New Zealand immigration guide
Routes range from a working holiday to employer-sponsored skilled work and two actively managed investor tiers.
New Zealand pairs one of the more accessible short-stay options anywhere — a working holiday for younger travellers — with an employer-sponsored skilled-work route and two investor tracks aimed at people ready to actively manage a New Zealand portfolio. The investor tracks differ mainly in how broad the list of qualifying assets is and how the required stay is counted, not in whether investment is required at all. The four routes don't overlap — the choice comes down to whether the applicant is bringing capital, a job, or simply time.
Pick a route, see the real commitment
Every figure below is what Immimaps has verified for that route against New Zealand's official programme rules — not a marketing minimum.
The main employer-sponsored route — the employer's own accreditation with Immigration New Zealand is checked before the worker's application is.
Check a proposal for this routeThe broader of the two investor tracks — it accepts a wider range of asset types, including property development, in exchange for a longer hold.
The narrower, business-focused investor track, with a shorter hold than Balanced and mandatory investment checkpoints along the way.
A temporary stay for younger travellers, not a residence pathway — it doesn't lead toward permanent status the way the other three do.
Check a proposal for this routeThe order Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) follows
- 2026-06-01From 1 June 2026, Active Investor Plus Growth applicants can count philanthropic giving toward part of their required investment, capped at 20% of the total, alongside the existing business and fund options. source
Upload it and Immimaps checks it clause-by-clause against what New Zealand's official programme rules actually require.
Check my documentCountry Analysis lays out policy stability, financial exposure and process risk across all of New Zealand's programmes side by side.
Open Country AnalysisVerify them on the official register before you sign anything. Registration confirms a licence — it does not by itself guarantee good advice, so check the document you were given either way.
- Immigration Advisers Authority register — Confirm the adviser holds a current licence and read any conditions attached to it — some licences are provisional or limited.
Proposal or Contract
Fees, process steps, and terms — checked against New Zealand's program rules
Every figure on this page is checked against New Zealand's official immigration sources. Immimaps does not publish success rates, approval odds or any probability score — here or anywhere else.
Don’t take a life-changing move on someone else’s word.
Immimaps is not an agency and takes no placement fees. We show the real figures on every route, show the working, and tell you what it actually costs.
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