The new visa for foreign investors includes a path to permanent residency. Here's what to know.

Travelers from around the world have long been drawn to New Zealand’s diverse wildlife and rich culture. If you’re one of the many who’ve fallen in love with the island country, and entertained the idea of moving there, things just got easier thanks to a new golden visa—so long as you have spare time and money to invest in a local business.

On November 24, 2025 New Zealand will open applications for its new Business Investor Work Visa, which promises residency for up to four years. But its greatest benefit is in the fine print: The program puts participants on track for permanent residency. Here’s how it works.

Applicants can either invest $1 million New Zealand Dollars (about $567,300) for a three-year work-to-residency track, or $2 million NZD (about $1,134,480) for an expedited one-year path. That’s on top of a $12,380 NZD (about $7,010) application fee and the requirement of helping run the business you invest in. After the designated time has passed, visa holders can then apply to stay in the country indefinitely, via the Business Investor Resident Visa.

However, there are some stipulations: Applicants must have funds of at least $500,000 NZD (about $283,700) to cover their own and their family’s needs (applicants can bring their partner and dependent children). And they must prove that they’re business savvy, which the government says includes owning a company that achieves an annual revenue of $1 million NZD (about $567,300) or employs at least five full-time workers.

Expect limitations around the companies you can invest in, too. For example, they must be at least five years old. And some industries are barred, including gambling enterprises, fast food franchises, and or tobacco-related companies.

How does it compare to other New Zealand visas?

This isn’t New Zealand’s first residency-by-investment rodeo. The country already has an Active Investor Plus golden visa program, although it does have higher investment requirements: $5 million NZD (about $2,835,700) for three years in what the government describes as “higher-risk investments,” or $10 million NZD (about $5,669,350) in “lower risk” investments—on top of the $27,470 NZD (about $15,550) application fee. In return, investors and their families can apply for permanent residency.

After the visa's requirements were lowered earlier this year to the above thresholds, 189 investors applied in less than three months, Reuters reported, about 45% of which were US citizens. The Active Investor Plus Visa is considered a worthy alternative to the new Business Investor Work Visa, especially for those not able to take a proactive role in running a business.

If you're not quite an investor, but are more entrepreneurial, there might soon be options for you to move to New Zealand soon, too: The country is currently working on a visa option for “startup entrepreneurs with scalable, innovative business ideas,” Erica Stanford, the country’s immigration minister, said in a statement. For remote workers, New Zealand also offers a 90-day digital nomad visa with no minimum income requirement. (CNTraveler)