IMI Logo Black

New Zealand to Scrap English Test, Slash Investment Requirements for Investor Visa

"No one has ever invested 15 million actual dollars": New Zealand admits investor visa rules were "an absolute nightmare"

New Zealand will announce considerable changes to its Active Investor Plus Visa program on Sunday, including simpler investment thresholds and removing language requirements, according to The Post.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford, and Finance Minister Nicola Willis will outline the changes in Auckland.

Immigration Minister Erica Stanford told The Post that the existing rules created “an absolute nightmare […] complicated and difficult” and that “no one’s been using it.” The program has attracted only 35 approved applications in the past two years, registering an 84% drop in average annual revenue.

James Hall, Director of ANZ Migrate, first revealed these changes to IMI in December 2024, noting that the government would remove English language requirements and introduce new investment options.

Investment Structure Overhaul

The reform transforms a complex investment structure into a simpler two-tier system.

Webinar banner

Currently, investors face a nominal $15 million requirement under varying multipliers: direct investments carry a 3x multiplier, managed funds 2x, and listed equities and philanthropy face a 50% cap at $2.5 million.

Stanford emphasizes that “no one has ever invested 15 million actual dollars.”

The new system establishes two clear paths: $5 million for direct investments or managed funds and $10 million for lower-risk investments; as Stanford believes, “if you want to have a higher risk, then you got more perks.”

Applicants who invest $5 million must spend 21 days a year in New Zealand to maintain their residency, while those who invest $10 million must reside 105 days.

New Investment Categories

For the first time, the visa allows investments in commercial property and property development projects.

events banner

Stanford envisions that investors starting with safer options will evolve: “If you don’t [choose higher risk], that’s fine, because we know over time, those people who come in and invest in lower risk, like commercial property, property developments, or equities, then over time, once they’ve got to understand the market, they invest in higher risk.”

Language Requirement Eliminated

The program will eliminate its English language proficiency requirement, which Stanford indicates particularly deterred investors from Korea, Japan, and Germany, who found it “insulting.”

Property Ownership Discussion

While the ban on foreign residential property ownership remains, changes may come. Stanford acknowledges that “buying a home is important” while noting that “many people are lining up for this new visa who know that they can’t buy a home but are still prepared to invest.”

Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters signals openness to change. He told The Post the country is “not selling ourselves out if you are investing in New Zealand, and you are going to have a massive part in building our economy if home-ownership, while you do that, is part of it,” Peters explains.

The government banks on New Zealand’s geographic isolation and political tranquility to attract ultra-wealthy investors in an increasingly turbulent world. Stanford says interest has been “phenomenal now that we have signaled that we’re open to the world.”

IMI Pros who can help with New Zealand residency


IMI Pro


For committed professionals

Monthly
€99

or €840 per year (30% discount)


  • Your own dedicated IMI Pro profile page in IMI

  • Access IMI Rolodex

  • Access to IMI Data Center

  • Access to IMI Private Briefings

  • IMI Citizenship Catalog

  • Unlimited articles

  • Quarterly Processing Time Data

  • IMI Reports included

  • Access IMI Inner Circle Telegram Group

  • Watch members-only interviews

  • Advance invitation to IMI Events

Sign up now

Cancel any time, no questions asked.

Explore IMI’s Tools and Resources

Browse the world’s biggest collection of investment migration statistics in the

IMI DATA CENTER

Find a specialist for any IM program with

IMI PROFESSIONALS

Not sure which program is right for you? Narrow down the search with our​

IMI PROGRAM FINDER

>> See all IMI tools and resources

Subscribe to the IMI Newsletter

Get investment opportunities, policy updates, and high-signal news from directly in your inbox each week.

As a special gift, we’ll even send you a free copy of 13 Special Regimes for Low-Tax Living in High-Tax Europe.

13 Special Regimes for Low-Tax Living in High-Tax Europe
Subscribe and Get Access

Trusted by 300,000+ investors, professionals, and global citizens