New Zealand sees surge in golden visa applications following policy reforms, wealthy Americans lead the way
New Zealand has experienced a significant increase in applications for its "golden visa" program, officially known as the Active Investor Plus Visa, after implementing policy changes aimed at attracting foreign investment. In the six weeks since the revised rules took effect in April 2025, 65 new applications have been submitted, with the majority originating from the United States, as per a report by Financial Times. The updated visa program reduced the minimum investment requirement to NZ$5 million (approximately US$3 million) and eliminated the English language proficiency requirement. Additionally, the residency obligation was decreased from three years to just 21 days. The application processing time has also been shortened, averaging 11 days.
According to the report by Financial Times, of the new applications, 55 are from US citizens, followed by 15 from Hong Kong and 12 from China. This influx represents a minimum capital inflow of NZ$620 million.
Stuart Nash, a former immigration minister and co-founder of relocation consultancy Nash Kelly Global, attributed the surge to political factors in the United States. He stated to the Financial Times, "It's the main driver. Many of the people applying are of a different political persuasion to President Trump."
(Join our ETNRI WhatsApp channel for all the latest updates) The policy changes are part of Prime Minister Christopher Luxon's strategy to stimulate New Zealand's economy by attracting foreign investment. The government is also considering further easing restrictions on foreign property purchases, although such measures face opposition within the coalition.
Immigration Minister Erica Stanford commented on the increased interest, stating that the numbers indicate New Zealand is "open for business."The revamped visa program contrasts with the previous government's stricter approach, which had tightened investment visa rules in 2018 following controversies over the granting of citizenship to wealthy foreigners.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Gazette
36 minutes ago
- India Gazette
All-party delegation calls on US Deputy Secy of State; briefs him on Pahalgam Attack, Op Sindoor
Washington DC [US], June 7 (ANI): The all-party delegation led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor which is currently visiting the United States, briefed key interlocutors on threats of terrorism faced by India and India's strong response to it. The details were shared by the Embassy of India in US in an official statement. As per the statement, the delegation called on Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and briefed him on the heinous terrorist attack in Pahalgam, discussed India's subsequent Operation Sindoor, and put forth India's firm resolve to counter cross-border terrorism in all its forms. The Deputy Secretary reaffirmed the United States' strong support of India in the fight against terrorism. The statement noted that the two sides also had a wide-ranging conversation on the importance of strengthening bilateral relationship through advancing cooperation in areas of mutual interest. It was also mentioned that on Friday, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor interacted with various members of the American press corps. The all-party delegation led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor attended the Ambassador's dinner while in US and also met Senator Chris Van Hollen, who is a member of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In a post on X, Former Envoy Taranjit Singh Sandhu said, 'Delighted to meet so many old friends and supporters of India-US partnership at Ambassador's dinner.' Sharing insights from the meeting with Senator Chris Van Hollen, BJP MP Tejasvi Surya said that discussions were held on Operation Sindoor and the tragic Pahalgam terror attack. He wrote on X, 'Had a productive meeting with Senator @ChrisVanHollen, where we discussed the tragic Pahalgam attack and India's Operation Sindoor. The Senator expressed deep sympathy for India and reaffirmed that the U.S. stands firmly with India in the fight against terrorism.' Congress MP Shashi Tharoor is leading the all-party delegation which includes Shambhavi Chaudhary (Lok Janshakti Party), Sarfaraz Ahmed (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha), G M Harish Balayogi (Telugu Desam Party), Shashank Mani Tripathi, Tejaswi Surya, and Bhubaneswar Kalita (all from the BJP), Mallikarjun Devda (Shiv Sena), former Indian Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu, and Shiv Sena MP Milind diplomatic effort forms part of India's global outreach following Operation Sindoor, launched on May 7 in response to the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam by Pakistan-sponsored militants that claimed 26 lives and injured several others. Subsequently, the Indian Armed Forces carried out targeted strikes against terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, resulting in the deaths of over 100 terrorists linked to groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen. (ANI)
India Gazette
36 minutes ago
- India Gazette
Instead of writing to poll panel, Rahul Gandhi going to media seeking answers to
New Delhi [India], June 7 (ANI): The Election Commission had written a detailed letter to Congress in December last year rejecting its 'misleading' claims about voter turnout data in Maharashtra polls and, instead of writing to the poll panel directly, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi keeps speaking and writing to media seeking answers to his 'same unfounded doubts again and again', ECI sources said on Saturday. They said it is not clear as to why Rahul Gandhi is shying away from writing to EC in person himself and get a reply. ECI sources said that the poll panel had extended an invitation to the Indian National Congress (INC) for interaction, which was scheduled for May 15. However, the meeting was later cancelled at the request of INC itself. ECI has been conducting training sessions for Booth Level Agents (BLAs) nominated by political parties. Several BLAs from the Congress party have already undergone training at sources said the Commission remains open to extending similar training on the electoral process to senior leaders of the INC. Such training may help dispel any self-created doubts regarding the integrity of the electoral process, they said. Rahul Gandhi, who is Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, wrote an article in English daily, on Saturday alleging 'rigging' in Maharashtra assembly polls, and following a response to his allegations, alleged that the poll panel was 'releasing unsigned, evasive notes' in response to his queries. He demanded that EC should publish consolidated, digital, machine-readable voter rolls for the most recent elections to the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabhas of all states including Maharashtra. Earlier in the day, ECI had described as 'unsubstantiated' the allegations made by Rahul Gandhi in his newspaper article. 'Unsubstantiated allegations raised against the Electoral Rolls of Maharashtra are affront to the rule of law. The Election Commission had brought out all these facts in its reply to the INC on December 24, 2024 itself, which is available on ECI's website. It appears that all these facts are completely being ignored while raising such issues again and again,' ECI said. 'Any misinformation being spread, by anyone, is not only a sign of disrespect towards the Law, but also brings disrepute to the thousands of representatives appointed by their own political party and demotivates lakhs of election staff who work untiringly and transparently during elections. After any unfavourable verdict by the voters, trying to defame the Election Commission by saying that it is compromised, is completely absurd,' it added. (ANI)
India Gazette
36 minutes ago
- India Gazette
US: All-party delegation attends Ambassador's Dinner, holds constructive discussions with Senator Chris Van Hollen
Washington DC [US], June 7 (ANI): The all-party delegation led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor attended the Ambassador's dinner while in US and also met Senator Chris Van Hollen, who is a member of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In a post on X, Former Envoy Taranjit Singh Sandhu said, 'Delighted to meet so many old friends and supporters of India-US partnership at Ambassador's dinner.' Sharing insights from the meeting with Senator Chris Van Hollen, BJP MP Tejasvi Surya said that discussions were held on Operation Sindoor and the tragic Pahalgam terror attack. He wrote on X, 'Had a productive meeting with Senator @ChrisVanHollen, where we discussed the tragic Pahalgam attack and India's Operation Sindoor. The Senator expressed deep sympathy for India and reaffirmed that the U.S. stands firmly with India in the fight against terrorism.' The details of the meeting were previously furnished by the Embassy of India in the US. The Embassy wrote on X, 'The Indian parliamentary delegation led by Dr. @ShashiTharoor had a productive meeting with Senator @ChrisVanHollen, member of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The delegation briefed him on the heinous terrorist attack in Pahalgam, discussed India's subsequent Operation Sindoor, and put forth India's firm resolve to counter cross-border terrorism in all its forms. The Senator sympathized with the victims of repeated terror attacks in India, said that stands with in the fight against terrorism, and expressed support for India's right to defend itself.' Congress MP Shashi Tharoor is leading the all-party delegation which includes Shambhavi Chaudhary (Lok Janshakti Party), Sarfaraz Ahmed (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha), G M Harish Balayogi (Telugu Desam Party), Shashank Mani Tripathi, Tejaswi Surya, and Bhubaneswar Kalita (all from the BJP), Mallikarjun Devda (Shiv Sena), former Indian Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu, and Shiv Sena MP Milind Deora. This diplomatic effort forms part of India's global outreach following Operation Sindoor, launched on May 7 in response to the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam by Pakistan-sponsored militants that claimed 26 lives and injured several others. Subsequently, the Indian Armed Forces carried out targeted strikes against terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, resulting in the deaths of over 100 terrorists linked to groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen. (ANI)
