NZ Active Investor Plus Visa vs EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa
A factual side-by-side comparison of two residency programmes. All figures are drawn from the canonical program pages — follow either link in the table header for sources and the full profile.
Key Differences at a Glance
- ›NZ Active Investor Plus Visa is faster: 9 months vs 30 months for EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa.
- ›Lower capital: EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa (800,000 USD) vs 9,000,000 for NZ Active Investor Plus Visa.
NZ Active Investor Plus Visa New Zealand · investor | EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa United States · investment | |
|---|---|---|
| Country | New Zealand | United States |
| Category | Investor | Investment |
| Application Fee | $16,000 | $3,675 |
| Minimum Income | — | — |
| Minimum Investment | $9,000,000 | $800,000 |
| Processing Time | 9 months | 30 months |
| Family Included | Spouse + dependent children under 24 included as principal applicant family | Spouse and unmarried children under 21 included at no additional investment |
| Path to PR | Yes — 2 years | Yes — 0 years |
| Path to Citizenship | Yes — 5 years | Yes — 5 years |
| Physical Presence | 117 days minimum in NZ over the 4-year investment period (~30 days/year average; effectively very flexible) | Must reside in the US after receiving conditional green card; 6-month continuous absence voids residency |
| Dual Citizenship | Allowed | Allowed |
| Tax Impact | NZ tax resident on worldwide income from 183-day rule. Transitional residency exemption (4 years on foreign-source income) materially attractive for new immigrants. No capital gains tax for individuals on most investment activity. | Grants US lawful permanent resident status; worldwide income subject to US taxation from day of admission |
| Tax Residency Trigger | 183 days/yr | 0 days/yr |
| Worldwide Taxation | Yes | Yes |
| Renewal Cost | — | — |
About NZ Active Investor Plus Visa
Active Investor Plus, launched April 2025, replaces the previous Investor 1 + Investor 2 categories with a points-based, weighted-investment regime. Minimum NZD 5 million invested in qualifying assets weighted by category: direct investment (3× weighting), managed funds (2× weighting), bonds (1× weighting). The weighted total must reach NZD 15 million over the 4-year period. Practically, NZD 5M direct investment satisfies the floor. Major appeal: extremely modest physical-presence requirement (117 days over 4 years), generous transitional-residency tax exemption for new arrivals, and a 5-year path to NZ citizenship with no language test.
Full NZ Active Investor Plus Visa profile →About EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa
The EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa grants US lawful permanent residency to foreign nationals who invest a minimum of $800,000 in a Targeted Employment Area (TEA) or $1,050,000 elsewhere, creating at least 10 full-time US jobs. Investors receive a conditional two-year green card, which can be converted to permanent residency after demonstrating job creation requirements have been met. After five years as a permanent resident, EB-5 holders may apply for US citizenship.
Full EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa profile →Gotchas to Watch For
NZ Active Investor Plus Visa
- ⚠Investment is committed for 4 years — early withdrawal triggers visa cancellation
- ⚠Weighting system means lower-risk bonds require nominally larger investments (NZD 15M floor reached at 1× weight)
- ⚠Transitional residency exemption is automatic but should be elected explicitly on IRD form IR3
- ⚠Specialist immigration lawyer fees are substantial — budget USD 30-80k for legal preparation
EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa
- ⚠EB-5 Reform Act 2022: thresholds raised to $800k (TEA) / $1.05M (non-TEA); reserved visa categories added
- ⚠Mainland China + India face multi-year visa retrogression after I-526E approval
- ⚠Green card = US tax resident from day 1 = worldwide income taxation + FATCA/FBAR obligations
- ⚠Investment must stay "at risk" — guaranteed returns disqualify
- ⚠Regional Center selection critical — bankrupt/fraudulent RCs have caused total loss of both investment AND visa
Neutral reference — we don't recommend one programme over another. Programmes change: always verify each detail against the official source linked on the individual program pages.