Locked-out New Zealanders outraged as visa scheme for rich foreigners resumes. Critics say the wealthy will be able to buy their way in while citizens lose out on quarantine spots.

Critics say the wealthy will be able to buy their way in while citizens lose out on quarantine spots

Summary

With their visas in hand, investors may apply to compete for spots in New Zealand’s congested MIQ system.
According to information released under the Official Information Act, New Zealand’s policy of granting visas to wealthy investors reached its height in 2016-2017 when 446 wealthy investors were granted visas.
Due to the emergence of Covid-19 and the closing of New Zealand’s borders, just 51 investor visas were granted in 2020-2021.
The Google co-founder Larry Page applied for an investor visa in November 2020 and was accepted in February 2021.
Even as INZ resumes granting investor visas, that visa backlog for migrant workers continues: the government recently introduced a fast-tracked residency visa for such workers, with as many as 15,000 workers stuck in New Zealand eligible to apply.