Business Visas

Investing in New Zealand is often seen as a streamlined process to secure Residence, however with strict adherence to anti-money laundering rules and some fairly complex criteria in terms of investment types and timeframes, these Visas require significant thought and planning to secure.

Active Investor Plus Policy

Within the new Active Investor Visa category, applicants have to nominate funds (all legally earned and acquired) of NZD$15 million (or weighted equivalent) that they are going to transfer to NZ (in multiple stages) to then place in to acceptable investments.

Different acceptable investment types are given a "weighting" with direct investments at the top of the scale and listed equities at the bottom:

• Direct Investment - Factor of 3

• Managed Funds - Factor of 2

• Listed Equities and Philanthropic Investments - Factor of 1

For example, if you nominated $5.0 million to invest in direct investments then your $5.0 is multiplied by the above Factor of 3 to give you an invesment total of $15 million - e.g. you meet the requirements with that $5.0 million investment.

However if you nominated $3.0 million to invest in direct investments, then that is $9.0 million (x3) so you have another $6.0 million to make up - using perhaps Managed Funds ($3.0 million of those would be multipled by 2 to give you the $6.0 million difference) or Listed Equities (a Factor of 1 so the full $6.0 million would be needed). Most importantly the Listed Equities and Philanthropic Investments are capped at $7.5 million (50%) of your total investment amount.

What qualifies under each of these investment headings is also somewhat of a science but for the most part, Managed Funds and Direct Investments will be overseen by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, so essentially the guardians of what Investors can put their money into.

There are also various transfer timeframes involved which require applicants to move their nominated funds to NZ within a set period of time (six months with a possible further six month extension) and then separate timeframes for when the funds need to be placed in to acceptable investments - overall there is a four year period for investing and maintaining that investment.

Applicants under this category will be given priority and well documented and prepared applications are likely to be processed within a matter of a few months or less.

Active Investor Plus Policy

The Entrepreneur Residence Category is split in to two separate stages, the first being a temporary “Work Visa” which allows you to establish or take over a business in New Zealand and then, once you have successfully done that, you can apply for Residence.

You normally have to have run your new business in New Zealand for a period of two years, although that can be shortened depending on the level of investment you plan to make and the number of jobs you aim to create.

This particular category of Visa, is notoriously difficult to secure and unfortunately has a very high failure rate with INZ. We recommend that you first establish if any other categories are available to you, before attempting an application under this set of rules.

How Our Team Can Help…

The process of applying for Residence under the Investor or Entrepreneur category can be lengthy and confusing and INZ takes a very cautious approach when it comes to scrutinizing your funds and experience. Our specialist team can advise on the best approach to this process to avoid delays and ensure a seamless transition to life in New Zealand.

If an Investor Visa isn’t right for you, we also offer assistance with a range of other residency categories as well as temporary visa applications.