend to go on the dole for long, just for a short while (I'd say about 6-7 months) until I completely settle myself there in New Zealand. Trust me, I wanna be independent more than anyone and if you ask me Id be demeaning myself and my skills as a qualified engineer if I accept dole for long. But for a shortwhile it is required to pay for rent bonds and other expenses


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## topcat83

So you expect a country you've never lived or worked in (or contributed to) to support you for 6-7 months for free?
How are you intending to pay for your study fees? Shouldn't living costs for the duration of the course be taken into account in the same way?
Hmmmm.....


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## Andrew East

abhishek.jayakumar said:


> Hey there guys,
> Just have a quick question regarding my australian permanent residency. The thing is I've applied for a masters programme at the University of Auckland (masters programme is much cheaper in NZ lol) and I was just wondering if I need to apply for residence permits of any kind to study there? Does having an australian PR make me eligible for social security benefits if I'm not able to find a job there? Also does the NZ Government require visa labels (I can get an australian PR visa label but I have to pay AUD 70 for it, so if NZ government doesnt require visa labels then I wouldnt bother going through with the process).
> Cheers


In New Zealand and Australia you have to be resident for two years before you are eligible for benefits. 

Yes New Zealand requires visa labels.

Australian PR is time limited, not permanent like it is in New Zealand, eventually it runs out and you either have reapply, apply for citizenship or apply for NZ PR. If you are not working you may find that hard to finance, especially as you will have to do the medicals, police checks, pay the NZ migrant levy etc.

In Australia you are eligible to apply for a government loan for your Master's tuition, is the same facility available to you in New Zealand? if it's not you will need to pay your fees at the start of each semester.

Sorry no such thing as a free lunch.


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## abhishek.jayakumar

topcat83 said:


> So you expect a country you've never lived or worked in (or contributed to) to support you for 6-7 months for free?
> How are you intending to pay for your study fees? Shouldn't living costs for the duration of the course be taken into account in the same way?
> Hmmmm.....


Yeah I guess you are right. I just thought it would be nice if there was some sort of a support system for new people coming to the country to help establish themselves (I mean it'd be more logical to provide immediate support to newly arrived immigrants for a definite period of time, say maximum of 1 year or something instead of the the current system).
As for my course fees, I'd think that I am eligible for Commonwealth Supported Places and pay my contribution upfront. But apart from that, as with all other domestic students I'm broke as hell. The thing is living costs work out to be more expensive than course fees for us and thats why I thought it'd be nice if the government was able to support us albeit for a short while.


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## abhishek.jayakumar

Andrew East said:


> In New Zealand and Australia you have to be resident for two years before you are eligible for benefits.
> 
> Yes New Zealand requires visa labels.
> 
> Australian PR is time limited, not permanent like it is in New Zealand, eventually it runs out and you either have reapply, apply for citizenship or apply for NZ PR. If you are not working you may find that hard to finance, especially as you will have to do the medicals, police checks, pay the NZ migrant levy etc.
> 
> In Australia you are eligible to apply for a government loan for your Master's tuition, is the same facility available to you in New Zealand? if it's not you will need to pay your fees at the start of each semester.
> 
> Sorry no such thing as a free lunch.


Thanks for the information. Yeah I intend to apply for Australian citizenship next year which would make me eligible for the HECS loan. Im not sure if I can make use of the HECS loan to study in NZ. Studying full time at university, I dont think I would be able to spend a lot of time working even I do manage to get a job (in the worst case scenario, I may have to change my enrolment from full time to part time and work to pay my bills). And does NZ have transport concession system in place?


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## escapedtonz

abhishek.jayakumar said:


> Thanks for the information. Yeah I intend to apply for Australian citizenship next year which would make me eligible for the HECS loan. Im not sure if I can make use of the HECS loan to study in NZ. Studying full time at university, I dont think I would be able to spend a lot of time working even I do manage to get a job (in the worst case scenario, I may have to change my enrolment from full time to part time and work to pay my bills). And does NZ have transport concession system in place?


You should become eligible for the HELP scheme (replacement of the HECS) if you gain Aus citizenship but you cannot use it to study in NZ. You can use it to study from an overseas education provider but only via a distance learning programme.
NZ does have concessions in place for tertiary students but there doesn't appear to be a nationwide scheme available.
The likes of Auckland has a student concession card system and Wellington seems to have reduced fares for people who hold a student card.

Regards,


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## abhishek.jayakumar

Oh right. Thanks for that. I just found out that I'm eligible to do medicine as well in NZ as a domestic student and I think I have a very high chance of getting it as I come from a biomedical background, in that Ive got research work experience, I've volunteered at hospitals and I've got a good WAM. But the only issue is, if I get into medicine I'd have to start next February, but as per the mandatory 1 year continuous residence requirement for citizenship, I won't be eligible for citizenship next year in April if I leave the country in Feb. Any suggestions?

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## Andrew East

Wasn't your whole reason for going to New Zealand because your MSc. course was cheaper over there?

Now you're talking about a medical degree. How are you going to fund it?

In my opinion you're better off staying in Australia and getting your citizenship. At least you may be able to apply for Student Income Support - Study Assist here to help with your relocation and living expenses, which I understand are quite generous. The relocation grant alone is worth $5,000.


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## abhishek.jayakumar

Andrew East said:


> Wasn't your whole reason for going to New Zealand because your MSc. course was cheaper over there?
> 
> Now you're talking about a medical degree. How are you going to fund it?
> 
> In my opinion you're better off staying in Australia and getting your citizenship. At least you may be able to apply for Student Income Support - Study Assist here, which I understand is quite generous.


Yeah true.. Since Biomedical Engineering is closely related to Medicine, I figured it would be a good opportunity for me to transit into medicine as a graduate entrant. Moreover there seem to be a lot more jobs as doctors around and getting into medicine is not as competitive as it is in Australia.


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