Business Visas

Business Visas

The Business Skills migration program encourages successful business people to develop or invest in new or existing businesses in New Zealand, while providing them and their families with the opportunity of settling permanently in New Zealand.

The 2010-11 New Zealandn Migration Program provides for 125,850 skilled migrant visas, many of which gain entry to New Zealand because of their work and business skills.

Business Owner (Provisional) Visa

This visa is a temporary visa, and the first step towards being granted a permanent Business Skills visa. You must be outside New Zealand when this visa is granted, unless you held a student visa at the time you applied. You may be eligible for a permanent Business Skills visa after holding this visa for a minimum of two (2) years. To be eligible for a permanent Business Skills visa you must meet all the obligations of this visa and additional requirements of the permanent Business Skills visa you apply for. Meeting these requirements may take you longer than two (2) years.

You must meet the following requirements to be eligible for this visa. You must provide evidence of each of the requirements with your application.

• You must have a vocational level of English.
• You (and your spouse combined) had net assets in a qualifying business of A$200,000 for at least two of the four fiscal years immediately before you apply,
• Your (and your spouse's) total assets have a net value of at least A$800,000
• You have an overall successful business career.
• You have not been engaged in a business where the provision of professional, technical, or trade services took up more than half your time.
• You and your spouse have never been involved in unacceptable business activities.

As a holder of a Business Owner (Provisional) visa for at least 2 years, you may be eligible to apply for a permanent Business Skills (Residence) visa if you have met the obligations of your provisional visa.

State/Territory Sponsored Business Owner
(Provisional) (Subclass 163)

• You must be sponsored by an appropriate regional authority of a State or Territory Government
• You must be less than 55 years old
• You (and your spouse combined) had net assets in a qualifying business of A$300,000 for at least two of the four fiscal years immediately before you apply,
• Your (and your spouse's) total assets have a net value of at least A$500,000
• You have an overall successful business career.
• You have not been engaged in a business where the provision of professional, technical, or trade services took up more than half your time.
• You and your spouse have never been involved in unacceptable business activities.

As a holder of a Business Owner (Provisional) visa for at least 2 years, you may be eligible to apply for a permanent Business Skills (Residence) visa if you have met the obligations of your provisional visa.

Senior Executive (Provisional) Visa (Subclass 161)

• You must be less than 45 years old
• You must have a vocational level of English.
• You have occupied a position in the three highest levels of the management structure of a major business. In that position you were responsible for the strategic policy development affecting a major component or a wide range of operations of that major business, and have done so for at least two of the four fiscal years immediately before you apply.
• Your (or your and your spouses) total assets have a net value of at least A$800,000, and were legally acquired and are capable of being transferred to New Zealand within two years of being granted this visa.
• You have sufficient assets (additional to those above) of at least A$100,000 to settle in New Zealand.
• You have an overall successful business career.

As a holder of a Business Owner (Provisional) visa for at least 2 years, you may be eligible to apply for a permanent Business Skills (Residence) visa if you have met the obligations of your provisional visa.

State/Territory Sponsored Senior Executive (Provisional) (Subclass 164)

• You must be sponsored by an appropriate regional authority of a State or Territory
• You must be less than 55 years old
• You have occupied a position in the three highest levels of the management structure of a major business. In that position you were responsible for the strategic policy development affecting a major component or a wide range of operations of that major business, and have done so for at least two of the four fiscal years immediately before you apply.
• Your (or your and your spouses) total assets have a net value of at least A$500,000, and were legally acquired and are capable of being transferred to New Zealand within two years of being granted this visa.
• You have sufficient assets (additional to those above) to settle in New Zealand.
• You have an overall successful business career.

As a holder of a Business Owner (Provisional) visa for at least 2 years, you may be eligible to apply for a permanent Business Skills (Residence) visa if you have met the obligations of your provisional visa.

 

Do you qualify for a Business Visa?

Determine your Business Visa eligibility in just a few minutes and begin the Visa Application Process to Australia.