The Investor 1 and 2 categories were cancelled by the NZ Government on 28 July 2022. A new Active Investor Plus Category is now open.
The new Active Investor Plus visa category replaces the two previous categories which have been running for more than 12 years, and which facilitated passive investments.
The details
The new Active Investor Plus visa category replaces the existing Investor 1 and Investor 2 visa categories.
The eligibility criteria includes a minimum $5 million investment if it is a direct investment. But those who want to take less risk in their style of investment will need to invest much larger amounts, up to $15 million. The amount ultimately will depend on an investor’s appetite for risk.
Note: This category is not for entrepreneurs. If you want to work full-time in a business your own, consider the Entrepreneur Visa category.
How the Active Investor visa works
This system has a minimum investment threshold of $15 million NZD or weighted equivalent.
The Active Investor Plus visa category will incentivise direct investment in New Zealand firms through that weighting system. Direct investments will receive a 3x weighting per dollar invested. This means that applicants who want to make acceptable direct investments will be eligible with $5 million NZD.
This system sets lower weightings for indirect investments, such as private equity or venture capital funds (2x) and listed equities and philanthropy (1x). It also limits the scope for indirect investment by capping investment in listed equities to 50% of total investments. It also excludes bonds and property from being eligible asset classes.
Investor migrants will need to spend at least 117 days in New Zealand over the four-year investment period.
The new system will also include an English language requirement of an IELTS score of at least 5.0.
In short, the system favours those who want to invest in approved business enterprises and take an active role those companies.
With this visa you can:
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Live, work and study in New Zealand
- Include your partner, and dependent children aged 24 and under, in your visa application.
Investment has become more complex under this category than the previous Investor 1 and 2 categories. The acceptable investments are ones that are approved by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise. While this limits the scope of ready-made investments, it is possible for investor visa applicants to seek approval of their preferred or ideal investment from NZ TE, as part of their application process.
It is important that potential Investor applicants obtain sound financial and investment advice by experienced financial advisers familiar with the financial products that have current approval from NZ TE.
We work with a suite of financial advisers who can provide expertise in this area.
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