For Saudi students New Zealand is the favorite education destination because of the country's hassle-free visa program, said a visiting minister Sunday. Saudis who want to visit New Zealand for a three-month period do not require a visa, said Tim Groser, New Zealand Minister of Trade, who is visiting Saudi Arabia as head of a 90-member business delegation to attend the 4th Joint Ministerial Committee meeting in Riyadh. “It is simple and easy for the Saudis to visit New Zealand because we are the only country in most of the Western world to provide visa-waiver for Saudis. On arrival at the New Zealand airport, the Saudis just have to show a return ticket, a bona fide passport and hotel reservation,” he said, addressing a select group of journalists. New Zealand introduced visa-waiver program for Saudis in July 1999, and did not change the visa policy even after 9/11. This is one of the reasons that Saudi students find it easy to visit New Zealand, he said. “Out of 7,000 Saudi students currently studying in New Zealand, about 4,500 are enrolled at universities and other tertiary institutes,” Groser said. He said the King Abdullah Scholarship Program has been hugely helpful in strengthening bilateral relations in education sector. In view of the growing demand by Saudi students to get admission in New Zealand universities, the Saudi government was given permission to open its consulate in Auckland. Groser said Polytechnics International New Zealand and Riyadh-based Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC) have recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on educational exchange. Under the MoU, a group of Saudi students will be enrolled at New Zealand polytechnic institute this year. Trainers from New Zealand will arrive in Saudi Arabia as part of the ‘teach-the-trainer program' for instructors at TVTC. Minister of Higher Education Dr. Khaled Al-Anqari will visit New Zealand next month and sign an MoU with New Zealand Ministry of Higher Education for broader cooperation in the field of higher education. Groser said New Zealand welcomes Saudi investment. The minister said he was aware of the food security challenges that Saudi Arabia has been facing. New Zealand can offer some solutions by exporting meat and dairy products to the Kingdom, he said.
