INVESTMENT CATEGORY VISA
If you have money to invest in New Zealand, you may be eligible for a visa under the investment category.
There are two types of investment visa:
Investor 1 (also known as Investor Plus)
Requires an NZ$10 million
investment over three years
Investor 2 (also known simply as Investor)
Requires an NZ$3 million
investment over four years.
With either of these types of visa you can include your partner, and dependent children aged 24 and under,
in your visa application.
Investor visa criteria overview:
The Migrant Investment (Investor 1 and Investor 2) visa categories are for investors who wish to gain residence
in New Zealand. The requirements are summarised below:
| Key requirements | Investor Plus (Investor 1 Category) |
Investor (Investor 2 Category) |
| Maximum age | No requirement | 65 or younger |
| Business experience | No requirement | Minimum of three years |
| Minimum investment funds | NZ$10 million invested in New Zealand for three years | NZ$3 million invested in New Zealand for four years* |
| Principal applicant’s English language | No requirement | – An English-speaking background, or
– An International English Language Testing System (IELTS) test report with an overall band score of three or more, or – A competent user of English |
| Family member’s English language | No requirement | Same as principal applicant or pre-purchase English as a second language tuition |
| Minimum time in New Zealand | 44 days in New Zealand in each of the last two years of the three-year investment period. | 146 days in New Zealand in each of the last three years of the four-year investment period. |
| Health and Character | Applicants under both categories must meet health and character requirements | |
The pathway to residency:
Immigration New Zealand uses a points-based system to assess eligibility for Investor 2 resident visas.
Before you can apply, you need to send an expression of interest (EOI) to Immigration New Zealand detailing your business experience, investment, and detailing how the funds were acquired.
If your EOI is selected, you will be invited to apply for residence. You then have four months to send in your application.
What you need to prepare if you are going to apply for an investor visa
To succeed in your application for an investor visa you must clearly document your experience and financial history to satisfy Immigration New Zealand criteria.
You will need to prepare evidence of your business experience and be able to prove ownership of any assets you may be planning to liquidate for the investment in New Zealand. Because of the strict anti-money laundering regulations that apply to foreign investment in New Zealand, you must also provide evidence of how you received or acquired these assets.
You need to time your application carefully to make sure you and your family are ready to sell your assets and move to New Zealand. If you are applying under the investor 2 category, you will also need to satisfy the English language requirements.
Acceptable investment criteria
Your investment must be:
- Capable of a commercial return
- Not for personal use (such as a home you plan to live in)
- Invested in New Zealand in NZD
- Compliant with relevant laws.
Usually investments are made into managed investment funds, bonds issued by New Zealand firms, equity in New Zealand firms, residential property development, or eligible New Zealand venture capital funds.
Your investment total does not include any net costs such as management fees.
Once your money is invested, you can’t move it into new investments without notifying Immigration New Zealand. If you do, you may incur a review of your eligibility and you could face deportation. Therefore, it is important to plan your investment profile wisely. We recommend you seek professional help from specialist migrant investment services to make sure you’re getting the best return and advice for your investment.