From 24 November 2025, Immigration New Zealand (INZ) will roll out the new Business Investor Visa (BIV), replacing the long-standing Entrepreneur Work Visa (EWV).

The shift represents a significant policy evolution — designed to simplify requirements, reduce subjectivity, and attract investors who can genuinely contribute to the growth and continuity of New Zealand businesses.

But how different is it really from the EWV? And will it solve the problems that made the old programme so challenging?

Key Comparison: Business Investor Visa vs Entrepreneur Work Visa

What’s Better Under the BIV

✅ Clarity and Consistency: Gone are the vague “high-growth” and “innovation” tests that gave INZ too much discretion.
✅ Structured Requirements: Objective criteria make eligibility easier to understand for investors and advisers.
✅ Defined Pathway to Residence: Investors can apply for residence after 12 months (if investing $2M) or 3 years (if investing $1M).
✅ Solvency Standard: Replacing profitability with solvency makes the residence threshold more achievable.

The Real-World Challenges

While the policy intent is sound, market reality may not align. Finding a $1M+ business with five full-time staff and five years’ operational history is not easy.

In practice, most investors will prefer to buy into an existing business (25%+ shareholding) rather than take full ownership — reducing capital exposure and operational risk.

Another concern is processing speed. Visa applications tied to live business transactions are time-sensitive. Vendors often allow only say 10–20 working days for due diligence.
If INZ’s processing times remain sluggish, deals may collapse, leaving investors out of pocket for costs associated with valuations, legal, accounting and immigration fees.

Why This Matters – and How QCL Can Help

Queen City Law is unmatched in this field.

Queen City Law is probably the only firm in New Zealand which has acted on EWV transactions in the $750K–$2M range, giving us direct insight into how this transition will work in practice.

Our Business Investor Visa Team integrates immigration, commercial, and property expertise. We work closely with brokers, accountants, and valuers to:

• Identify compliant businesses that meet BIV criteria,
• Streamline the due diligence program and associated legal documentation, and
• Protect investors from possible wasted time and costs.

It’s not a perfect policy — but it’s workable with the right advice and experienced representation, which can seriously make all the difference. Frankly, using inexperienced personnel for these sorts of applications could easily result in costly mistakes and unsuccessful outcomes.

Final Thoughts

The new Business Investor Visa represents a practical step forward — more structured, less subjective, and better aligned with New Zealand’s economic goals.

But its success will depend on factors including implementation speed, market alignment and instructing the right lawyers.
Given the amount of sweat equity people need to pump into their businesses to make them run well, it is critical that you choose a law firm that can apply a wrap-around service for you. It is not only immigration advice that is required. You may also need assistance negotiating commercial terms, business law advice, company law and tax advice. Your DD program may also include NZ employment law, taxation warranties, lease perusal, IP, regulatory compliance, and other considerations. It is right in our wheelhouse.

With highly experienced and efficient immigration and commercial lawyers on hand, QCL is uniquely placed to assist you on your business journey in Aotearoa / New Zealand.

For investors serious about making New Zealand home through business investment —
experience matters more than ever.

Please also feel free to to look at some of our business pre-purchase checklists on our online law library.

Queen City Law

Specialists in Business Investor Visas, EWV transitions, Golden Visas, commercial, property and commercial law.
📞 Contact our Immigration Team or some of the firm’s directors to discuss further at:

immigrationteam@queencitylaw.co.nz or law@queencitylaw.co.nz

marcus@queencitylaw.co.nz or 0274 877 332

bradley@queencitylaw.co.nz or 021 113 3364