For anyone with an eye on New Zealand as a potential new home, there’s some good news. The government is launching two new residency pathways, allowing skilled and experienced migrants to live and work in the country. Here’s what you need to know about all the ways you could live in this beautiful country on a New Zealand visa.
A New Zealand Visa Offers An Extraordinary Quality of Life
New Zealand is well known for its breathtaking ‘Lord of the Rings’ landscapes, Maori culture, stunning wildlife, and adventure sports playground. The country was listed 9th on US News’ list of best countries in the world in 2024, coming in at number two for a comfortable retirement. The population is generally a happy bunch, too. When asked to rate their general life satisfaction between 0 and 10, New Zealanders graded themselves at 7.3, on average, higher than the OECD average of 6.7.
It’s the cost of living, however, that is one of the main draws. The cost of living (excluding rent) tends to be slightly lower than in the U.S., and while housing costs significantly more than in Europe (about 19% higher than in France, for instance), compared to the U.S., rent in New Zealand can be as much as 38% lower.
New arrivals would benefit from having lots of space. New Zealand has just over 5 million people, making it one of the least densely populated countries in the world.
What’s more, there are also plenty of financial incentives for expats. New Zealand doesn’t have any gift, estate, or wealth tax, nor capital gains tax.
Offering A New Zealand Visa Aims To Replace Record Emigration
The government is under pressure to replace the record numbers of New Zealanders who are leaving the country, and a shrinking GDP.
The net emigration is worrying the government. According to Stats NZ, in the year between July 2024 and 2025, over 73,000 New Zealanders left the country compared with 25,800 who returned home.
The government ran a publicity campaign called “Everyone Must Go” in February, aiming to attract Australian visitors to visit both the Southern and Northern Islands of New Zealand. But critics thought it sounded like a clearance sale. Others, as reported by the BBC, thought it jokingly referred to the need for toilets in some of the most highly visited tourist spots, where the queues were ridiculed.
New Zealand is still waiting for its tourist numbers to bounce back to pre-pandemic levels.
A New Zealand Visa As A Digital Nomad
At the beginning of 2025, the New Zealand government launched a digital nomad visa, which has no minimum income requirement—a rarity for digital nomad visas globally.
The government had previously banned travelers from working while they were visiting the country. If they did work, then they would be violating the conditions of a visitor’s visa. The digital nomad visa for New Zealand allows a 90-day stay, and it is possible to extend it for a further nine months. Much like any other digital nomad visa, you would be violating the conditions of your stay if you were working for an employer in New Zealand or if you were providing goods or services to people or businesses in New Zealand. You cannot earn any money that requires you to be physically present in a New Zealand workplace, for instance. All of this is designed so that you’re not taking the job of a resident in the country.
You are exempt from tax in New Zealand if you don’t stay for more than 92 non-consecutive days in a 12-month period. There is, however, a tax treaty between New Zealand and America, meaning that Americans might not have to pay tax if they stay longer.
A New Zealand Visa On The Golden Visa Program
In February, the government revitalized its Golden Visa program—the Active Investor Plus visa—by making it easier to invest and making the program more accessible by removing the English language proficiency part of the application.
Since April 1st, 2025, investors in the Golden Visa Program can invest $2.9 million over three years or $5.8 million over five years. Previously, the investment had been much higher.
In September 2025, the New Zealand government relaxed its rules on foreign nationals buying property if they were holders of a golden visa. In an effort to alleviate the housing crisis, foreign nationals have not been allowed to buy property since 2018. It’s another example of how the country is trying to encourage foreign nationals to live in the country. This is in contrast to some European countries, which are currently attempting to address their housing crises by increasing taxes on foreign nationals who purchase property, such as in Spain and Portugal.
The Guardian reports that the new visa pathways will be in place by mid-2026. One will be for skilled migrants who meet relevant experience and salary thresholds. The other is for migrants in trade and technical roles who meet qualification, work experience, and wage thresholds.
With these two new residency pathways launching in mid-2026, a revamped golden visa program, and a flexible digital nomad visa, New Zealand is addressing labor shortages and boosting its economy, making it easier than ever to find a New Zealand visa and call this breathtaking country your home.