New Zealand is experiencing a sharp rise in applications for its investor residency scheme, with wealthy Americans leading demand as changes to visa rules reshape the country’s high-end migration and travel landscape.
Revisions to the Active Investor Plus visa, introduced in April 2025, lowered minimum investment thresholds, removed English-language requirements and reduced the physical stay requirement from three years to three weeks. Successful applicants may purchase residential property only if it is valued above NZ$5m. Since the changes, Immigration New Zealand has received 573 applications covering 1,833 individuals, compared with 116 applications over the previous two-and-a-half years under the earlier framework.
Government data show US citizens account for nearly 40% of applicants, followed by China and Hong Kong. Applications from China have more than doubled since August 2025, rising from 45 to 95. Other leading source markets include Germany, Taiwan, Singapore, Vietnam, Japan, South Korea and Great Britain.
The scheme offers two pathways: a “growth” category requiring a minimum NZ$5m investment over three years, and a “balanced” category requiring NZ$10m over five years. The previous version of the programme required NZ$15m. Immigration New Zealand said the revised scheme has generated NZ$3.39bn in investment.
Applicants include US-based venture capitalists Courtney and Jim Andelman, who, with their daughters, became the 100th family granted residency under the revised rules. The couple said the visa allows them to spend more time in New Zealand while investing in local venture funds and companies, particularly in deep-tech sectors such as artificial intelligence, robotics and biotechnology.
Advisers assisting applicants report that political considerations have featured in discussions with US investors. At the same time, New Zealand has recorded elevated outward migration among its own citizens in recent years, although the latest figures show a modest improvement. The investor scheme therefore sits within a broader recalibration of cross-border mobility, capital flows and high-net-worth travel decisions.
