daisyk

Hi

We are buying an investment property in Auckland which we intend renting out for a few years before spending part of the year there so as to avoid the Irish winter (sping and autumn!).

Does anyone know how long we can stay in NZ for any one time as non residents? Does owing property have any benefits in this area? or is there a visa type we would qualify for as investors albeit small ones?

Thanks

Pinkie Pie

Hi Daisyk, this is the link the the NZIS guide to visiting NZ and tells you how long you can stay
depending upon your individual circumstances

http://www.immigration.govt.nz/NR/rd...rch8bFINAL.pdf

this is a link to some info regarding visas for investors.

http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migra...aniinvestinnz/

Hope these are of some help to you.

Pinkie

Don

Owning property doesn't really help visa eligibility in the absence of Permanent Residency and small time investors don't get any privileges.

You could stay regularly for 6 months in the year.

daisyk

Thanks! 6 months would be good!

pompeymike

You can stay 6 months but as a UK citizen you can get a 3 month extension to 9 months, and if you want to live here and are waiting on a long term work visa or PR you can stretch it out to 12 months.

Mike

phantom phixer

I understand that to live in NZ permanently you have to obtain a certain amount of points from various different categories. What if you just want to retire to NZ. If you are wealthy, need no assistance from the NZ government, have your own medical and dental insurance and want nothing but to live in NZ how do you go about it as I cannot find a retirment category anywhere.

Don

You can do that once but not regularly, Mike. There's an immigration rule that you (visitor) have to spend as much time out as in, which equates to 6 months in, 6 months out on a regular basis.

Don

There's no retirement category and once past age 56, without family in NZ, forget it.

However, surely 6 months a year in NZ is a good deal - you can do this legally, no problem.

My grandfather managed to sidestep/ stay the immigration rules for a couple of years until he died by showing his bank balance but his daughter my aunt is also a NZ citizen, which helps.

phantom phixer

Thanks for the reply Don. I first visited NZ in the sixties and seventies when I was in the merchant navy with Blue Star Line and fell in love with the place and should have applied to live there way back then. I have been back numerous times on holiday bit now that I am coming up for retiring at 55 it would be great to be able to retire in NZ but now it seems that is out of the question. If you stay for 6 months how long must you leave the country for before you are allowed back in for another 6 months and can you go on doing this indefinitely, Thanks

Don

You can do 6 months minus one day in NZ, 6 months + one day out of NZ, indefinitely.

At 55 you are still eligible for PR, limit is 56, judged on the day your application is received at NZIS ie not on the day the application is processed. However, qualifying on points is difficult at that age. Check out www.immigration.govt.nz

phantom phixer

Thanks for the information Don, it looks as if it will be a non starter as I have 2 dogs so every time I left the country for 6 months I would have to kennel them or take them with me which would be a logistical nightmare with the paperwork and entry/exit into another country. I will probably just have to be content with holidays every couple of years.

kiwijetpilot

You could conceivably do it by applying for a Long Term Business Permit. You could use the property to establish a business ("abc house rental" or something), and use this business to gain residence through the Entrepreneur category - see

http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migra...hatisrequired/

-for more info. It's a bit of a long shot, but nothing I can find specifically prohibits such a course. Whether or not they would approve you is a different story, but you don't know until you ask!