New Zealand has unveiled the Business Investor Visa (BIV), a new program that lets foreign investors gain residence by buying into and running established local companies, with a headline fast-track to residence in 12 months for a NZ$2 million investment. Immigration Minister Erica Stanford announced the policy on 27 August 2025, saying applications will open in November 2025. The government is pitching the BIV as a simpler, targeted route for experienced business people who want to live in New Zealand while keeping solid businesses alive and growing.
The visa carries a total fee of NZ$12,380 (application fee and immigration levy included) and allows applicants to include their partner and dependent children.
Investment tracks and timelines
The BIV offers two clear investment tracks:
- NZ$1 million investment — three-year work-to-residence pathway.
- NZ$2 million investment — 12-month fast track to residence.
Key conditions and timing:
- Fast-track investors must keep an ownership interest in the business for at least three years, even after becoming residents.
- The visa can be held for up to four years, providing time to purchase or take a stake in an eligible business, actively run it, and then move to the Business Investor Resident Visa once conditions are met.
- According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, the BIV sets clear rules and timelines to reduce uncertainty that affected past programs.
Business eligibility requirements
To qualify, investors must acquire a business that already exists in New Zealand. Requirements:
- Buy the company outright or take at least a 25% ownership stake.
- Business must be five years or older.
- Employ at least five full-time staff at the time of application.
- Must create at least one new full-time job for a New Zealand citizen or resident after the investment.
- Investors must run the business themselves and become New Zealand tax residents (this is an active, hands-on route).
Excluded sectors (no BIV applications accepted for these businesses):
- Fast-food outlets, convenience stores, franchises
- Gambling, adult entertainment
- Drop-shipping, discount stores, home-based businesses
- Tobacco or vaping, immigration advisory services
These exclusions are designed to stop low-value or high-risk activity and focus the program on firms that anchor local economies.
Personal applicant requirements
Applicants must meet personal criteria linked to age, language and means:
- Age: 55 years or younger.
- English: IELTS 5.0 (or equivalent).
- Business experience: Applicants must demonstrate relevant ownership or senior management experience.
- Support funds: Access to at least NZ$500,000 to support themselves and their family while establishing and growing the business.
- Standard health and character checks apply.
These settings aim to narrow the field to people who can step into leadership roles quickly and manage day-to-day operations.
How the visa works in practice
- The visa is actively managed: visa-holders must run the business, be based in New Zealand and meet tax residence rules.
- For the NZ$2 million fast-track route, holding at least a 25% interest (or full ownership) and keeping an interest for three years is essential.
- Immigration New Zealand will assess both the company (age, staff counts, excluded sector checks) and the applicant (funds, English, experience, health and character).
The policy rewards operators who will be on the shop floor, in the warehouse, or with clients, not quarter‑watching passive investors.
Context and policy intent
Officials say the BIV is part of a reset of business migration settings. The earlier Entrepreneur Work Visa was closed after years of low application numbers, high decline rates, and mixed economic results. The new approach:
- Focuses on existing firms that need leadership and fresh capital.
- Responds to a wave of succession planning as many baby-boomer owners look to retire.
- Is intended to help firms stay in local hands while opening doors to global talent and capital.
Economic backdrop:
- Unemployment: 5.2% in June 2025.
- GDP: fell 1.1% in the March 2025 quarter.
The BIV sits alongside—rather than replacing—the Active Investor Plus Visa, which requires NZ$5 million–NZ$10 million and allows more passive investment. The BIV’s lower threshold and active management requirement serve a different investor profile.
Process checklist (simple step plan)
Authorities will publish more detailed guidance in October, but current steps are:
- Prepare documents proving:
- Identity; age 55 or under; English at IELTS 5.0 (or equivalent).
- Business experience and access to NZ$500,000 in support funds.
- Clean health and character records.
- Identify an eligible company:
- At least five years old; employs five or more full-time staff.
- Able to add one new full-time job after investment.
- Not in excluded sectors.
- Decide the investment route:
- NZ$1 million (three-year work-to-residence).
- NZ$2 million (12-month fast track + three-year ownership interest).
- Secure the deal:
- Buy the business outright or take at least 25% ownership with clear legal documentation.
- Lodge the visa application online when the November 2025 window opens; Immigration New Zealand will assess both business and applicant.
- On approval, receive a visa valid for up to four years, move to New Zealand, actively manage the business and become a tax resident.
- Maintain ownership and meet job-creation targets; then apply for the Business Investor Resident Visa when tests are met.
Officials will publish full guidance, including online portal details, in October 2025. For official updates, check Immigration New Zealand at https://www.immigration.govt.nz.
Practical first 180 days
Buyers should plan their initial six months thoroughly:
- Take over payroll and meet key customers.
- Check compliance with health and safety rules.
- Confirm supplier contracts and cashflow.
- Align with local accountants early to meet tax residence and reporting obligations.
- Set up clean financial reporting for Immigration New Zealand.
These steps help ensure the business hits staffing and job-creation targets and that visa conditions are satisfied.
What the BIV means for sellers and the market
- Sellers of businesses that have run for five years or more and have five or more staff gain access to a clearer pool of buyers.
- Brokers, accountants and advisers can prepare sale packs containing audited accounts, staffing records and a job-creation plan that match BIV rules.
- The rule set reduces uncertainty for buyers and sellers and may speed up handovers.
Industry reaction has been largely positive: groups such as the Association for Migration and Investment and licensed immigration advisers say the BIV reflects real-world deals and succession needs.
Who the BIV is (and isn’t) for
- Suited to: experienced operators who will manage a New Zealand business, invest in growth and hire locally.
- Not suited to: passive investors, people who do not plan to live in New Zealand, or those wanting silent stakes while residing elsewhere.
The BIV offers two clear value propositions:
- NZ$2 million fast-track — residence after 12 months, with a three-year ownership interest requirement.
- NZ$1 million route — a steadier three-year work-to-residence pathway for those who prefer more time.
Compliance and evidence
Immigration New Zealand will expect evidence of:
- Business experience (ownership, senior management, contracts, letters).
- Financials and audited accounts.
- Staffing records and payroll evidence.
- Proof of funds and support money (NZ$500,000).
- IELTS or equivalent English verification.
Applicants should prepare contracts, financial statements and referee letters to back up their track record.
Sector outcomes and exclusions
The policy’s excluded sectors aim to filter out churn models that add little local value. The focus is on:
- Stable, staff-heavy operations: manufacturing, regional services, logistics and similar firms that hire and train people over time.
- Firms that have survived shocks and consistently paid wages, as indicated by the five-year trading history and five-staff minimum.
Transition and related streams
- Holders of the old Entrepreneur Work Visa can still apply for residence and renewals under the previous rules; pending cases will be processed under old criteria.
- The government is developing a separate startup visa for founders with scalable, innovative projects (details to follow).
- Active Investor Plus Visa remains available for larger, more passive investments.
Final considerations for prospective applicants
- Start preparing now: proof of funds, English scores, business track records and identifying eligible companies.
- Sellers should gather audited accounts and staffing records; plan the job-creation step required by the BIV.
- Licensed advisers can help structure deals to maintain 25% or greater ownership and meet the three-year interest requirement for the fast-track route.
Policy makers are betting the BIV will bring fresh energy to established firms, protect jobs through succession and support growth during economic pressure. With unemployment at 5.2% in June 2025 and GDP down 1.1% in the March quarter, the BIV’s proposition is straightforward: invest in a working business, manage it well, create a job, and earn a path to residence—faster at NZ$2 million, steadier at NZ$1 million. If it works in practice, the BIV could reshape how global operators and local owners approach the next chapter for New Zealand companies.
This Article in a Nutshell
New Zealand’s Business Investor Visa (BIV) opens November 2025 with NZ$1 million and NZ$2 million tracks; NZ$2 million grants residence in 12 months if investor keeps a three-year ownership interest. Eligible firms must be ≥5 years old with ≥5 full-time staff; applicants need IELTS 5.0, NZ$500,000 support funds, and be 55 or younger. Fee: NZ$12,380.
