A review of New Zealand's Active Investor Plus Visa programme

The Active Investor Plus Visa category encourages direct investment and drives greater economic benefit for New Zealand.

The Active Investor Plus Visa category aims to attract investors who play an active part in helping companies access global knowledge networks, capital and markets. The visa is designed to generate higher business productivity and job growth.

From September 2022 to 31 March 2025, under the previous visa rules, Immigration New Zealand (INZ) received 115 applications covering 362 applicants. A single application may include several applicants, including a spouse and dependent children.

Of the 115 applications received, 46 were approved for a resident visa, 13 were withdrawn by the applicants and 33 were granted approval in principle.

Detailed article on the The Active Investor Plus Visa.

The new visa rules

On 1 April 2025, changes were made to simplify the investment process, including the introduction of 2 investment categories.

As at 25 September, INZ had received 348 applications under the new rules covering 1,122 applicants, with 72 in the Balanced category and 276 in the Growth category.

Of the 348 applications received, 50 came from applicants transferring an existing application to the new rules and 298 were new applications. No further applicants are eligible to transfer an existing application to the new rules.

These applications equate to a potential minimum total investment of 2.1 billion New Zealand dollars.

251 applications have been granted approval in principle, with 50 in the Balanced category and 201 in the Growth category.

97 applications are still being assessed.

The average time for an application under the new rules to be granted approval in principle is 26 working days.

As at 25 September 2025, 62 applications had been approved and the applicants issued with a resident visa, with 19 in the Balanced category and 43 in the Growth category. The total committed investment from these applications amounts to 398.9 million New Zealand dollars (rounded) into the New Zealand economy. The majority of investments to date have been in managed funds approved by Invest NZ and in bonds.

Applications by nationality

Changes to the Active Investor Plus Visa

The changes to the Active Investor Plus Visa include the introduction of 2 investment categories:

• Growth category: Focused on higher-risk investments, including managed funds and direct investment in New Zealand businesses. The minimum investment required is $5,000,000 NZD held for a minimum of 3 years.
• Balanced category: Focused on mixed investments, with the option of choosing lower-risk holdings. The minimum investment required is $10,000,000 NZD held for 5 years.

Other changes include:

• Reducing the minimum investment amount from $15,000,000 NZD (or the weighted equivalent) to $5,000,000 NZD for the Growth category and $10,000,000 NZD for the Balanced category
• Broadening the range of acceptable investments to include bonds and property-type investments for Balanced category investors
• Removing the English language requirement
• Reducing the immigration requirements for migrants who choose more active investments, such as shortening the time they are required to spend in New Zealand

Applications under the Investor 1 and Investor 2 categories are no longer accepted. All applications in progress with INZ will continue to be processed. It encourages direct investment and drives greater economic benefit for New Zealand.

Further New Zealand immigration updates are available on the government website here.