The number of wealthy people who relocate to new countries each year is growing steadily, with the platinum class looking at destinations they may not have considered before. One of them is New Zealand.
In just the past 14 months, New Zealand has received more than 700 applications for its “golden visa” offered under Greener Pastures New Zealand, its wealth migration attraction program. Prospective high-net-worth migrants are usually considered to be individuals with US$1 million or more available in net investible assets.
Seven hundred applicants may be a statistical speck among the expected 165,000 high-net-worth people expected to seek new countries this year, but it’s a huge jump from the 115 applications New Zealand received from the wealthy in the previous three years.
New Zealand’s golden visa program is not like, for instance, the one offered by the United States. President Donald Trump’s so-called “Gold Card” simply asks applicants for an expedited U.S. visa to donate at least US$1 million to the government and pay a non-refundable US$15,000 processing fee. In May, a legal filing from the Department of Homeland Security revealed that only 338 people had submitted requests for a U.S. Gold Card.
Indeed, the heightened interest in the New Zealand program suggests that prospective wealthy migrants are looking at factors beyond low taxes and high returns as reasons to relocate. Among them: stability, a bit of distance from global economic volatility, and a calm, comfortable environment for family. About a third of the applications filed to New Zealand since April 2025 have been from Americans.
In the past, New Zealand was known to attract a handful of high-profile wealthy celebrities seeking seclusion and natural beauty, including Canadian superstar Shania Twain and Oscar-winning film-maker James Cameron. The New Zealand golden visa program now seems to also draw interest among those who may not be superstars but are merely super-wealthy.
“There are lots of factors driving wealth migration. But with New Zealand, it usually comes down to three things: lifestyle, a stable democratic system and safety. And they’re all intertwined,” says Domenic Jones, managing director of Greener Pastures New Zealand.
“Have you seen the Lord of the Rings movies [filmed in New Zealand]? Our country looks like that,” Jones says.
Hobnobbing with hobbits aside, New Zealand’s real-life lush scenery is not necessarily enough to attract the wealthy to actually move somewhere so far from everywhere else, he explains. So New Zealand sweetened the deal for wealthy migrants who want residency visas.
In 2025, New Zealand relaxed some of its migration rules for the super-rich. “For example,” Jones explains, “we eased the English language proficiency requirement, which made us more available to Asian investors seeking golden visas.”
The time you actually have to spend in New Zealand before getting your golden visa is short as well. Affluent applicants can be set on the path to permanent residency if they stay in the country for as little as three weeks over three years.
Applicants who invest NZ$5 million (about CAD$4 million) in local funds, businesses and, with limits, local charities can apply for residency after 36 months.
Applicants who put NZ$10 million (about CAD$8 million) into passive investments such as bonds or certain types of property can apply after five years for their golden permanent resident visas, as long as they spend 105 days in the country over that time.
Foreigners are generally restricted from buying property in New Zealand, but the rules become different once a foreigner is on the path to a golden visa because they will have residency permits, Jones explains.
While many other countries seek to become havens for the wealthy, New Zealand is one of the few English-speaking countries to roll out the welcome mat right now. “Australia [like Canada] turned off their golden visa program a few years ago, and the United Kingdom doesn’t have one,” Jones points out.
Canada ended its passive residence-by-investment program way back in 2014, and a similar Quebec-based program was suspended in 2019. Individuals can still immigrate to Canada through investment, but the programs available are limited and aimed at attracting skilled workers and priority business sectors rather than individual investors.
Rather than wooing wealthy individuals, the Canadian government is focusing on attracting large-scale institutional, public and sovereign international investment. In mid-September, Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to host a Canada Investment Summit in Toronto in a bid to persuade the world’s top CEOs, entrepreneurs and global business leaders to put money into Canada’s nation-building projects.
While it may not have taken hold in Canada, the trend toward more high-net-worth individuals seeking alternative residency or citizenship elsewhere is unmistakable, says Juerg Steffen, chief executive officer at Henley & Partners, a global firm that specializes in migration planning for the wealthy.
“The question is no longer simply where wealthy individuals are moving, but why are certain jurisdictions attracting them—and what this reveals about the qualities that make countries compelling places to live, invest, build businesses and create long-term value,” he says.
New Zealand’s relaxation of its migration rules is a good example of how a policy change can attract would-be migrants’ interest. “Decisions that may once have taken years to influence behaviour now often have an impact within months or even quarters,” Steffen says.
Henley & Partners’ Global Wealth Mobility Leaders 2026 lists New Zealand as one of the top two most competitive high-net-worth attraction destinations (just behind Singapore). It cites the country’s “stable legal and regulatory environment, geopolitical stability, and its position as a secure destination far removed from geopolitical flashpoints, reinforcing its appeal for long-term family planning.”
Many of the applicants to New Zealand’s golden visa are thinking long-term, Jones says. “Under the program, if you get residency and your kids are under 24, they also get permanent residency,” he adds. “So, many of the people applying are thinking not just about themselves, but their kids.”
David Israelson is a writer, editor, consultant and non-practising lawyer. He is principal of Eon Communications and Research, which he founded after more than a decade as a senior public relations executive. David contributes regularly to national and international print and online publications in addition to corporate and institutional writing across all media. He writes extensively on business, finance and investment, sustainability, conservation, energy, housing and land-use planning, international trade, travel and transportation politics and real estate, among other areas.
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