New Zealand Active Investor Plus Visa Changes in 2025: A Wider Door for Investors
September 5, 2025 · New Zealand · 13 min read
New Zealand’s Active Investor Plus Visa changes mark a major shift in the country’s immigration policy. Designed to attract high-quality capital, the Active Investor Plus Visa (AIP) is more than a pathway to residence: it is a strategic tool to drive economic innovation, strengthen domestic business capability, and build lasting connections between international investors and local communities.
What sets the AIP apart is its “active” element: the New Zealand government is looking for investors who are ready to participate, collaborate, and engage with the country’s innovation ecosystem. Amid intensifying global competition, the AIP stands out as an investment migration model that is both flexible and oriented toward long-term value, from stable residence rights and attractive investment opportunities to a sustainable foundation for investors’ businesses and families.
The big picture: a turning point for the Active Investor Plus Visa
Between September 2022 and March 2025, the AIP under its previous investment threshold (NZ$15 million) received 115 applications covering 362 applicants. Although 46 applications were granted Resident Visas, the figure remained modest, suggesting that the original investment level was a significant barrier.
In response, the New Zealand government introduced major changes to the Active Investor Plus Visa, effective April 1, 2025. The aim was to make the program more accessible and more competitive internationally, particularly against countries such as Australia and Canada.
The key strategic improvements that position the AIP as a compelling residence option in 2025 include:
1. Two clearly defined investment categories
The minimum investment amount was lowered from NZ$15 million to NZ$5–10 million, depending on the category. Two new categories were introduced:
Growth category:
- Investment amount: minimum NZ$5 million (approximately US$2.8 million).
- Investment term: funds must remain invested for at least 3 consecutive years.
- Acceptable investments: direct investment in New Zealand private businesses, or approved venture capital funds or managed funds.
- Time in New Zealand: the main applicant must spend at least 21 days in New Zealand during the 3-year investment period.
Balanced category:
- Investment amount: minimum NZ$10 million (approximately US$5.6 million).
- Investment term: funds must remain invested for at least 5 consecutive years.
- Acceptable investments: direct investment in New Zealand private businesses, managed funds, listed equities, bonds, property development projects, or philanthropy.
- Time in New Zealand: the applicant must spend at least 105 days in New Zealand during the 5-year investment period (this can be reduced by investing more in Growth investments).
2. Simpler immigration requirements
The English language requirement has been removed entirely, widening access for busy entrepreneurs who have substantial financial resources but little time to learn a new language.
3. Faster processing
Processing times have been cut significantly, to around 23 working days for approval in principle, a fast turnaround by the standards of investment migration programs worldwide.
4. A new home-ownership concession
From September 2025, investors who hold or are applying for an AIP visa are permitted to buy or build one home worth NZ$5 million or more. The policy signals the New Zealand government’s clear intent to anchor high-net-worth investors in local communities over the long term.
Strong momentum: key figures from April to August 2025
In the 5 months following the policy changes, AIP applications rose sharply:
308 applications (1,000 applicants), including:
- 241 applications under the Growth category
- 67 applications under the Balanced category
- Total committed capital of NZ$1.875 billion
- 197 applications received approval in principle: 155 under the Growth category and 42 under the Balanced category
- 39 applications were granted Resident Visas, with NZ$248.8 million deployed in total
Notably, approval in principle decisions are now being made in just 23 working days. This reflects the priority and efficiency that Immigration New Zealand (INZ) brings to these applications, a major competitive advantage over many other residence programs.
Global demand: where Active Investor Plus applicants come from
Nationality
Applications received
Number of applicants
Austria
1
6
Belgium
1
4
Canada
2
5
China
45
152
Czech Republic
1
7
France
1
4
Germany
23
87
United Kingdom
6
16
Hong Kong
38
113
Japan
7
24
Netherlands
3
8
Poland
1
4
Romania
1
2
Russia
3
12
Singapore
17
62
South Korea
5
19
Spain
1
6
Switzerland
3
9
Taiwan
15
52
United States
129
386
Vietnam
5
22
Total
308
1,000
Of the 308 applications filed since the new settings took effect, investors from the United States account for the largest share with 129 applications (386 applicants), followed by China (45 applications), Hong Kong (38), Germany (23), and Singapore (17).
Vietnam has so far recorded only 5 applications (22 applicants), a modest figure next to the larger markets, but one that also points to considerable room for growth. Because the AIP is still relatively new in Southeast Asia, investors from the region have an opportunity to engage early, while the program is in its initial phase and the reformed settings are in place.
Benefits of New Zealand residence
- The right to live in New Zealand indefinitely, and to travel in and out of the country freely during the first 4 or 6 years, depending on the investment category.
- Access to publicly funded healthcare.
- Tuition-free public schooling for your children through high school.
- The option to apply for a Permanent Resident Visa, which allows unrestricted travel in and out of New Zealand, after at least 3 years, provided you meet the visa conditions.
- There is a pathway to New Zealand citizenship. As New Zealand citizens, investors and their families enjoy visa-free or electronic travel authorization access to a wide range of destinations worldwide, including the United States, Australia, Canada, and Europe.
IMM Group: your strategic partner for New Zealand investment migration
The global investment migration landscape is constantly shifting and increasingly complex. Investors need an advisory partner who not only helps them build a sound application but also gives their family peace of mind about the future. For the New Zealand Active Investor Plus Visa and all of our global investment migration solutions, IMM Group stands apart as a strategic advisory partner, supporting you with experience and integrity.
As a pioneering, long-established firm with more than 21 years of hands-on experience in Vietnam, IMM Group is not a sales agent, and we do more than advise: we design global investment migration solutions built on:
- Rigorous due diligence and risk management: Our experience successfully handling hundreds of cases, including complex ones, enables us to conduct multi-layered project due diligence and protect investors’ interests rigorously, even during market crises.
- In-depth professional consulting and full transparency: Every IMM Group advisor and case manager is certified in investment migration advisory by the Investment Migration Council (IMC). Our team analyzes benefits and risks in full, so you can make decisions based on complete and accurate information. We put our clients’ long-term interests first.
- Integrity and commitment every step of the way: Guided by our philosophy, “Serving with Authentic Values,” IMM Group stays with you from the first step until you have settled in your new country. Integrity is our foundation, reflected in our readiness to stand up for clients’ interests and to proactively refund service fees when risks beyond the client’s control arise, as set out in the contract.
- Receiving and giving back: Since 2025, IMM Group has officially become a nonprofit enterprise, committing at least 50% of its annual profits to the Be Better Fund. By choosing IMM Group, you also help hundreds of students facing exceptional hardship gain a chance to change their lives.
If you are interested in the Active Investor Plus Visa, New Zealand’s residency by investment pathway, contact IMM Group or leave your details below. Our experienced advisors will provide detailed guidance and help assess the prospects of your application. We keep your personal data confidential and use the information you provide only to advise on your family’s case.
IMM Group
- Tags:
- New Zealand residency by investment
- residency by investment
- New Zealand investment migration
- Active Investor Plus Visa
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