At our most up-to-date assembly with the Enterprise Workforce Administration, we acquired updates on processing occasions for the assorted visas they deal with.
Entrepreneur – lack of clear warnings
U.S enquiries concerning the Entrepreneur class to our workplace have elevated significantly because the 2024 presidential election. There are additionally few from elsewhere.
For instance, Google’s AI (as of July 2025), when requested “is the NZ entrepreneur class a superb choice” speaks positively of this class. Amidst overwhelmingly constructive billing, there’s a obscure “some sources point out that decline charges for the residence stage, so it’s essential to organize a strong and well-researched marketing strategy.”
In actual fact, the decline fee has been 96% and remains to be excessive in any respect levels. It has come down as volumes have all however dried up. Our conferences with Enterprise Workforce Administration have revealed that staffing for this class was down to 1 specialist however is now as much as two specialists.
Deceptive promoting
Most credible legal professionals and advisers warn their shoppers of the challenges with this damaged class. Nonetheless, we’re nonetheless discovering an irresponsible minority of licensed and unlicensed advisors proceed to advertise the Entrepreneur class with out mentioning the numerous challenges and excessive decline fee. The position of a lawyer and adviser is to present impartial and competent recommendation. We’re additionally discovering promotion of this class from offshore unlicensed folks a breach of our Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007.
You possibly can’t commute to and out of your new enterprise
A significant element, typically not talked about, is that you’d have to work fulltime within the enterprise for a lot of years. We’ve checked this with the Administration Workforce. Aside from export, business-related journey and brief holidays, the proprietor applicant have to be current and dealing within the enterprise in New Zealand.
Earlier than contemplating – take a look at the statistics!
We lately made a request below the Official Data Act (New Zealand’s FOI laws) with help from the Enterprise Department, for processing occasions and outcomes. This yielded some fascinating outcomes as enclosed. The time-frame lined was between 1 July 2024 and 29 June 2025.
The decline fee shouldn’t be the entire image: tiny numbers
There have been solely 4 entrepreneur resident visa purposes being processed as of 29 June 2025. This very low quantity reinforces the difficulties with this class. Two purposes have been both returned failed lodgements or cancelled for different causes. To succeed in this stage, shoppers would have laid out appreciable sums. These are tiny numbers. We have now carried out many of those purposes previously however have actively inspired different choices in recent times.
Preliminary work visa 29% declined, most undecided
Throughout that point, there have been 67 purposes for Entrepreneur Work visas (interim), however solely three had been authorized, seven have been withdrawn or cancelled, two have been declined, and 7 had been authorized.
We have been informed that the decline/unsuccessful fee was 29%. It will be very irresponsible not to attract this to our shoppers’ consideration.
55 purposes have been nonetheless into account, which underscores the lengthy delays on this class.
Additional work visa; small volumes
An additional 24 purposes have been made inside this timeframe for the stability of a three-year work visa. Six have been withdrawn or in any other case cancelled, and 6 have been authorized. 12 had not been determined. Once more, these are very small volumes with unsure outcomes after investing giant sums.
Lengthy processing occasions
Additional clues about this being a dangerous, low precedence class are discovered within the median processing time for Entrepreneur Work and Residence visas.
- The preliminary Entrepreneur Work visa had a median processing time of 212 working days, which comes near a full yr.
- The Entrepreneur Work visa in search of the stability of three years fared higher with a median processing time of 110 working days.
- The Entrepreneur Resident visa had an identical delay in processing of 203 working days, which additionally comes near a full yr.
Paper purposes
One other facet of this class that wants pressing consideration is that purposes are paper-based. This results in absurd conditions, the place paperwork that have been initially in digital kind, comparable to financial institution statements, typically should be printed out to be was paper paperwork, licensed, and double or triple dealt with earlier than they arrive on the Enterprise Workforce in Wellington.
As a part of The Legislation Affiliation, we have now supported digitising these and different paper utility – however that’s nonetheless a while away.
Assessment underway
Some excellent news is on the horizon.
A overview group has been fashioned to suggest adjustments that would considerably enhance the Entrepreneur directions. Nonetheless, there isn’t any publicly introduced timeframe for any adjustments to return into drive.
Our ideas
Our recommendation at this stage is to deal with this as a class of final resort and maintain off making purposes till contemporary directions are introduced.
There are important dangers within the 29% decline fee of labor visas, however equally, the one-year delays in processing for each the work visa and resident visas.
It’s disappointing that the Immigration New Zealand web site doesn’t precisely mirror the challenges, delays, and uncertainties of this class for unrepresented candidates.
Quick-track
There are barely higher odds for the fast-track class with a powerful, professionally ready marketing strategy, investing in an current firm with a powerful observe document. See our earlier weblog.
There are sometimes good alternate options to this class.
Lively Investor Plus – a greater choice for these with ample funds
The Balanced and Development classes below the Lively Investor Plus visa, as of July 2025, had complete processing occasions, for decision-ready purposes, of round 4 months.
Within the case of investments below the Development class, extra time is required to get approval from New Zealand Commerce and Enterprise (NZTE) in case you are not utilizing a pre-approved firm or a portfolio of corporations. We’re recommending that shoppers use a portfolio of corporations with a longtime funds supervisor. We have now good contacts for this. See our earlier weblog for particulars.
Curiosity on this class has been excessive.
Particular Objective Work visas
We have now efficiently recommended different avenues for shoppers, comparable to a Particular Objective Work visa which is much extra versatile than the Accredited Employer Work visa.
Our agency has a few years of expertise with this specific visa. We have now helped shoppers develop enterprise plans for the relocating New Zealand department, which is much much less onerous than these required below the Entrepreneur class. Unbiased administrators might be purchased on board. Shopper’s obtain renewable Particular Objective Work visas. These with tertiary {qualifications}, and good earnings can then step throughout to the Expert Migrant Residence Class visa.
Contact our pleasant workforce for additional particulars.
