How to apply – General (Active) Investor Category

Applying for residence under the General (Active) Investor Category is a two-step process:

1. You submit an Expression of Interest (EOI), providing us with information about yourself, but not providing any documents.
2. If we accept your Expression of Interest and send you an Invitation to Apply, you submit an application, with which you provide evidence for your claims.

If you have already been invited to apply, or you want to find out what you will need to do if you are invited, see the residence application pages.

EOI – a points-based system

We use a points system to judge the ability of a potential investor migrant to contribute to New Zealand businesses. You claim points on your EOI for your age, business experience, and investment funds. All of the EOIs that we receive are placed in a 'pool' – a collection of EOIs from interested people. When we make a selection from the pool, those with the highest points total in their EOI may be invited to apply for residence.

You cannot apply for residence under this category unless you are invited.

Selection of Expressions of Interest

A selection of EOIs under the General (Active) Investor Category took place on Wednesday 27 August 2008. The selection point was 95, and one EOI was selected.

How to express interest

The first step you have to take is to complete a General (Active) Investor Category Expression of Interest (INZ 1148) PDF. Use the General Active Investor Category Guide (INZ 1149) PDF to help you fill in this form.

Claiming points on your EOI

Once you are sure you meet our minimum requirements, you can look into how many points you can claim. Meeting the basic requirements will entitle you to 95 points – if you are aged between 45 and 54 (5 points), you have four years' business experience (40 points), and you have NZ$2.5 million to invest in New Zealand for four years (50 points). 95 points is enough for your EOI to enter the pool. The points that you claim on top of that 95 will increase your chance of being selected.

Age

You can claim points on your EOI for your age:

• 20-29 years – 25 points
• 30-34 years – 20 points
• 35-39 years – 15 points
• 40-44 years  – 10 points
• 45-54 years – 5 points.

Business experience

The minimum four years' business experience will entitle you to 40 points. You can claim more points if you have more business experience, and bonus points if the experience is in certain areas. The points you can claim for business experience are:

• 4-5 years – 40 points
• 6-9 years – 45 points
• 10-14 years – 50 points
• 15-19 years – 55 points
• 20+ years – 60 points

Bonus points for business experience

You can claim bonus points if your business experience is in one or more of these areas:

• Export linkages – 5 points if you have owned or managed a lawful business enterprise that has exported to at least one country or has imported from New Zealand, for at least 12 months.
• Entrepreneurship – 5 points if you have established a new lawful business enterprise that you still operate or have sold as a going concern, having operated that business for at least 12 months.
• Management skills – 5 points if you have been responsible for managing a lawful business enterprise which has at least 10 full-time employees and/or an annual turnover equivalent to NZ$2.5 million, for at least 12 months; or you hold a Master of Business Administration qualification, which would qualify for 55 points as a recognised qualification under the Skilled Migrant Category (see SM14 in our Operational Manual).

Also, if your business experience in export linkages, entrepreneurship or management skills is in a 'future growth area', you can claim 5 additional points in each case. Future growth areas are:

• biotechnology
• information communications technology
• creative industries (advertising, software and computing services, publishing, TV and radio, film and video, architecture, design, designer fashion, music and performing arts, visual arts).

See an example of the points that can be claimed for business experience.

Investment funds

The minimum investment funds of NZ$2.5 million will entitle you to 50 points. You can claim more points if you nominate more investment funds than the minimum NZ$2.5 million:

• NZ$8 million or more – 90 points
• NZ$7 million – 85 points
• NZ$6 million – 80 points
• NZ$5 million – 75 points
• NZ$4 million – 70 points
• NZ$3 million – 60 points
• NZ$2.5 million – 50 points

Additional points for active investment

You may claim additional points if you intend part of your overall investment in New Zealand to be in active investment. You can place the amount that you claim points for in a number of investments, but they must meet the active investment requirements. The minimum amount of active investment required for additional points is NZ$500,000 – the more funds that you intend to invest actively, the more points you can claim:

• NZ$4 million or more – 16 points
• NZ$3.75 million – 15 points
• NZ$3.5 million – 14 points
• NZ$3.25 million – 13 points
• NZ$3 million – 12 points
• NZ$2.75 million – 11 points
• NZ$2.5 million – 10 points
• NZ$2.25 million – 9 points
• NZ$2 million – 8 points
• NZ$1.75 million – 7 points
• NZ$1.5 million – 6 points
• NZ$1.25 million – 5 points
• NZ$1 million – 4 points
• NZ$0.75 million – 3 points
• NZ$0.5 million – 2 points.

See an example of the points that can be claimed for investment funds.

When you submit your EOI

• Do not provide any documentation at this stage to support the claims you make in your EOI.
• Find the fee for an Expression of Interest on our Office and fees finder or New Zealand Immigration’s Guide to Fees (NZIS 1028) PDF.
• Take a photocopy of your completed EOI form and keep it for your records. If you are invited to apply for residence, you will need to refer to this form and confirm in your residence application that either your circumstances are the same, or inform us of any changes that may affect your application.

Send your completed EOI to:

Business Migration Branch
Immigration New Zealand
PO Box 3705
Wellington, New Zealand

Applying for residence

Find out what you will need to do – and the evidence you will need to supply to support the claims you make on your EOI – if you are invited to apply for residence.