Kia ora Xintong and Gaoyang,
 
On behalf of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment I
acknowledge your email of 5/12/2024 requesting, under the Official
Information Act 1982, the following:
What counts as a "distance" program and who counts as a "distance
student"? For the first matter, is there a minimum proportion of
"non-distance" (i.e. internal) credits in a program for the program to be
considered as "non-distance"? For example, at least 50% of credits per
semester should be "internal" for the program to be considered an internal
program. Is there any regulation to this effect?
For the second matter, is there a minimum requirement on the in-person
(i.e. internal) credits one should take to qualify as a "non-distance"
student?

--- What counts as practical study? Could you give me some concrete
examples? For example, what about the teaching practicum in a Graduate
Diploma of Education/Learning and Teaching program? Does it count as
"practical study"?

--- What does "attend your education provider" mean? Does it mean that the
student has to be present at the physical address of the campus (i.e. the
practical study has to be on-site on the campus), or could the practical
study be in a New Zealand city different from the address of the institute
running the program?

--- What distance programs, offered by what institutions fall under this
category, i.e. distance students enrolled in these programs would still be
eligible for the student visa to do practical study?

The second issue is about the status of the Graduate Diploma of Learning
and Teaching (Secondary) offered by Massey University, on the Manawatu
Campus. Is this still a program open to international students, or it no
longer meets the immigration regulations for student visas to be granted?
 
Please note that the days from 25 December 2024 to 15 January 2025
(inclusive) are defined as non-working days in the Act and are not counted
in the calculation for the response due date. This will affect the time
period for responding to your request.
 
We will endeavour to respond to your request as soon as possible, and no
later than 24/01/2025, being 20 working days after the day your request
was received. If we are unable to respond to your request by then, we will
notify you of an extension of that timeframe. If you have any enquiries
regarding your request feel free to contact us via email to
[1][MBIE request email].
 
Nāku noa, nā
Ministerial Services
Strategy and Assurance
Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
15 Stout Street, Wellington 6011 |  P O Box 1473 Wellington 6140

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[MBIE request email]

Kia ora Xintong and Gaoyang,

 

Thank you for your query.

 

Distance learning refers to education provided without the teacher and
students being physically present together, meaning you can study from
anywhere (including overseas/outside of New Zealand). To be granted a
student visa, you are required to be a full-time student. Full time-study
is generally considered to be enrolment in a programme of study which
requires approximately 20 hours of attendance per week, or enrolment in
three papers (or equivalent) per semester. The conditions of the visa are
such that students are required to always attend the programme of study as
required, at the place of study endorsed on the visa. To be eligible for a
student visa, would need to be attending in person for the majority of the
courses being undertaken.

 

Practical study may be a practicum that needs to be undertaken in New
Zealand, such as teaching or nursing placements, however these courses are
usually taught in person rather than by distance. Some distance courses
may require a student to attend in person to undertake a component of
their course, or an examination/assessment. Student visas are granted for
a specific location, so your attendance would be required to be at the
location specified on your student visa. This is usually the campus of
your education provider.

 

The Graduate Diploma of Learning and Teaching (Secondary) program offered
by Massey University is accredited for international students. To be
eligible for a student visa, you would be required to study on campus in
New Zealand.

 

Nāku noa, nā

 

Izla

 

MINISTERIAL SERVICES

Immigration New Zealand

Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment

15 Stout Street, PO BOX 1473, Wellington 6140