Points indicator for Entrepreneur Work Visa

Check how many points you may be able to claim in your visa application. Only an immigration officer can confirm your points when they assess your application.

Minimum capital investment

I’ll invest at least NZ $100,000

When you apply for your visa, we’ll ask you to provide evidence that the funds and/or assets you intend to use for your capital investment are:

owned by you (or you and your partner)
earned or acquired lawfully.

Evidence you own the funds and/or assets to invest may include:

bank statements
title deeds
property valuations
share certificates
business ownership documents
asset valuations.

Evidence you earned or acquired the funds and/or assets lawfully, 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.

Your funds and/or assets can’t be borrowed or have a loan or bond against them.

It’s OK if your investment includes funds that were gifted to you, as long as they were gifted unconditionally and earned or acquired lawfully.

You can’t include any of the following in your capital investment:

passive or speculative investments, like reserve funds or term deposits
items for your own use, like your car, boat or home
any salary or wages paid to you or your immediate family
residential property investments, unless they’re part of the business plan you’ll be asked to include with your visa application.

I’ll ask Immigration New Zealand to consider waiving the minimum capital investment requirement

We’ll only consider waiving the minimum capital investment requirement, if both:

your business is in science, ICT or another high-value export sector
your business shows a high level of innovation or short-term growth prospects.

For us to consider your business a high-value export business, it would need to aim to:

create 5 or more jobs for New Zealanders
turnover NZ $500,000 in annual exports.

For us to consider your business has a high level of innovation, you would need to show us:

you’ve discovered new ways to produce more goods or services without increasing the production costs
your business is likely to succeed because of your new ways.

If we agree to waive the minimum capital investment, you won’t be able to claim points for it.

Business experience
Choose only one

I’ve spent at least 3 years running my own business which is similar to the one I intend to run in New Zealand

When you apply, you must provide information about any business you may have run in the past, including:

the industry the business was in
background information about your business
your turnover and profitability
how many people you employed
how your business experience is relevant to the business you plan to run in New Zealand
how your business experience will help your New Zealand business to succeed.

You must provide evidence to support your answers, which may include:

business registration licences
financial statements, audited, if available
copies of tax returns
contact details for the business
organisation charts
employment agreements.

It’s OK to provide a report covering all these points, as long as it’s provided by an internationally-recognised accounting firm.

I’ve spent at least 3 years running my own business which is not similar to the one I intend to run in New Zealand

When you apply, we’ll ask you for information about any business you may have run in the past, including:

the industry the business was in
background information about your business
your turnover and profitability
how many people you employed.

We’ll ask you for evidence to support your answers, which may include:

business registration licences
financial statements, audited, if available
copies of tax returns
contact details for the business
organisation charts
employment agreements.

It’s OK to provide a report covering all these points, as long as it’s provided by an internationally-recognised accounting firm.

I’ve spent at least 5 years as a senior manager in a business that’s similar to the one I intend to run in New Zealand

To be eligible for points for business experience as a senior manager, your experience must be:

with a lawful business enterprise that has at least 5 full-time employees or an annual turnover of at least NZ $1 million
in a role that includes planning, organisation, control, change management and direction setting
relevant to the business you plan to run in New Zealand.

When you apply, we’ll ask you to explain:

what industry you have experience as a senior manager in
your role and responsibilities as a senior manager
how many years’ experience you have
how many employees you managed
the turnover for your business
your executive powers
how your experience as a senior manager is relevant to the business you plan to run in New Zealand
how your experience as a senior manager will help your New Zealand business to succeed.

We’ll ask you to provide evidence to support your answers, which may include:

references from your employer
your employment agreement and job description
documents showing a board of directors or the shareholders conferred executive powers on you
annual reports for the business.

Benefit to New Zealand
Choose up to two

My business will provide full-time jobs for New Zealanders

To be eligible for points for benefiting New Zealand, you’ll need to create either:

one or more new ongoing full-time jobs in New Zealand
two or more part-time jobs that are equivalent to at least one full-time job.

Your evidence should include employment agreements detailing the new position(s).

You can’t claim points for positions that are already part of an existing business, or are for contract or casual roles.

All employment agreements must comply with New Zealand employment and immigration laws.

My business is forecast to turnover at least NZ $200,000 in annual exports

When you apply, we’ll ask you to provide a business plan, which should include:

detailed projections outlining how you expect to earn the forecast turnover
details of any certification, registration, or distribution rights or licences you’ll need to export your goods and what you’ve done to get them
if you’ll be supplying domestic as well as export markets, a breakdown of how much turnover you expect from each.

My business will provide a product or service that is unique or new to its New Zealand location

When you apply, we’ll ask you to explain why your product or service is ‘unique’ or ‘new’ to New Zealand.

We’ll consider a product or service ‘unique’, if it’s:

the only one of its kind in New Zealand
not available in the New Zealand location you plan to run your business.

We’ll consider a product or service ‘new’, if it offers:

a significant enhancement or product line not being provided by an existing business in New Zealand or in the location you plan to run your business
an enhancement that would contribute to New Zealand’s economic growth over the next 3 years.

Age

I’m 59 or under

When you apply for your visa, we’ll ask you to provide a passport or certificate of identity as proof of your identity, which we’ll use to confirm your age.

If you turn 60 before you apply, you won’t be able to claim points for your age.

Business location

My business will be located outside of Auckland

When you apply, you’ll need to submit a business plan, which should include details of your business location.

Our online systems

Apply for a visa

Points indicator for Entrepreneur Work Visa