New Zealand’s Immigration Minister, Michael Woodhouse, has welcomed the introduction of a new Global Impact Visa (GIV) designed to bring innovative, global entrepreneurs to the country.
“Last year the Government committed to considering a new Global Impact Visa to cater for high-impact entrepreneurs, investors and start-up teams to launch global ventures from New Zealand,” Mr Woodhouse said yesterday. “Today’s announcement delivers on that commitment and will attract younger, highly talented, successful and well-connected entrepreneurs who are at the start of their entrepreneurial career and able to establish their ventures in New Zealand.”
The Minister revealed that the GIV scheme will initially run as a four-year pilot, and be limited to 400 visas over the duration of the pilot.
“GIVs will help meet the Government’s Business Growth Agenda’s innovation and investment objectives by lifting innovation in New Zealand,” Woodhouse explained. “It will also help expand the pool of smart capital by attracting individual investors and entrepreneurs to live here in New Zealand.
“The successful implementation of GIVs will create new jobs through the establishment of new ventures, attraction of smart capital and access to global networks.”
The policy will be delivered by Immigration New Zealand (INZ) in partnership with the private sector. The private sector partner will be selected through an open procurement process and will manage the attraction, selection and integration of the migrant entrepreneurs in New Zealand.
More details of the programme, including investment requirements, will be released over the coming weeks and months.
Article by David Fuller