Student visa work hours checker: are you within 25 hours a week?
A student visa granted from 3 November 2025 can allow up to 25 hours of work a week during study, counting every job you have, and an older visa that still says 20 is limited to 20. Type your shifts and any hours at another job, and the calculator shows your total, the hours left, and whether any week in a run goes over.
Worked out for the example. Change the boxes to make it yours.
1 of 3 weeks goes over your 25-hour limit. The limit applies to each week on its own, across every job: a quieter week does not make room for a busier one. Working more than your conditions allow is a breach of your visa.
| Mon 5 Oct | 4 hours |
|---|---|
| Wed 7 Oct | 4 hours |
| Sat 10 Oct | 6 hours (30 min break) |
| Sun 11 Oct | 4 hours |
| Your other job | 6 hours |
| This week, from every job | 24 hours |
| Your weekly limit | 25 hours |
| Hours left this week | 1 hour |
| Week of 12 Oct 2026 | 23 hours, 2 hours left |
| Week of 19 Oct 2026 | 26.5 hours, 1.5 hours over |
| Weeks over the limit, of 3 | 1 |
- Immigration New Zealand's pages do not say which day a week starts on. This counts Monday to Sunday: if a busy run of shifts crosses a weekend, check how it is counted before you rely on it.
- General information about the limit as Immigration New Zealand states it, not immigration advice. Your eVisa conditions are the rules that apply to you.
Free on every plan. Your account adds this week's shifts to Your Timesheets, after asking, so each week's hours are on a dated record where every change is kept.
The limit, as Immigration New Zealand states it
Immigration New Zealand says a student visa may allow part-time work of up to 25 hours a week, and full-time work in scheduled breaks in study and over Christmas and New Year, depending on its conditions. The limit rose from 20 to 25 hours on 3 November 2025 for student visas granted from that date. A visa granted earlier that still says 20 hours stays at 20 until Immigration New Zealand grants a variation of conditions or a new visa. Secondary students in years 12 and 13 can work up to 25 hours in the school year with written permission from their school and their parents or guardians. There is no limit for a doctoral or Research Masters student who keeps studying full-time, and Immigration New Zealand says international students cannot be self-employed. Your eVisa states which conditions are yours.
How the week is counted
Immigration New Zealand's instructions allow work "for up to 25 hours in any given week", so every week stands on its own: 15 hours one week does not make room for 35 the next. The limit is on your hours, not each job's, so the calculator adds the shifts in the grid to the hours at any other job. Each day is the time from start to finish less any unpaid break, and a shift past midnight counts to its finish. Type the totals for the following weeks to check a run of them, such as the weeks before exams. Immigration New Zealand's pages do not say which day a week starts on, so the calculator counts Monday to Sunday; if a busy run of shifts crosses a weekend, check how it is counted. Our article on visa work hours in New Zealand covers the student limit alongside the work visa rules.
Why a record of every shift helps
Working more than your conditions allow is a breach of your visa, even when an employer asked you to stay late, and Immigration New Zealand lists breaching visa conditions among the reasons a person may be deported. Knowing your total before you accept another shift is the practical safeguard. A record written on the day shows each week stayed within the limit across every job, and it is your own evidence if a payslip and the hours you worked disagree. Our guide to working while you study covers tax codes, student loans and your rights at work.
General information, not immigration advice
This page describes the limit as Immigration New Zealand publishes it on 6 October 2026. Visa rules change, and Immigration New Zealand, or a licensed immigration adviser or lawyer, can tell you how they apply to you. As an employee you have the same minimum rights as anyone else in New Zealand, including at least the minimum wage for every hour, rest and meal breaks, and holiday pay. The hours worked calculator times a single shift.
Questions
How many hours can I work on a student visa in NZ?
Up to 25 hours a week during study if your visa was granted from 3 November 2025 and its conditions allow work, and full-time in scheduled breaks if your conditions say so. An older visa that still says 20 hours is limited to 20.
My student visa says 20 hours. Can I work 25?
Not until your conditions change. Immigration New Zealand says a visa granted before 3 November 2025 with a 20-hour condition needs a variation of conditions, or a new student visa, before you can work up to 25.
Can I work 15 hours one week and 30 the next?
No. Immigration New Zealand's instructions allow work for up to 25 hours in any given week, so each week is counted on its own and hours cannot be averaged across weeks.
Do hours from two jobs count together?
Yes. The limit is on the hours you work in a week, so add every job together. The calculator adds the shifts in the grid to the hours at your other job.
Can I work full-time in the holidays on a student visa?
Many student visas allow full-time work in scheduled breaks in study and over Christmas and New Year. Whether yours does depends on its conditions, which are on your eVisa.
What happens when I save the week?
Your account adds the shifts in the grid to Your Timesheets, after asking, under the place you named. Hours at your other job are not added: log those under that job. Logging hours is free on every plan.
Sources
- Immigration New Zealand: working on a student visa.
- Immigration New Zealand: check or change your student visa conditions.
- Immigration New Zealand: upcoming changes to student visa work rights (21 October 2025).
- Immigration New Zealand: Amendment Circular 2025-39 (31 October 2025).
- Immigration New Zealand: deportation and how you can appeal.
More free tools: see all the calculators.