Business investor visas pathway to residence

What to do

1. 1

   Step 1: Apply for a Business Investor Work Visa

   • Find an acceptable New Zealand business you intend to purchase and be in running.
   • Carry out financial and legal due diligence on your nominated business.
   • Meet the requirements, apply for the Business Investor Work Visa and provide all required evidence.

   Business Investor Work Visa

   Acceptable investments for a Business Investor Work Visa

   Providing evidence of funds and assets for investor visas

   Note

   The length of time you must run your business in New Zealand for, before you are eligible for a Business Investor Resident Visa, depends on how much you invest in an established business.

   • Standard pathway: If you invest at least NZD $1 million, you may be eligible for a resident visa after 3 years of running the business.
   • Fast-track pathway: If you invest at least NZD $2 million, you may be eligible for a resident visa after 12 months of running the business.
2. 2

   Step 2: The Business Investor Work Visa

   A Business Investor Work Visa may be valid for up to 4 years and includes 2 stages.

   The Establishment stage (up to the first 12 months)

   • Purchase your nominated business and start running it.
   • Within the first 9 months, provide evidence showing you have purchased and started running the business.
   • If we approve your evidence, your visa will continue to be valid for the rest of the 4-year period.
   • If you do not provide acceptable evidence within the first 9 months, your visa will expire after the 12-month Establishment stage.

   The Operating stage (the rest of the 4 years)

   • Continue to run your business in New Zealand.
   • Work towards meeting requirements for a Business Investor Resident Visa, for example, time in New Zealand and employment requirements.
3. 3

   Step 3: Apply for a Business Investor Resident Visa

   • Once you have been running your business for 3 years or 12 months (depending on how much you invested), check you meet the requirements for a Business Investor Resident Visa.
   • Apply for a Business Investor Resident Visa and provide all the required evidence.

   Business Investor Resident Visa

4. 4

   Step 4: The Business Investor Resident Visa

   A Business Investor Resident Visa lets you stay in New Zealand indefinitely.

   Note

   If you applied under the fast-track pathway, you must still actively run your business for at least 3 years in total.

   Your resident visa will be granted with , which means you must continue to run your business until you have met the 3-year requirement. This includes the time spent running your business while on your Business Investor Work Visa. Once you have met the 3-year requirement, you can apply to have the conditions removed from your visa.

   Check or change your resident visa conditions

   After you have had a Business Investor Resident Visa for at least 2 years and met all the conditions, you can apply for a Permanent Resident Visa.

   Becoming a permanent resident of New Zealand