Investor Migrant visa changes Q&As
Recent changes to New Zealand's investor visa settings aim to attract experienced, high-value investors to help build globally successful Kiwi businesses.
Find out more about the changes to New Zealand's investor visa by reading the question and answers below.
Why is the Government changing the investor visa settings?
The current investor policies have served New Zealand well, attracting significant investment capital and skills to the country over the past decade. As competition for international capital intensifies, the Government believes the policy needs to evolve to ensure New Zealand does better at attracting skilled and experienced international high net worth investors, and incentivising direct investment to help build globally successful Kiwi businesses.
The existing settings did not require or encourage active investment early on in the visa process.
The new Active Investor Plus visa category introduces a new process to incentivise greater active investment. In addition, NZTE becomes the key government contact for investors seeking advice. This is intended to provide a more effective matching of potential migrant investors with active investment opportunities in New Zealand.
How does the new Active Investor Plus visa work?
The Active Investor Plus visa uses a weighting system to incentivise investor migrants to directly invest in high value, high growth potential New Zealand investment opportunities. Apart from capital, businesses will benefit from the investor's human capital, global knowledge, and market connections to keep expanding. By having a higher weighting for active investments, potential investors can qualify for the visa with a lower minimum investment amount than those who choose more indirect or passive investments.
What will qualify as an acceptable investment and what weightings will apply?
The new Active Investor Plus visa will require an investment of between NZ$5m and NZ$15m (depending on a weighting system that incentivises more 'active' investments). There are four eligible investment classes which carry different weightings towards the $15m investment threshold, and an investor may invest across a combination of these to meet the threshold (more detail will be released before the visa is launched on 19 September 2022):
Direct investments into private businesses will receive the highest weighting (3x), E.g. an investor could meet the required investment amount by investing NZ$5m into direct investments
Investments into private equity or venture capital funds will also be upweighted (2x), E.g. an investor could meet the required investment amount by investing NZ$7.5m into private funds
Investments into listed equities and philanthropy will receive no additional weighting (and each are capped at 50% of the NZ$15m investment requirement). E.g an investor could meet the required investment amount by putting NZ$7.5m into listed equities and NZ$7.5m into eligible philanthropic causes.
What are the opportunities for people to invest in high growth potential New Zealand companies?
New Zealand's diverse, modern economy continues to launch businesses that have the potential to grow into global competitors across a range of sectors, including tech, food & beverage and specialised manufacturing. NZTE works with many of these businesses and will play a key role in connecting investors with suitable investment opportunities.
How does the new Active Investor Plus category change what investors must do to qualify for an investor visa?
Under the new visa settings, an investor will have the flexibility to invest over a three-year period as opposed to making all qualifying investments up front and holding them throughout the entire three-year period under the previous settings.
Investor migrants will have to spend at least 117 days in New Zealand over the four-year investment period (up from 88 days for Investor 1 category). The scope for passive investments is limited through a 50% cap on investments in listed equities and philanthropy (1x weighting) and Government bonds will not qualify at all.
Why the requirement to spend 117 days in New Zealand over the four-year investment period?
Investors will need to spend about a month each year in New Zealand which aligns with the purpose of ensuring investors are actively involved in the businesses they have invested in. In addition, spending longer in New Zealand increases the likelihood of further active investment.
Why is there now an English language requirement?
Applicants will need to speak, read, write and understand English to at least Level 5 under the International English Language Testing System (or equivalent). Competence in English to this level means investors can quickly integrate with the companies they invest in and use their knowledge and skills to help those businesses to flourish as well as engage in the New Zealand investment network.
What is the role of NZTE now?
NZTE will be the key point of contact for potential investors which aligns with its overall purpose of supporting New Zealand businesses internationally. It will be responsible for marketing the new visa to potential investors who want to make active investments in New Zealand and so will be able to connect them to opportunities based on the criteria for qualifying investments.
NZTE will also be responsible for aftercare services to support investor migrants play an active role in New Zealand's investment ecosystem, while Immigration NZ retains the visa processing and decision-making role.
What is the role of Immigration New Zealand under the new policy?
Immigration New Zealand will be responsible for all decision on visa applications and for assessing whether investors continue to meet the conditions of their visa at the 18-, 36- and 48-month checkpoints. INZ will also remain responsible for ensuring that all nominated funds and transactions are legitimate.
What happens when the existing Investor 1 and Investor 2 visa categories are closed?
INZ will process any applications it has on hand on the date the visa categories close at 11:59pm on 27 July 2022. These applications will continue to be processed in line with the immigration instructions in force on the date the application was submitted.
For any enquiries related to visa applications and processing visit Immigration New Zealand's website.
