The official requirement is NZD $15 million. However, New Zealand uses a system that rewards active investing. If you put your money directly into a private NZ business, that money is weighted at 3x its value. This means a $5 million direct investment counts as the full $15 million. Investing in managed funds counts as 2x value ($7.5 million actual spend).

This visa is a pathway to permanent residence. It lasts for an initial four-year investment period. During these four years, you must keep your money in New Zealand and spend at least 117 days in the country. After you complete the four years and meet all the rules, you can apply for a Permanent Resident Visa, which allows you to stay in New Zealand forever.

No, buying a personal home or investing in residential property development does not count toward the $15 million investment requirement. The government wants the money to go into businesses that grow the economy or into managed funds. However, once you have your visa and move to New Zealand, you are free to buy a home for your family using other personal funds.

The main applicant must prove they have a basic grasp of English. This is usually done by taking an English language test like the IELTS and scoring at least a 5.0. If you are from an English-speaking country or have a degree taught in English, you might not need a test. Family members may need to meet similar rules or prepay for English classes in New Zealand.

To keep your visa and move toward permanent residency, you must spend at least 117 days in New Zealand during the four-year investment period. This is very flexible compared to other visas. You can choose to spend all those days at once or spread them out over the four years, allowing you to continue managing business interests in your home country or elsewhere.

Unlike many other New Zealand visas, there is no maximum age limit for the Active Investor Plus Visa. As long as you have the required investment funds, meet the health and character requirements, and can speak basic English, you are eligible to apply regardless of whether you are 30 or 70 years old. This makes it a popular choice for successful retirees.

Yes, you can move your money between different acceptable investments. For example, you might start with money in a managed fund and later decide to move it into a direct investment in a local tech company. You just need to make sure the money stays in an approved category so you don’t break the rules of your visa and lose your residency.

A direct investment is when you put money straight into a private New Zealand company that is not listed on the public stock exchange. These are often smaller, growing companies. Because these investments help New Zealand businesses grow faster and create more jobs, the government gives them the highest weighting, making them the fastest and most cost-effective way to meet the visa’s dollar requirements.

You must show a clear paper trail of how you earned your money. This can include business profits, the sale of a property, an inheritance, or share trading. Immigration New Zealand will look at bank statements, tax records, and business documents. Ezy Immigration specializes in helping you organize this evidence so the government can easily understand and approve your source of wealth.

Investing always has some risk. The government understands that markets go up and down. As long as you keep the original amount you committed in the required acceptable investment types for the full four years, you are usually safe. You are not required to add more money if the market value drops, provided you haven’t withdrawn any of the initial capital during that time.