The Active Investor Plus Visa (AI+). This is a new type of visa for individuals who are looking to invest in New Zealand businesses.
The AI+ resident visa is designed to encourage direct investment in high-growth New Zealand companies. It will also provide a faster path to residency for those individuals who meet the requirements.
The new visa rewards those who share access to global knowledge, capital, networks and markets. It will stimulate business productivity and greater job growth than previous investor visa categories.
Investor 1 and 2 closure and move to NZTE
As well as replacing both the Investor 1 and Investor 2 categories with just one category, Immigration New Zealand have increased the minimum investment (or weighted equivalent) to NZD15 million.
The introduction of a ‘weighted equivalent’ for different investment products allows for someone who is comfortable with more riskier investments to invest a mere NZD5 million, whereas someone with more risk adverse preferences may be required to provide the full NZD15 million.
As well as providing a more targeted incentive for different investment products, Immigration New Zealand will no longer be the determiner of what constitutes an acceptable investment post-resident visa grant. This is now managed by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE), who maintain a list of acceptable investments that have been pre-approved.
Built into the process is also an avenue for a potential visa applicant to seek pre-approval from NZTE that their proposed investment is indeed worthy of meeting acceptable investment criteria. This approval is best sought prior to submitting the visa application to Immigration New Zealand.
Allocation of Investments
The allocation of weight for different investment categories is as follows, allowing for a flexible combination of investments from various groups as long as the total weighted value reaches 15 million.
In order for a resident visa to be granted, the entire designated assets/funds must be transferred to New Zealand. Additionally, within six months of receiving Approval in Principle from Immigration New Zealand, one of the following investment requirements must be met:
A minimum of NZD1 million invested in listed equities or philanthropic endeavors.
A minimum of NZD500,000 invested in managed fund(s).
A minimum of NZD100,000 invested in direct investments.
It's important to note that the remaining designated investment funds must be kept separate from any other funds and held in one or more of the following: bonds issued by the New Zealand government or local authorities, term deposits with New Zealand registered bank(s), or deposited into New Zealand bank account(s).
Application reminders
At least 50% (being NZD7.5 million or weighted equivalent) of the acceptable investment must be invested within the first 18 months of the investment period
100% of the acceptable investment (being NZD15 million or weighted equivalent) must be invested within the first 36 months of the investment period
100% of the acceptable investment must be retained for the fourth year of the investment period
Over the four year investment period, the principal visa holder must spent at least 117 days physically present in New Zealand
A minimum standard of English for principal applicants