Investment migration people in the news this week included:
- Robbie Paul of Icehouse Ventures
- Caleb Paterson of Paterson Luxury
- Mark Harris of Sotheby’s International Realty
- Henley & Partners
- Sarah Liu of Bayleys Real Estate
- Sarah Wood of Realestate.co.nz
- David Lesperance of Lesperance & Associates
- Ron Klasko of Klasko Immigration Law Partners
- Reaz Jafri of Withers
- George Ganey of Ganey Law Group
- David Kim of Colombo & Hurd
The Guardian – Wealthy Americans top ‘golden visa’ surge in New Zealand and applications from China double
Robbie Paul, the chief executive of the Auckland-based venture capital firm Icehouse Ventures, has worked with more than 30 people who have applied for a golden visa. Paul helps applicants fulfil their visa requirements by assisting with their investments in New Zealand.
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“I’ll put it this way, never in my time in New Zealand, did I have an applicant reference Biden or Obama … and then, absolutely, a lot of references to people’s feelings towards MAGA and Trump,” he said.
The Business Times – New Zealand reopens luxury housing market as rich foreigners eye havens
“Over the last week, especially with President Trump’s recent actions, inquiries from America have definitely picked up,” said Caleb Paterson, the owner of Auckland-based real estate firm Paterson Luxury. “I’ve had six genuine inquiries from the US in the past four days alone. It’s making New Zealand a more appealing place to move to.”
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“In one case, a property that had been listed with multiple agencies for months is now going into multi-offer,” he said. “Many of these buyers are locals who feel urgency now that foreign buyers can re-enter the market.”
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Queenstown realtor Mark Harris, managing director and founder of Sotheby’s International Realty New Zealand, said interest in the area was high.
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“There have been multiple private jets in Queenstown recently – not all for property, of course – but international interest in New Zealand is strong from buyers who either have AIP status or are applying,” he said. “Our website traffic reflects that, United States users are up 61 per cent year on year, and Australians are up 24 per cent year on year.”
Forbes – New Indices Reveal Best Golden Visas, As More Americans Seek A Plan B
Henley & Partners saw inquiries increase by 183% between the first three months of 2024 and 2025, and this translated into applications. 2024 was a record year, but by the end of September 2025, applications had increased by 67%, and Americans were the largest group, accounting for 30% of the company’s applicants.
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In the Henley Passport Index 2026, the U.S. passport ranked 10th most powerful in the world, behind 38 other countries, including Malaysia, Lithuania, Iceland, Slovakia, Canada, and the United Arab Emirates. Last year, it ranked at its lowest level in history, number 12, a fall from the previous 20 years, when it consistently ranked within the top ten.
The Post – NZ faces ultra-luxury home shortage as golden visa buyers hunt for $20m-plus properties
Luxury property specialist Sarah Liu, from Bayleys Real Estate, said some of the wealthiest buyers operated exclusively in the $20 million-plus bracket.
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“If buyers at that level cannot identify a sufficient pool of appropriate properties, there is a real possibility some may choose not to proceed with the visa and we may lose them to another market.”
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Realestate.co.nz chief executive Sarah Wood said that over the past year the number of international searches in the premium end of the market made up 40% of the activity in that space.
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“The active investor plus visa programme introduces a positive demand shock into this segment of the market overnight, and the supply has not had a chance to grow organically over time.
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NZ Sotheby’s International Realty managing director Mark Harris said there had been a significant pick up in activity in the $8m to $10m-plus end of the market, and enquiry from active visa plus holders was playing a part.
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“Not all active visa plus holders will want to buy property, but Australian and Singaporean buyers have not been subject to a ban and are active in the upper end of the market. “And the presence of active visa plus buyers will put pressure on those purchasers, and domestic purchasers to come to the market.”
Barron’s – Tax the Rich. Why That Chant Is Louder Than Ever.
A problem with local levies, however, is that billionaires are mobile. An ultrawealthy person’s family office can act like a “Formula One pit crew” and zip a family out of a high-tax jurisdiction and set them up in a friendlier tax zone, attorney David Lesperance told Barron’s.
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Of the approximate 200 billionaires in California, several are reported to have cut ties with the state. Among them: White House AI and Crypto Czar David Sacks, who moved to Texas in December, according to a news release from his venture-capital firm, and four of Lesperance’s clients.
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The 5% levy initiative, if gets on the ballot and passes, is designed to be retroactive to Jan. 1, 2026. The end result: California will no longer receive the taxes these relocated billionaires had been paying, Lesperance says. “The problem is you’re trying to grab a golden egg and you’re killing the golden goose. It’s counterproductive.”
Independent Voter News – How It Really Works: The California Billionaire Wealth Tax
The Marin Independent Journal reported that tax adviser David Lesperance said: “Because of the potential ballot measure, almost all of my clients are taking steps as quickly as possible both to sever California residence and to move assets outside of the state.”
Barron’s – Trump’s Gold Card Is a Hard Sell. The Million Bucks Is Only 1 Reason.
For example, a family of four would have to pay $4 million for Trump Gold Cards. For EB-5, the family would only have to invest $800,000 in an economic development project that they would eventually get back—along with an investment return—if the project succeeds, said Ron Klasko, chairman of Klasko Immigration Law Partners.
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“When you put one up against the other, in most cases, people say EB-5 makes a lot more sense,” he told Barron’s.
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For Reaz Jafri, an immigration lawyer with the international firm Withers, the Gold Card “is a pretty significant change to the law.”
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“This was done unilaterally without input by stakeholders,” said Jafri, who is also CEO of Dasein Advisors, a citizenship and residency consulting firm. “The harm…is very real.”
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George Ganey, founding partner of Ganey Law Group, has had several clients apply for the Gold Card, though they haven’t had any word back from the government. All are fans of Trump, he said: “They support his agenda, they think highly of him as a businessman.”
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“This isn’t child’s play—the administration intends on making this a durable program,” said David Kim, a lawyer at Colombo & Hard, who is also representing the plaintiffs.
