To be eligible to enrol in Pre-purchased English Language Tuition (PELT) courses you must be a migrant who has paid money for English language tuition to Immigration New Zealand before you arrived in New Zealand.

The funding amount you are entitled to receive to purchase tuition is referred to as your ‘balance of entitlement’.

Your balance of entitlement depends on what your level of English was at time of your visa application and how much money you paid to Immigration New Zealand. It will be between NZ$1,531.82 and NZ$6,131.82.

If you gained residency under the Parent Category, your balance of entitlement will be NZ$1,531.82.

You, or someone on your behalf, can receive confirmation of your balance of entitlement by contacting our Customer Contact Group by email at customerservice@tec.govt.nz, or by phone on 0800 601 301. You must provide your name, date of birth and passport number.

PELT tertiary education organisations (TEOs) offer different English language courses to suit different learning needs. You don't have to spend your entire entitlement on one course, or pass a test at the end of the course.

If a course costs more than your balance of entitlement you will have to pay the difference between your balance of entitlement and the cost of the course. 

Follow these three easy steps to enrol in a PELT course.

1. Contact our Customer Contact Group by email at customerservice@tec.govt.nz, or by phone on 0800 601 301, to find out your balance of entitlement.
2. Use the Directory of Approved PELT Courses by Region below to locate a TEO and the course that you want to enrol in.
3. Contact your chosen TEO to enrol. When contacting the TEO, please have your passport and visa available.

Pre-purchased English Language Tuition (PELT) Directory of Providers (PDF 5.6 MB)

The following tests are used as English language proficiency measurement tools. Note that these links take you to non-New Zealand government websites. Making these links available on our website does not constitute our endorsement, warranty or recommendation of these tests, the organisations offering them, or their websites.

International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
IELTS website

Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet Based Test (TOEFL iBT)
TOEFL iBT website

Occupational English Test (OET)
OET website

Cambridge English: First (FCE) and FCE for Schools
Cambridge English: First (FCE) website 
Cambridge English: First (FCE) for Schools website

Pearson Test of English: Academic (PTE: Academic)
PTE Academic website

Please contact our Customer Contact Group by email at customerservice@tec.govt.nz or by phone on 0800 601 301 if you have any questions.