Further Details About April 2025’s Active Investor Plus Visa Changes

Further details have now been published regarding the April 2025 changes to New Zealand’s Active Investor Plus Visa.

As set out in our previous post, relaxed eligibility criteria are set to come into effect for all new applications received from 1 April 2025 onwards. The government hopes these changes will increase takeup of the Active Investor Plus Visa by wealthy foreign nationals who want to make a significant investment in New Zealand.

Active Investor Plus Visa – latest changes

Immigration New Zealand issued a press release on 3 March 2025 confirming the changes announced last month, and providing new details about eligibility requirements and the process potential investors will be expected to follow in order to secure an Active Investor Plus Visa.

The latest changes announced are as follows:

• Applicants under the ‘Balanced’ category wil be able to spend less than the standard 105 days in New Zealand during the course of their 60-month investment, if they invest higher amounts. These reduced minimum times are:
  • 91 days for investments of at least NZD $11,000,000
  • 77 days for investments of at least NZD $12,000,000
  • 63 days for investments of at least NZD $13,000,000
• Caps on investments will be removed
• Investors must make their planned investments in full in order for them to be eligible for a resident visa
• ‘Growth’ category investors may be permitted to re-invest returned capital below NZD $1,000,000 into investments which fall under the ‘Balanced’ category
• The introduction of ‘on-call investments’, which allow Active Investor Plus Visa applicants to classify certain investments (e.g. bank accounts, bonds, listed equities, term deposits) as being able to be called upon by a managed fund
• Active Investor Plus Visa holders’ newborn children will now be eligible for a Dependent Child Resident Visa, and can be added to their parent’s Permanent Resident Visa applications
• The need for applicants to meet standard health and good character requirements has been confirmed

Previously announced Active Investor Plus Visa changes

The Active Investor Plus Visa changes that were previously announced are:

• two simpler categories of investment: ‘Growth’ and ‘Balanced’
  • the Growth category has a minimum investment requirement of NZD $5,000,000
  • the Balanced category has a minimum investment requirement of NZD $10,000,000
• the definitions for ‘acceptable investments’ in the Balanced category will be expanded to include bond and property investments (e.g. new residential, new/existing commercial or industrial developments)
• the time in which visa holders in the Growth and Balanced categories must make their New Zealand investments has been reduced
  • investments must be made within six months of receiving visa approval in principle
  • a six month extension may be requested
• the time holders are required to spend in New Zealand during their investment will be reduced
  • in the Growth category, holders must spend at least 21 days in New Zealand over the course of a minimum 36-month investment
  • in the Balanced category, holders must spend at least 105 days in New Zealand over the course of a minimum 60-month investment (can be reduced for direct investments and investments in managed funds)
• periodic checkpoints to ensure investments are still active have been reduced from three to two
  • the first checkpoint will be at 24 months; the second will be at the end of the minimum investment term (36 or 60 months)
• the existing English language requirement has been removed

	Growth Category	Balanced Category
Minimum investment amount	NZD 5,000,000	NZD 10,000,000
Acceptable investment categories	Managed funds Direct investments	Managed funds Direct investments Bonds Property development Listed equities Philanthropy
Time to transfer and invest	6 months from Agreement in Principle	6 months from Agreement in Principle
Investment retention time	36 months	60 months
Investment retention checkpoints	At 24 months and 36 months	At 24 months and 60 months
Minimum time in NZ	21 days during the investment period	105 days during the investment period. Reductions apply for direct investments and managed funds.

If you are considering a long-term investment in New Zealand and would like to explore your visa options, including the Active Investor Plus Visa, our team of qualified migration advisors can help. Contact us or book a consultation today and we will be happy to provide you with a comprehensive suite of options tailored to your unique needs and circumstances.