New Zealand

New-Zealand:

New-Zealand Business Investor Visa/ Entrepreneur Visa New-Zealand has a flexible business visa system designed to cater to most business people’s needs. Below you will find both short term and long term Business visa option.

Long term Business Visas:

New-Zealand is keen to attract experienced investor and entrepreneurs to the country, and have several visa streams for this purpose. These visa categories each have a minimum investment requirement, ranging from NZ $100,000 for the Entrepreneurs Work visa, to NZ $10 million for the Investor Plus visa category.

The Entrepreneur Work visa allows skilled business people with at least NZ $100,000 of investment funds to set up a business in New-Zealand. After either 6months or 2 years Entrepreneur Work visa holders can apply for permanent residence.
The Investor Plus visa (Investor 1 category) allows business people who can invest a minimum of NZ $10million over a 3 year period to gain permanent residence.
The Investor visa (Investor 2 Category) allows experienced business people who can invest a minimum of NZ $ 1.5 million in New-Zealand over a 4 year period to gain permanent residence

Short term Business visitors:

Those visiting New-Zealand as a sales representative, overseas buyer, or a business visitor attending business meeting or negotiations can apply for a standard Visitor visa, which usually allows the holder to stay in New-Zealand for up to 3 months, but does not allow them to take u employment.

Entrepreneur Work visa

New-Zealand’s Entrepreneur Work visa is a pathway for prospective business people and entrepreneurs wanting to establish a new business, or buy an existing one, in New-Zealand. Entrepreneur Work visa holders can apply for permanent residence after a period of either 6 months or 2 years, depending on factors such as the amount invested and number of jobs created by the business.

Basic requirements

Entrepreneur Work visa applicants must meet several eligibility requirement, these includes:

Having a minimum of NZ $100,000 of investment capital to invest in the business, unless waived
Having a Business plan
Scoring at least 120 points on the Entrepreneur Work visa points scale
Not having been declared bankrupt, or having been involved in a business failure such as a insolvency, in the last 5 years
Having no records of business-related fraud or impropriety
Being of good health and character
Meeting the English language requirement, this means having English language such as citizenship of an English speaking country, or:
A recent (less than 2 years old) certificate showing an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) test score of 4 or more, or:
Other proof of English proficiency, such as holding a University degree that was taught in
1. English Applicants must have a minimum of NZ $100,000 available to invest in their business. These funds must be solely owned by the applicant and/or their partner or spouse. Applicants cannot use borrowed or loaned funds to meet this requirement.
2. The investment capital requirement can be waived at the discretion of New-Zealand’s Business Migration Branch. Only business in computing, science and some high-value export industries can be considered for a waiver.
Applicants must provide a relevant and up to date business plan, which must be specifically tailored to the business they want to establish or buy. The business plan must demonstrate that:
They have the required investment capital and maintenance funds for the applicant and any family members joining them in New-Zealand
The applicant has sufficient and appropriate business experience
Sufficient market and business research has been done
The plan’s financial forecasts are realistic
The applicants has any relevant professional registration required for their business in New-Zealand
The applicants has not been declared bankrupt, or been involved in a business failure such as insolvency, in the last 5 years
The applicants has no record of business-related fraud or impropriety
The business is likely to be a high growth enterprise that will benefit New-Zealand by providing jobs, growth and/or export opportunities.

Additionally business plans relating to the purchase of an existing business must:

Include the purchase price of the existing business, and evidence of the business’s past performance and financial potential, such as financial records or an independent financial evaluation
Information the business’s current employees, such as employment agreements, and wage and tax records

Start-Up and Balance Stages:

The Entrepreneur Work visa is initially issued for a Start-Up stage of 12 months, which allows applicants to buy or establish their business. Once applicants have taken the necessary steps towards buying or establishing their business they can move on to the Balance stage of their visa, which grants another 24 months-adding up to a total of 3 years.
In order to move from the Start-Up stages to the Balance stage applicants must demonstrate that they have taken the necessary steps towards buying or establishing their business, such as:

Transferring their business-related capital to New-Zealand
Providing documents relating to the business’s establishment, purchase and running such as:
- A certificate of Incorporation
- Purchase or rental documents for the business site
- Invoice for business materials and equipment
- Employment agreements and pay slips

Residence

After a set period Entrepreneur Work visa holders can apply for permanent residence scheme. This option becomes available after either 6 months or 2 years:

2 Years: Applicants who have successfully established or purchased their business in New-Zealand and have been employed by the business for a minimum of 2 years may then apply residence.
6 months: Applicants who invest at least NZ $500,000 in their business and employ a minimum of 3 native New-Zealanders on a full time basis can apply for residence after just 6 months.

Investor Plus visa (Investor 1 category)

The New-Zealand Investor Plus visa, also known as the Investor 1 Category visa, provides a quick and easy pathway for investors with a minimum of NZ $10 million in investment funds to gain permanent residence in New-Zealand.
Applicants for the Investor Plus visa do not have to submit an Expression of Interest, and can instead apply for residence directly.
Investor who wish to nominate less than NZ $ 10 million for investment can instead apply under the investor (Investor 1 Category) visa.

Basic requirements

The basic requirements for Investor Plus visa applicants are extremely light. There are no age, English language, or business experience requirements, but some other conditions are in place. In order to be granted a visa applicants must:

Have at least NZ $10 million in available investment funds and/or assets
Spend at least 46 days per year in New-Zealand during the final 2 years of the investment period (see below for further details)
Be of good health and character

Investment Funds

Applicants must have a minimum of NZ $10 million of investment funds. These must be:
Solely owned by the applicant, or collectively owned by the applicant and their partner and/or dependent children
Available for immediate investment; not subject to mortgages, charges, encumbrances or creditor claims or tied up in securities, loans or other documents
Legally earned or acquired
Available transferred to New-Zealand through banking or a foreign exchange company
Not interested for personal use such as buying a home.

If transferred through a foreign exchange company, evidence of the following must be provided:

That the funds were transferred to the foreign exchange company directly from the applicant’s from the applicant’s bank account(s)
The funds are fully traceable
The funds were transferred in any way that is in keeping with New-Zealand law
The foreign exchange company has no history of fraud or financial impropriety

Expression of interest and residence approval

Applicants apply directly for residence, rather than submitting an Expression of Interest. If the application is approved in principal applicants are then then granted a 12 months multiple-entry work visa, which can be extended for a further 6 months in necessary, in order to research opportunities and conduct their investment in New-Zealand. Partners and children also are included on the work visa.

Applicants may then be granted residence after the applicant has:

Transferred their investment funds and invested them in New-Zealand
Provided details of a New-Zealand mailing address
Paid a migrant levy, if applicable

Investor visa (Investor 2 Category)

Also known as the Investor 2 category visa, the New-Zealand Investor visa allows experienced business people to gain permanent residence while investing at least NZ $ 1.5 million over a 4 year period. Applicants for the Investor visa must be no older than 65, have a minimum 3 years of business experience and meet various investment criteria detailed below. Investment visas are subject to a limit of 300 per year.
Investor with NZ $10 million or more in funds can also apply for the Investor Plus (Investor 1 Category) visa, which has fewer restrictions and eligibility requirements.

Basic Requirements

Basic requirements for investor visa applicants include:
Having at least NZ $1.5 million in investment funds or assets
Having at least NZ $1 million in personal settlement funds or assets
Being 65 or younger
Scoring at least 20 points on the New-Zealand Investor 2 Category points test

Meeting the English Language requirement, this means having English Language background or proficiency, such as citizenship of an English speaking country, or:

A certificate showing an International English language Testing System (IELTS) test score of 3 or more, or:
Other proof of English proficiency, such as holding a University degree that was taught in English
Spending at least 146 days per year in New-Zealand during the final 3 years of the investment period
Being of good health and character

Points

In order for an applicant’s Expression of Interest to be considered they must score at least 20 points on the New-Zealand Investor 2 Category points test. Higher scores increase the chance of the application being approved.

Investment and settlement funds

Applicants must have a minimum of NZ $1.5 million of investment funds and NZ $ 1 million of personal settlement funds. These must be:

Solely owned by the applicant, or collectively owned by the applicant and their partner and/or dependent children
Available for immediate investment; not subject to mortgages, charges, encumbrances, or creditor claims, or tied up in securities, loans or other agreements
Legally earned or acquired
Available for transfer to New-Zealand through banking or a foreign exchange company

If transferred through a foreign exchange company, evidence of the following must be provided:

That the funds were transferred to the foreign exchange company directly from the applicant’s bank account(s)
The funds are fully traceable
The funds were transferred in any way that is in keeping with New-Zealand law
The foreign exchange company has no history of fraud or financial impropriety

Expression of interest and residence approval

Applicants first apply by submitting an Expression of Interest. If the Expression of Interest is successful the application can be approved in principle. Applicants are then then granted for a 12 month multiple-entry work visa, which can be extended for a further 6 months in necessary, in order to research opportunities and conduct their investment in New-Zealand. Partners and children can also be included on the work visa.

Applicants may then be granted residence after the applicant has

Transferred their investment funds and invested them in New-Zealand
Provided details of a New-Zealand mailing address
Paid a migrant levy, if applicable
Arranged for any family members included on the application to take English Language tuition if they did not initially meet the visa’s English language requirement