Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has announced that changes to managed funds and direct investment offerings under the Active Investor Plus (AIP) Visa will come into effect on September 28, 2026.
The updates include:
New investment plan requirements for managed funds
Managed funds will be required to provide and maintain investment deployment plans, giving investors greater confidence that funds have a clear strategy for investing in New Zealand.
A stand-down period for declined applications
Managed funds and direct investments that are declined will need to wait six months before reapplying.
Stronger oversight of approved investments
Invest New Zealand will have enhanced powers to suspend or revoke the eligibility of managed funds and direct investments that no longer meet program requirements.
Clearer Growth and Balanced investment categories
New guidance will clarify the features of Growth category investments, making it easier for investors and fund managers to understand the requirements of the Growth and Balanced categories.
To support implementation of these changes, Invest New Zealand will not accept any new applications for managed funds or direct investments between September 16 and September 28, 2026. More information on the application process and further guidance on the new criteria will be available on the Invest NZ website from September 28, 2026.
Erickson Insights & Analysis
Erickson Immigration Group will continue to monitor developments and share updates as more news becomes available. Please contact your employer or EIG attorney if you have questions about anything we’re reporting above or if you have case-specific questions.