IMPACT – MEDIUM

The New Zealand government has announced that it will replace the Investor 1 and Investor 2 visas with the Active Investor Plus visa.

Key Points:

  • Beginning July 27, New Zealand authorities will no longer accept Investor 1 or Investor 2 visa applications. Applications that were submitted before July 27 will continue to be processed.
  • Individuals who have Expressions of Interest (EOI), valid Invitations to Apply (ITA) and submitted applications for Investor 1 or 2 visas will be contacted by immigration authorities with further instructions.
  • Beginning Sept. 19, individuals will be able to apply for the Active Investor Plus visa.
  • The Active Investor Plus visa, those who directly invest in New Zealand to receive three times the weighting per dollar invested, meaning applicants will be eligible for the visa with direct investments of $5 million NZD.

Additional Information: Eligibility requirements for the investor visa will be updated in the coming weeks. More information regarding how investments will be weighted under the Active Investor Plus visa is available here.

BAL Analysis: The Active Investor Plus visa is intended to incentivize direct investments in New Zealand and improve flexibility for investors by allowing them to invest over a longer period of time.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group. For additional information, please contact berryapplemanleiden@bal.com.

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