Do you want to live in New Zealand during your retirement years?
Find out how you can retire to New Zealand.
New Zealand is famous for its beautiful natural landscapes, pleasant climate, relaxed lifestyle and overall quality of life.
There are many good reasons why New Zealand has traditionally been very popular with retirees from all over the world looking to move overseas.
"New Zealand is fantastic! Everything we hoped for: good weather, friendly people and a lot of opportunities!"
At New Zealand Immigration Concepts we are receiving increasing numbers of inquiries from all over the world from people who are seeking the unique lifestyle New Zealand has to offer and have either reached their retirement age or are simply ready to retire.
If you want to live in New Zealand as retiree, you will need a visa that will allow you to follow that dream.
New Zealand provides a number of visa programs tailored for retirement migrants and the right visa will entitle you to live in New Zealand permanently as a retiree.
While the age limit for the most popular immigration policy, the Skilled Migrant Category, is at 56 years and will involve taking up employment in New Zealand, there are a number of options for migrants older than 56 or migrants of any age choosing not to work.
Which visa option will work best for you depends on whether you intend to come to New Zealand temporarily or permanently, and whether you have children who reside in our country.
We have been working with our clients and their retirement migration scenarios ever since New Zealand introduced its first retirement programs. By working with us you can expect genuine up-front expert advice."
1. The Parent Category, a genuine residence category; and
2. The Temporary Retirement Category, an extended visitor visa.
If you have a child who is a New Zealand citizen or resident living in New Zealand and going to support your visa application, you might be able to obtain a resident visa under the Parent Policy. This visa will allow you to stay indefinitely.
An investment of NZ$1,000,000 is required under this policy.
To be eligible for a Temporary Retirement Visitor Visa you must be 66 years or older and you will have to invest NZ$750,000.
In addition to the initial investment you must also provide evidence that you have further funds equivalent to NZ$500,000 as settlement funds available to you.
Carsten says:
On a positive note: These settlement funds can remain where they are, they don’t have to be moved to New Zealand.
For example: A house in your home country can be nominated as settlement funds, but does not have to be sold for this purpose.
Furthermore, Temporary Retirement Category applicants must demonstrate that they have an annual income of at least NZ$60,000 and they must have a comprehensive health or travel insurance.
"An extended visitor visa under the Temporary Retirement Category can theoretically roll over in perpetuity: two years after two years after two years, but it is not future proof.
If the New Zealand Government changes this policy, then the visa holder will get stuck without a visa.
Although this program has been in place for quite a while, there is no guarantee that in two years time the same program is still available."
If you do not qualify for any of the two above dedicated Retirement Categories, you might still be able to retire to New Zealand.
Carsten says:
"Investor 1 and 2 Categories are genuine investor categories. They can be used as retirement vehicle, if you either have the NZ$ 10 mio - (Investor 1), or you have NZ$3 mio available and are 65 years or younger (Investor 2).
Once you have passed the age limit of 65 years Investor 2 is no longer available to you.
Now the options are either a Residence Visa for NZ$10 mio (Investor 1), or an Extended Visitor Visa for two years for NZ$1.25 mio under Temporary Retirement Category. NZ$500,000 of those NZ$1.25 mio need to be settlement funds and don’t need to be invested.
An extended visitor visa under the Temporary Retirement Category is an opportunity for those who have passed the age limit under Investor 2 Category, but sit below the NZ$10 mio investment threshold for the Investor 1 Category.
While the Parent Resident and Parent Retirement Categories are genuine permanent residence programs, the Temporary Retirement Category is a special visitor visa, and entitles the holder to stay in New Zealand for the duration of two years.
All of the above programs require the successful visa applicant to be of good health and character, place an investment in New Zealand, and demonstrate ownership of additional settlement or maintenance funds.
Applicants under the Parent Retirement Category must also have a New Zealand citizen or resident adult child, who is willing to sponsor them.
If you hold a Temporary Retirement Visa, you need to apply for a further Temporary Retirement Visa after two years. The subsequent visa will be granted under the provision that you still meet policy provisions when the application is submitted.
The downside of this visa is, that it will not give you peace of mind in the long run, as the policy, your health or financial situation might change over the years and you might then no longer be eligible for a visa.
If you are seeking the unique lifestyle New Zealand has to offer and none of the above visa policies applies for you, you might be able to retire to New Zealand as investor or entrepreneur.
Different levels of investments are required for different investor visa types. For more detailed information on the requirements of New Zealand's business and investor programs you can use our Investor and Business Category Self Assessment.
Whether you want to retire to New Zealand to make the most of your retirement years, or in order to join your family, New Zealand Immigration Concepts can help you to apply for the right visa.
Carsten invites you to book a call with him to talk about further details of these policies and find out if you can retire to New Zealand. Just mention your plan to retire in New Zealand in our Free Assessment form.
The great work done before has surely helped to achieve this quick positive result. NZIC are really professional and know what to do when to do it and how to do it. That is so convenient and efficient! I’m still working with them for the next steps and would like to thank them again for their help and support. Thank you. Kind Regards.
Anna was worth her weight in gold---she was fantastic at helping me format my CV and search for jobs that suited my skill set. In the end, I got a great job in a great city. Carsten and his team were very thorough and helpful when it came time to apply for and get our visas. They are now helping us with our resident visas, and I'm certain that the process will be the same. I'd recommend them highly.
NZIC guided me all the way through getting my first work visa to permanent residency. Their job seeking support was key when I first arrived in NZ, communication was always easy and clear. I'm very thankful for their help and definitely recommend their services.
Dear Jannie, just want to drop a note to thank for your everything. Your help is much appreciated! You are a wonderful and professional job search coach! I am so lucky to have you supporting me!
