Investment Category Residence
Given how well New Zealand has been doing with dealing with the COVID pandemic, we have been receiving a lot of enquiries of possible investors asking about the New Zealand investor category for residence.
There are three business categories for residence in New Zealand;
- Investor One
- Investor Two
- Entrepreneur
As always, we have specialised experience and knowledge in the above categories and are happy to help!
Get in touch!
Investor One
The Investor One category is for those who have $10million NZD or more to invest in New Zealand for a period of three years.
There is no age limit on the visa and thus this is perfect for those who may be over 55 or 65 and age out of the work to residence categories or the Investor Two category.
You can include your family (partner and children) in this visa as long as they can come to New Zealand within 12 months of their visa being granted.
You must spend 44 days in each of the last two years of your three-year investment period in New Zealand, or, 88 days at any time over the three-year investment period if you have invested a minimum of NZ$2.5 million in growth investments.
The biggest challenge for Investor visas, especially Investor One applications is to ensure that Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has clear evidence of the provenance of the funds and that it is the nominated funds (in the residence application) that are invested.
This is a lot of financial and legal work to ensure the application is as smooth as possible. We have years of experience in the immigration field and have contacts in local banks and wealth management firms to ensure that you do not waste your time and that the process is seamless.
Investor Two
Investor Two residence differs in two main ways from the Investor One category. The first is that the applicant must have at least three years of business experience. The second is that the applicant will be awarded a number of points for various factors such as experience, age, funds available, through which, if they meet the threshold, they are able to lodge an Expression of Interest (EOI) to be invited to apply for residence. We go through the requirements for business experience and each of the points categories below.
The category is also limited in terms of age, only those who are 65 or under can make an application.
The Investor Two application is two-fold. First, the applicant is required to lodge an Expression of Interest (EOI) with INZ. If INZ accepted this EOI, an Invitation to Apply for residence will be issued giving the applicant four months in which the application needs to be made.
Once again, the application process requires the financial and legal sides to perfectly align and the contacts that we have made will make this happen and experience smooth and painless for you.
Entrepreneur Visas
New Zealand offers a pathway to residence for those wishing to operate and establish a business in New Zealand. You can include your partner and dependent children in the application. This starts with a 3-year work visa, which includes a 12 month business start-up period that must be completed or the remainder of the visa will expire. The system is points based requiring a minimum of $100,000 NZD capital investment. This may increase depending on the points you are able to claim elsewhere for experience, number of jobs for New Zealanders you plan to create, turnover, age and location of the business. A detailed business plan is also required.
Those who achieve all the claimed points at the end of their 3-year work visa may be eligible to be granted residence. Several people come unstuck at this point if they have not achieved exactly as envisaged at the businesses start-up stage. Careful consideration and guidance are, therefore, required before commencing down the entrepreneur visa pathway. Again, we have the experience and contacts to help you make the right decisions.
As always, we have specialised experience and knowledge in the above categories and are happy to help!
Get in touch!
