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Summarised by Centrist
New Zealand’s investor visa programme is seeing a big jump in interest from wealthy Americans looking for stability, mobility and a back-up plan in a less predictable world.
Applications have jumped from 115 to 609 in a year, covering more than 2,000 people and representing a potential $3.57 billion in investment, with $1.32 billion already deployed. Americans are now the biggest source of applicants.
The surge follows the government’s recent deliberate loosening of the rules. Golden visa holders are also no longer caught by the foreign home-buying ban. Alongside that, ministers have rolled out a digital nomad visa and signalled two new skilled migrant pathways, as New Zealand tries to pull in more capital and talent while also dealing with outward migration.
Lifestyle still matters, but it is no longer the main draw. Dominic Jones of Greener Pastures New Zealand says investors are thinking about “stability first”, with space, scenery and quality of life now reinforcing the decision rather than driving it. The financial pull is obvious as well: no gift tax, no estate tax, no wealth tax, no capital gains tax, and a legal system based on English law.
Critics argue golden visas let wealthy foreigners effectively buy residency, risk pushing up house prices and often deliver less lasting economic value than promised. That backlash has already led some European countries to wind back similar schemes, even as New Zealand moves the other way.
