New Zealand's natural beauty is well known, but with high-quality healthcare, education and infrastructure, it's also a great place to settle for those seeking a new home. New Zealand is looking to invite more long-term visitors and residents through a streamlined golden visa program to add to its recent launch of a digital nomad visa. Here's what to know about the changes.
The New Zealand Government Is Relaxing Golden Visa Program
New Zealand launched its new long-term digital nomad visa last month, which, unlike most global digital nomad visas, does not have a minimum monthly income requirement.
At about the same time, Prime Minister Christopher Mark Luxon announced that the government is to relax the process for its golden visa to attract new residents and investment from April 1, 2025 onward. A golden visa differs from a digital nomad visa because it offers a path to permanent residency through investing in the country.
The old visa process had asked for an English language requirement, which is now being removed—Luxon said this requirement had scared off potential investors in recent years, as per The New Zealand Herald.
The process also removes the complicated weighting system of investments. Instead, it introduces two new portfolio types with different minimum stay requirements in the country, ranging from 21 days to 105, and investment amounts, ranging from $2.9 million over three years to $5.8 million over five years. Previously, the investment amount had been higher. Luxon equated the new streamlined process to "rolling out the welcome mat" for new arrivals.
New Zealand Golden Visa—The Geography Is A Big Draw
Since the U.S. election, there has been an enormous increase in Americans' interest in moving overseas, both on a permanent and temporary basis.
New Zealand's geography offers one of the biggest draws. It is relatively sparse in population; with just over 5 million people, it's one of the least densely populated countries in the world.
Dominic Jones, Managing Director of Greener Pastures New Zealand, an investment and lifestyle advisory firm for people looking to move to New Zealand, believes people are turning to the country for three reasons—its lifestyle, safety and political stability.
Jones says, "With a stable government, low crime rates, and an unparalleled quality of life, New Zealand offers both security and a world-class lifestyle, making it one of the most attractive residency-by-investment destinations in the world."
Jones adds, "New Zealand's geographic location, far from geopolitical conflicts, provides an added layer of insulation from global volatility."
New Zealand Golden Visa—Big Financial Incentives For Newcomers
Henley&Partners, an immigration firm for high-net-worth individuals, ranks New Zealand's golden visa (called the Active Investor Plus visa) in the top 10 of golden visas globally because of how much it protects investors and the ease of starting and doing business there.
The country also offers financial incentives. New Zealand has no gift, estate or wealth tax, no capital gains tax and an extensive tax treaty network. Its legal system is based on English law. For Americans, Henley&Partners lists New Zealand as 21st in its list of the 30 great golden visa options, as CNTraveler reported.
Jones adds that New Zealand's residency-by-investment model differs from other global programs because it is a luxury product focusing on long-term rather than short-term financial transactions.
"Unlike many programs emphasizing passive investments or residential real estate purchases," Jones says, "New Zealand requires investors to engage in active investment strategies into the country—whether through direct business investments, venture capital, or funding innovative sectors such as technology, agribusiness, and renewable energy."
Criticisms Of New Zealand Golden Visa
There are many criticisms of golden visas more generally. One main concern is that it allows people to purchase citizenship and then travel visa-free through the world, which wouldn't otherwise be possible—a particular concern for European countries after the outbreak of the Ukraine war.
Others believe that golden visas can lead to higher local house prices (as many of these visas involve purchasing real estate). Indeed, this is the reason why Spain is closing its golden visa program in April 2025, and Portugal took out real estate as a means of investing in their golden visa program.
Some think it unfair to offer advantages to the wealthy, which isn't true for other residents, such as reducing the need to speak the same level of English that other residents would need to apply.
Detractors argue that these golden visas do not contribute enough to the economy. New Zealand's opposition party immigration spokesperson, Phil Twyford, said, "Allowing people to buy residence by parking their money in a passive investment like property that won't generate jobs or sustainable economic development for New Zealand doesn't sit well."
These criticisms are leading many countries to close shop on golden visa programs worldwide, something advocates have argued makes things even more favorable for attracting long-term visitors to New Zealand.
New Zealand Golden Visa—The Drive To Economic Growth?
Others, however, believe these such golden visas and golden passports do encourage economic growth; for example, look at President Trump's announcement of a new Gold Card this week for investors to buy U.S. citizenship in exchange for $5 million.
Likewise, New Zealand's government hopes its new digital nomad visa, and these changes in its golden passport, will attract overseas talent and investment and drive economic growth.
And it's great timing as the country faces a considerable emigration issue—New Zealanders are increasingly moving overseas to find jobs and/or higher salaries elsewhere.
For this reason, many mocked a recent publicity campaign by New Zealand. The campaign, aimed at attracting Australian visitors to its islands, was called 'Everyone Must Go,' but it was derided for sounding like a clearance sale and because there have been, as The Guardian says, lots of job cuts in the public sector and record numbers of people moving away.
So, with New Zealand's revamped golden visa program removing previous barriers, and offering easier access to residency—along with its new digital nomad visa—the government hopes it will bring broader economic benefits and encourage new people to visit its shores.
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