New Zealand has launched the new Active Investor Plus visa for business migration with a pathway to permanent residency.
Experienced and high-value investors can now apply for business migration to New Zealand with direct investments of $5 million.
Business migration applicants will also be able to live, work and study in the country indefinitely and apply for permanent residence after keeping their funds in New Zealand for four years.
Direct investments will have the highest weighting, while investors making indirect investments will be required to invest more capital, with the minimum required indirect investment being $15 million.
The Active Investor Plus visa will replace the previous Investor 1 and Investor 2 visas, and all new migrant investors will have to submit their applications through the new visa program.
Speaking on the newly launched visa, Immigration Minister Michael Wood said it would help welcome investors who want to invest in New Zealand for the long term.
He added that investors would be able to bring their skills and experience to New Zealand and help increase productivity and competitiveness to support the transition to a high-wage economy.
The Active Investor Plus visa would also leverage the skills and experience of business migrants and allow access to their global network to help New Zealand businesses grow faster and smarter, he said.
Mr Wood also pointed out that the previous Investor visa categories often resulted in investments in passive assets such as bonds instead of direct investments in Kiwi companies, which was a missed opportunity for making investments with real benefits to the economy.
Economic Minister Stuart Nash also welcomed the launch of the new Active Investor Plus visa, labelling it as a “win-win” for migrant investors and New Zealand businesses.
He said investors will now have the opportunity to invest in smart and innovative New Zealand businesses, and Kiwi businesses will benefit from the human capital, global knowledge and market connections of migrant investors, which will make New Zealand more competitive and propel local businesses to the next level.
