New Zealand’s government has introduced a new Business Investor Visa designed to attract experienced foreign investors by offering a pathway to residency for those who acquire and operate established businesses in the country.

However, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford made it clear that applicants tied to the adult entertainment industry will not qualify. OU

The visa, set to open for applications in November 2025, offers two routes:

• A standard pathway requiring a NZ$1 million (US$600,000) investment in an existing business, with a three-year work-to-residence track.
• A fast-track option requiring a NZ$2 million investment, allowing applicants to apply for residency after 12 months.

Applicants must buy at least 25 percent of an established business that has been operating for five years, employ at least five full-time staff, and create at least one new job. They must also meet health, character, and English language requirements, be under 55 years old, and demonstrate that they have at least NZ$500,000 in settlement funds.

The new visa is part of a wider reform of business migration policy. It replaces the Entrepreneur Work Visa, which has been discontinued due to low uptake, high rejection rates, and limited economic impact.

Stanford said the goal was to attract “serious investors” to strengthen the economy and create jobs. However, certain industries are barred from the program. Alongside adult entertainment, including strip clubs, pornography websites, and related businesses, other excluded categories include:

• Drop-shipping enterprises
• Fast food outlets and franchises
• Gambling operations
• Tobacco and nicotine businesses
• Immigration advisory firms
• Convenience stores and discount/value shops
• Home-based businesses

“This new visa will bring overseas investment to maintain and create jobs, grow incomes, and breathe new life into existing businesses across the country,” Stanford said. “It has clearer settings that are easier for applicants to understand and for Immigration New Zealand to process, and it’s designed to deliver real economic benefits.”

The Business Investor Visa sits alongside the Active Investor Plus Visa, which remains in place for wealthier migrants who invest a minimum of NZ$5 million over three years or NZ$10 million over five years.

Officials are also working on a separate visa for startup entrepreneurs with scalable, innovative ideas, expected to be unveiled later this year.

This is unless you work in the adult industry.

The explicit exclusion of adult entertainment businesses puts them in the same category as gambling and tobacco. Immigration New Zealand said these sectors were barred because they are not seen as delivering the kind of sustainable, broad-based benefits the government hopes to attract.