International students and skilled migrants from India are among the citizens from eight other countries that will benefit from a streamlined immigration process in New Zealand after the country expanded its List of Qualifications Exempt from Assessment (LQEA).
The updated list, effective from June 23, 2025, recognises specific foreign qualifications without requiring an International Qualification Assessment (IQA).
Starting this month, qualifications from India, France, Germany, Italy, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Sweden and Switzerland will be newly included on the list. This means that degree holders from these countries applying under key categories, including the Skilled Migrant Category, Green List and Accredited Employer Work Visa, will no longer need to undergo an IQA.
In addition to this, New Zealand will revise existing listings for qualifications from Australia, Japan, Malaysia, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States to improve consistency and clarity, as per reports.
The IQA is a formal benchmarking process conducted by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) to determine if a foreign qualification meets the country’s academic standards.
Historically, exemptions were limited to Anglosphere nations. India’s inclusion marks the first time a South Asian country has been added to the LQEA, signalling growing recognition of India's education reforms and university standards.
India is the first South Asian country to be included in the LQEA, reflecting growing recognition of its higher education standards and recent reforms. This policy shift comes amid broader efforts by New Zealand to attract more Indian students.
Earlier, New Zealand had launched a NZD 260,000 (approximately INR 13 million) scholarship fund under the New Zealand Excellence Awards 2025, offering financial support of up to NZD 20,000 (approximately INR 1 million) per student across bachelor's and master’s programmes. Post-study work rights have also been extended, allowing international graduates, including Indians, to stay up to three years and gain employment experience.
India is among the top four source countries for international students in New Zealand, with over 22,000 Indian students enrolled in recent years. The number of first-time Indian student visas saw a 63 per cent increase in 2019 and continues to grow as Indian students increasingly look beyond traditional destinations. Factors like lower visa fees, affordable living costs, clear migration pathways and New Zealand's targeted outreach make the country an attractive choice.
(With inputs from multiple news reports)
