"These changes help attract high value investment, simplify settings, and incentivize people to invest in ‘active’ investment classes," the government states on their website about the program. New Zealand is ranked of one of the safest countries in the world.
The changes remove the English-language requirement, reducing the time the visa-holder needs to spend in New Zealand to only 21 days, and no longer requiring the full investment up front. There are a range of options for those seeking to relocate. To obtain citizenship, people must spend 240 days per year in the country over 5 years.
The program is meant to attract "global citizens who can bring ideas and financial capital into the country," said managing director of Origin Capital Partners and Greener Pastures New Zealand Dominic Jones, per USA Today.
Initially, the program was lucrative when launched in 2022, bringing in some $1 billion per year, on average, but after visa rules were tightened up, only 43 such visas have been approved.
Jones went on to say that "The theory behind that is by putting money into the local business, there's a direct benefit on jobs. And from that, either a benefit in terms of economic outpour or for New Zealand in particular – we're an export-led nation – so they're very much trying to encourage dollars in equaling tangible benefit out on the other side for New Zealand."
In the US, President Donald Trump has implemented a "golden visa" program where foreigners can essentially buy green cards for $5 million in investment into the US. These can be used either for the payer or for someone designated by that payer.
