Entrepreneur Category
Investor Category
Entrepreneur
Category
To be eligible for residence in New Zealand under our Entrepreneur
Category, you need to have successfully established, and
be self-employed or working in, a business that is benefiting
New Zealand.
You may have applied for, and gained, a Long Term Business
Visa or Permit so that you could establish the business,
and now wish to apply for residence. Or you may have held
a Work Permit granted under another category that allowed
you to establish your own business and you now want to apply
for residence.
This is not a points system but rather is dependent on the
applicant showing that they have:
• A viable and credible business plan
• Sufficient funds to purchase/establish their business
• Sufficient personal funds to support themselves
for three years
• Appropriate business skills and background
• A business plan that will benefit New Zealand
• A good command of English.
The Long-term Business Visa/Entrepreneur (LTBV) visa pathway
is generally open to business owners, senior managers/company
directors or those applicants with a successful history
of self-employment or business ownership.
Visa Process
The process to immigrate to New Zealand on this pathway
involves two visa applications
.
1. You will be issued with a long-term business (work) visa,
for an initial period of nine months, to enter New Zealand
to establish or purchase your business. Upon satisfying
the visa officer of this, you will then be issued a further
work permit for up to a maximum period of 3 years, allowing
you to continue establishing and running your business.
2. Permanent residence is applied for under the Entrepreneur
Class once the business has been successfully established
in New Zealand for at least 2 years and meets the prevailing
criteria. The success of the first stage (LTBV) largely
depends on the quality of your business plan, so make sure
that you seek professional advice from a Migration Consultant
on this aspect.
Investor
Class
You can apply for residence under the Investor Category
if you are invited to apply. You will be invited to apply
if you can show in your Expression of Interest that you:
- have NZ$2 million to invest for five years
- have at least five years’ business experience
- are healthy
- are of good character
- meet English language requirements
- are 54 years or younger.
Your partner
and/or dependent children
Your partner and/or your dependent children who are included
in your residence application must be of good health and
character. They must also meet English language requirements
or pre-purchase English language tuition, which they’ll
need to take up when they arrive in New Zealand.
You need to be able to settle and contribute
To be granted residence under the Investor Category, you
need to demonstrate that you could successfully settle in
and contribute to New Zealand by showing that:
1. you intend to make New Zealand your main home, and
2. you can maintain yourself and your family in New Zealand.
