New Zealand opens doors to investors

New Zealand opens its doors to investors — new rules for «golden visas»

• New rules for obtaining an investor visa came into force in New Zealand on April 1, 2025. The government announced a number of concessions and optimizations designed to make the country more attractive to wealthy migrants and successful entrepreneurs:

1. Cancellation of the requirement for knowledge of English — visa candidates no longer need to confirm proficiency in the language, which significantly lowers the entry threshold for applicants from non-English-speaking countries. This innovation opens the way to New Zealand for successful businessmen from China, Russia, Brazil, the Middle East and other regions.
2. Reduction of the period of mandatory stay in the country — the government met halfway investors who want to maintain mobility and freedom of movement. Now holders of investment visas are required to stay in New Zealand for only 21 days over three years under the minimum investment category. Previously, this requirement was 117 days over four years.
3. Liberalization of the program structure — the visa program has been radically reformed: the number of categories has been reduced to two, and the list of acceptable investment instruments has been significantly expanded. Now investors are allowed to invest not only in companies and funds, but also in bonds, commercial and residential real estate, and infrastructure projects.

• After the 2025 reform, investors will have two main options for participating in the program:

1. High-risk category — minimum amount of 5 million (~2.8–2.9 million USD), investment period of 3 years, minimum presence in the country of 21 days over 3 years, acceptable instruments: business, managed funds.
2. Balanced category/low risk — minimum amount of 10 million NZD and above, investment period of 5 years, minimum presence in the country of 105 days over 5 years, acceptable instruments: shares, bonds, housing projects, real estate.

To obtain an investment visa, it is enough to choose the appropriate category and fulfill the conditions for the amount of investment and minimum stay in the country within the established time frame. The program is flexible: as the investment amount increases, the minimum period of residence can be reduced. This allows investors to determine the balance between the amount of investment and the presence requirements themselves.

Reasons and expected effects of the reform

The New Zealand government notes that the changes are motivated by several strategic goals:

1. The need to attract fresh capital to support the economy — against the backdrop of a global economic downturn and global competition for investment, New Zealand needs an influx of foreign funds to stimulate growth, create new jobs and implement large-scale projects.
2. Positive migration effect — new residents bring not only money, but also knowledge, business connections, experience, innovative ideas. This is important for the sustainable development and diversification of the country's economy. Attracting talented and wealthy people from all over the world will help New Zealand strengthen human capital and increase competitiveness on the global stage.
3. Maintaining leadership in the competition for investors — while most European countries are tightening the conditions of «golden visas» or even curtailing such programs, New Zealand is making them more accessible and modern. This creates a favorable image of a reliable, stable and open jurisdiction ready to accept investors from all over the world.

Minister for Immigration Erica Stanford and Prime Minister Christopher Lacson emphasize that the country is becoming more open to investors from all over the world, focusing on speed, simplicity and predictability of decision-making. “Capital is very mobile and in an increasingly complex world, people are looking for a safe and stable country to do business. Now, we are simplifying and making our investment visa more flexible to encourage investors to choose New Zealand as a destination,” said Minister for Immigration Erica Stanford.

New Zealand’s decision goes against the global trend of tightening investment migration rules. Many European countries – Spain, the UK, Portugal, Ireland, Greece, Malta and the Netherlands – are either completely closing or severely limiting similar programs due to rising property prices and political risks. Against this backdrop, New Zealand is cementing its status as the country with the most transparent, modern and advantageous long-term investment program for wealthy foreigners. The liberalization of rules is intended to increase the country's attractiveness in the eyes of the global business elite and redirect investment flows into the island state's economy.

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Prospects for Foreign Investors and the New Zealand Economy

• The announced vector of visa legislation modernization has already led to a surge of interest from potential program participants. Immigration consultants and law firms have recorded a significant increase in the number of inquiries and applications from foreign investors, especially from Asia and the Middle East. Experts predict that the liberalization of investment visas will become a powerful stimulus for the economic development of New Zealand. The influx of capital is expected to support key industries, ensure the creation of new jobs and accelerate the integration of foreign specialists into the technological and entrepreneurial landscape of the country. In addition, an increase in the number of wealthy residents will have a positive effect on the real estate market, the service sector and the luxury goods industry. Investors and their families will become an important target audience for developers, retailers, private schools, premium medical and health institutions.
• In addition to purely economic considerations, New Zealand attracts investors with a unique combination of quality of life factors. The country is known for its natural beauty, clean ecology, pleasant climate, low crime rate and the friendliness of the locals. In the context of geopolitical instability, global epidemics and growing social tensions in many parts of the world, New Zealand is perceived as a safe haven for families and capital. By investing in the country's economy, wealthy foreigners not only get the opportunity to increase their wealth, but also a kind of «insurance» in case of crisis scenarios.

In summary, it can be said that the 2025 investment visa reform has become an important milestone in the history of New Zealand. Liberalization of rules, reduction of requirements for investors and expansion of acceptable investment instruments have turned the local program into one of the most attractive and competitive products in the global «golden visa» market. It is expected that in the coming years, the inflow of foreign capital into the country will increase significantly, providing additional resources for infrastructure development, support for innovation and the creation of high-paying jobs. Wealthy foreigners, in turn, will gain access to a unique combination of investment opportunities, tax preferences, security and the highest quality of life. Thus, New Zealand is confidently positioning itself as one of the most desirable and promising centers of attraction for the international business elite. The strategy of «open doors» for investors promises to become an important driver of economic growth and prosperity of the country in the long term.

New Zealand's experience in liberalizing investment visas can become a valuable example for other countries seeking to increase their attractiveness to international capital and talent. At the same time, the country's unique combination of economic, social and natural advantages makes it a difficult model to copy, which provides New Zealand with a strong competitive position in the global fight for investors in the foreseeable future.