New Zealand Active Investor Plus Visa: Residency by Investment

New Zealand Active Investor Plus Visa: Residency by Investment

  • What is the Active Investor Plus Visa?

    • The New Zealand Active Investor Plus Visa is a residency program for high-net-worth investors who make acceptable investments in New Zealand.
    • You can choose between 2 investment categories, Growth and Balanced, with minimum investments of NZ$5 million and NZ$10 million respectively (approximately US$2.84 million and US$5.68 million).
    • Once the visa is granted, you and your family can live, study, and work in New Zealand.
    • Your partner and dependent children aged 24 or younger can be included in the application.
    • After holding the investment for 3 or 5 years and meeting the residence conditions, you may be eligible to apply for a Permanent Resident Visa.
    • After spending the required time living in New Zealand and meeting the requirements of New Zealand law, you may pursue a pathway to New Zealand citizenship.
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Active Investor Plus Visa benefits

  • Live, study, and work in New Zealand

    You and your family can live, study, and work in New Zealand with the rights of a Resident Visa holder. This is a long-term right of residence, but it is not yet a Permanent Resident Visa.

  • Family members included in the application

    Your partner and dependent children aged 24 or younger can be included in the application, provided they meet the requirements for family relationship, financial dependency, health, and character.

  • A pathway to a Permanent Resident Visa

    • You can apply for a Permanent Resident Visa once you have met the investment conditions and spent the required time in New Zealand:
    • Growth: after holding the investment for 3 years
    • Balanced: after holding the investment for 5 years

  • A pathway to New Zealand citizenship

    Once you meet the requirements for physical presence, intention to continue living in New Zealand, English language, and character, you may apply for New Zealand citizenship. The current rules require at least 240 days of presence in New Zealand in each 12-month period and a total of 1,350 days over the 5 years before the application date.

  • New Zealand passport at a later stage

    Once granted citizenship, you and your family can hold New Zealand passports. This is a right of citizenship; it does not come automatically with the Active Investor Plus Visa or a Permanent Resident Visa.

Advantages of the Active Investor Plus Visa

  • No points test

    Applications are not assessed against a points system, unlike some skilled, entrepreneur, and traditional migration categories.

  • No requirement to set up a business

    You are not required to set up, manage, or run a business in New Zealand yourself.

  • No upper age limit

    The main applicant must be 18 or older. According to the information available to IMM Group, there is no upper age limit.

  • No English language requirement at the visa stage

    Invest New Zealand notes that the program currently has no English language requirement at the Active Investor Plus Visa stage. If you later apply for New Zealand citizenship, however, you will need to meet the English language requirement under citizenship law.

  • Minimal time required in New Zealand

    • Growth: at least 21 days in New Zealand over 3 years
    • Balanced: at least 105 days in New Zealand over 5 years
    • Under the Balanced category, the time you must spend in New Zealand can be reduced if you invest additional capital in qualifying Growth investments, as the rules allow.

  • A choice of investment categories

    You can choose Growth or Balanced depending on your financial goals, risk appetite, and how long you plan to keep the capital invested.

Active Investor Plus Visa requirements

  • Main applicant requirements

    • Aged 18 or older.
    • Meet the health and character requirements.
    • Meet the "fit and proper person" criteria for a visa.
    • Show that investment funds come from a lawful source.
    • Transfer the investment funds to New Zealand after receiving approval in principle.

  • Requirements for family members

    • Your partner must show a genuine and stable relationship.
    • Dependent children aged 24 or younger can be included in the application.
    • Children aged 21–24 must show that they remain financially dependent on their parents.

  • Growth category

    • Minimum investment: NZ$5 million.
    • Hold the investment for at least 36 months.
    • Spend at least 21 days in New Zealand during the investment period.
    • The investment can include direct investments, approved managed funds, or philanthropy, with philanthropy capped at 20% of the total investment.

  • Balanced category

    • Minimum investment: NZ$10 million.
    • Hold the investment for at least 60 months.
    • Spend at least 105 days in New Zealand during the investment period.
    • The investment can include direct investments, managed funds, listed equities, bonds, property development projects, or qualifying philanthropy.

The Active Investor Plus Visa application process

  1. Consultation and eligibility assessment

    We assess your eligibility, asset structure, source of funds, residence goals, and the investment approach that suits you.

  2. Choose your investment category

    We determine whether Growth or Balanced fits your case, based on the capital you plan to invest, the holding period, the presence requirement, and your family's risk appetite.

  3. Prepare the application

    We prepare your identity documents, financial records, evidence of your source of funds, investment plan, medical documentation, and police clearance certificates.

  4. Submit the visa application

    The application is submitted to Immigration New Zealand for assessment. Immigration New Zealand currently reports that 80% of applications receive approval in principle within about 10.5 weeks; actual processing time depends on the individual case and when it is submitted.

  5. Receive approval in principle

    Once you receive approval in principle, you have 6 months to transfer and invest the committed funds in New Zealand. In some cases, a further 6 months may be requested if there is good reason.

  6. Make the investment

    You transfer the funds and invest them in acceptable investments in New Zealand.

  7. Receive your Resident Visa

    Once the funds have been transferred and the qualifying investment is complete, you and your family may be granted a Resident Visa under the Active Investor Plus category.

  8. Maintain the investment and residence conditions

    You must hold the investment for 36 or 60 months, depending on the category, and provide evidence that the investment remains in place at the milestones Immigration New Zealand requires.

  9. Apply for a Permanent Resident Visa

    Once you have met the investment, residence, and related requirements, you can apply for a Permanent Resident Visa.

Active Investor Plus Visa FAQs

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