Apply for an Active Investor Plus visa to live, work and invest in New Zealand. You must have at least NZD $15 million or the weighted equivalent in available assets or funds.
You can stay in New Zealand indefinitely with an Active Investor Plus visa.
With this visa you can
Live, work and study in New Zealand.
- Include your partner, and dependent children aged 24 and under, in your visa application
- Apply for permanent residence after 4 years of keeping your funds in New Zealand.\
Things to note
- If we approve your application in principle, you will have 6 months to transfer and invest your funds in New Zealand.
- After your application has been approved in principle, you can apply for a work visa to come to New Zealand and arrange the transfer and investment of your funds. If your partner wants to come with you, they will need to apply for their own visitor visa. Your dependent children can apply for student visas.
- You must invest NZD $15 million or the weighted equivalent in acceptable investments in New Zealand.
Acceptable investments: Active investor plus
You must invest NZD $15 million or the weighted equivalent in acceptable investments in New Zealand.
What makes an investment acceptable
An acceptable investment for the Active Investor Plus Visa means an investment of the funds that:
1. Is not for the personal use of the applicant,
2. Is invested in New Zealand in New Zealand currency, and
3. Is invested in either one of more of the following
a. Listed equities,
b. Philanthropy,
c. Managed funds, or
d. Direct investments.
The acceptable investment is determined at the time the investment is made and must continue to meet the requirements of an acceptable investment during the 48-month investment period.
The investment value is determined at the time it has been made, inclusive of investment fees (such as management fees), brokerage fees and transaction fees charged.
The weighting system
Acceptable investments carry different weightings toward the NZD $15 million investment threshold. You can invest in a combination of these. Direct investments into a private business will receive the highest weighting (3x). This means that you could meet the required investment amount by investing NZD $5 million into direct investment.
| Investment type | Weighting |
|---|---|
| Listed equities Maximum: NZD $7.5 million |
X1 Each $1 invested will be accorded the value of $1 |
| Philanthropy Maximum: NZD $7.5 million |
X1 Each $1 invested will be accorded the value of $1 |
| Managed funds | X2 Each $1 invested will be accorded the value of $2 |
| Direct investment | X3 Each $1 invested will be accorded the value of $3 |
More information on each investment type can be found on the New Zealand Trade & Enterprise (NZTE) website.
| Investment type | Minimum initial investment |
|---|---|
| Direct Investments | NZD $100,000 |
| Managed funds | NZD $500,000 |
| Listed equities/Philanthropy | NZD $1 million |
Acceptable investments | NZTE website
Property
Property is not an acceptable investment, however as part of your listed equity investments, you can invest in exchange traded funds or managed funds that own companies engaged in the acquisition, development, ownership, leasing, management, and operation of property assets. Note that the exchange traded fund or managed fund can only hold 20% or less of their total assets in the property sector to be considered an acceptable investment.
Partnership
The value you can claim for your investment funds, depends if they are owned by you, or jointly by you and another person.
If you own an investment jointly with:
- your dependent children, you can claim the full value of the investment
- your partner, you can claim the full value of the investment, as long as you and your partner are in a recognised partnership
- someone who isn’t your partner or dependent child, you can only claim for the part of the investment that you own.
Evidence of your funds may include:
- bank statements
- title deeds
- property valuations
- share certificates
- business ownership documents
- asset valuations.
Transfer investment funds
You must transfer your investment funds to New Zealand.
You can also transfer funds through a third party such as a solicitor acting on your behalf, a pension scheme in your name or an investment portfolio account in your name.
If we approve your application in principle, you will have 6 months from that date to transfer your funds.
You can apply for a temporary visa to come to New Zealand and arrange the transfer and investment of your funds.
We may give you a further 6 months to transfer and invest your funds.
You’ll need to contact us before the transfer period expires and show you have made reasonable steps to transfer and invest.
English language test results for an Active Investor Plus Visa
You (the principal applicant) must speak and understand English.
Most of the time we ask you to show this in your application with English language test results.
English language test results for Active Investor Plus applicants
Active Investor Plus applicants can show they can speak and understand English with test results. Check the table to find out which English language test results we accept. If you need test results for your application they must be 2 years old or less at the time you apply.
| Test | Minimum score required |
|---|---|
| International English Language Testing System (IELTS) – General or Academic Module | Overall score of 5.0 or more |
| Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-based Test (TOEFL iBT) | Overall score of 35 or more |
| Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic) | Overall score of 36 or more |
| Cambridge English B2 First (FCE) | Overall score of 154 or more |
| B2 First for Schools (FCE for Schools) | Overall score of 154 or more |
| Occupational English Test (OET) | Grade C or higher in all 4 skills: listening, reading, writing and speaking. You need a score of Grade C or higher in all 4 skills as there is no overall grade for this test. |
Source of investment funds
You must have earned or acquired your investment funds lawfully
The evidence you provide will depend on how you came by your funds. It may include:
- tax returns or certificates
- pay slips
- business financial statements
- business shareholdings
- dividends
- receipts for property sales
- bank certificates
- share trading profits
- evidence of gifted money
- probate and other evidence of inherited money.
It’s OK if your investment includes funds that were gifted to you, as long as the gift was unconditional and lawful, and the funds were originally earned or acquired lawfully.
Green List and other immigration changes
Employing overseas chefs and median wage threshold
New Zealand’s International Border Reopening Plan
Claiming Points for your Age
Claiming Points for your Partners Recognised Qualifications
Claiming Points for Recognised Qualifications