Active Investor Plus Visa (AIP)

Major restructure. The previous Active Investor Plus settings were replaced by two streamlined categories: Growth (NZD $5m, 36 months, 21 days NZ presence) and Balanced (NZD $10m, 60 months, 105 days presence). Lower investment thresholds, lower NZ presence requirements, broader acceptable investments for Balanced, no annual cap, no English language requirement, no settlement funds threshold, no age cap. The Growth category in particular is now competitive with international 'golden visa' programmes.

You don't need to live in NZ full-time, but you do need to meet the minimum days-in-NZ requirement over the investment term: 21 days for Growth, 105 days for Balanced (reducible for Balanced with additional Growth investments). Absentee-investor strategies with zero NZ presence don't qualify. INZ tracks presence via Customs records, so the day count is hard.

No. AIP is purely capital-based. Work experience, qualifications, occupational registration, and English language proficiency are not assessed. The pathway is structured around source of funds, investment maintenance, settlement (presence), and character.

Not without legal transfer. The investor category requires your own funds and your own control over them. Spouse's funds need formal transfer (gift, joint ownership documentation) to count as your investment. The transfer must be lawful, documented, and traceable. Talk to a licensed adviser early if family wealth is part of your funding picture, as restructuring takes time and must happen before lodgement.

Failure to meet the settlement requirement breaches your visa conditions and affects your Permanent Resident Visa eligibility. INZ also issues post-investment questionnaires at 24 months and at end of term; these require accurate reporting. If you're tracking below the day-count expectation partway through the term, raise it with your adviser early. Catching the gap mid-term is materially easier than reconciling it at the end.

No. Provisas's scope is immigration advisory: visa eligibility, application drafting, settlement support, and ongoing compliance with INZ. Tax structuring, AML compliance, and investment selection are separate professional services. Investor visa cases typically involve all three; we coordinate with your accountants, NZ-qualified tax counsel, and investment advisers, but we don't advise on those domains ourselves. Your engagement letter clarifies scope before any work begins.