New Zealand has sharply increased scrutiny of international student visa applications, with its refusal rate rising to 34% between July and September 2026, up from 13% across the entire 2025–26 financial year, according to figures reported by Radio New Zealand.
Immigration New Zealand (INZ) turned down 6,273 full-fee student visa applications during that three-month period, nearly matching the 7,503 refusals recorded throughout the previous financial year. The surge in rejections has raised fresh concerns for Nigerians planning to study abroad, following similar moves by the United Kingdom.
Why New Zealand is Rejecting More Applications
INZ said it had intensified its review of applications, particularly for master's degree programmes, after identifying an increase in fraudulent supporting documents. The agency found that some applicants had submitted genuine documents that were later altered, reused or repurposed across several applications to make them appear credible, BusinessInsider reports.
An INZ statement said: "INZ is seeing increasingly sophisticated fraud in student visa applications, including genuine documents being altered, reused or repurposed across multiple applications to make those applications appear legitimate."
Nigeria, India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China were among the countries whose applications raised concerns. INZ was careful to note that these concerns relate to individual applications and do not imply that all students from those countries are involved in fraud.
What This Means for Nigerian Applicants
INZ confirmed that recent rejected applications from Nigeria included concerns about fraud or false and misleading information, though it did not release a separate refusal rate for Nigerian applicants during the period. Among the countries for which figures were available, Bangladesh recorded the highest refusal rate at 70%, while India's stood at 39%.
The agency also raised concerns about recruitment agents submitting inaccurate financial evidence and reusing the same financial documents across different applications, warning that fraudulent activity could be coordinated and facilitated by agents.
For Nigerians planning to study in New Zealand, the situation underlines the need to submit genuine academic records, accurate financial evidence and consistent information throughout the application process.
UK Had Already Tightened Controls
The New Zealand developments come after the United Kingdom introduced stricter student visa measures on March 26, 2026, restricting new overseas student applications from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan. The UK also strengthened compliance requirements for universities sponsoring international students.
The Financial Times reported that some universities withdrew admission offers from applicants in Nigeria, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh over concerns about breaching visa refusal thresholds. Unlike the UK, which targeted specific nationalities, New Zealand said its decisions are based on individual assessments rather than blanket restrictions on any country.
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the UK government has listed five essential checks Nigerians and other foreign nationals should complete before applying for a work visa to avoid falling victim to fraudulent job offers and sponsorship scams. The guidance urges applicants to confirm that their employer has issued a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS), verify that the job exists and check that the company is authorised to sponsor foreign workers.
Prospective workers are also advised to protect their identity documents and use official government channels when submitting visa applications. The latest data from New Zealand signals that fraudulent documentation and agent malpractice remain central concerns for immigration authorities, and applicants from affected countries must ensure their submissions are entirely genuine to avoid refusal.
