According to critics, the wealthy will be able to buy their way in while citizens will be denied quarantine spots.
A contentious New Zealand scheme that grants visas to wealthy international investors has reopened after a year sabbatical due to the pandemic, raising concerns among overseas New Zealanders who fear it will add to the country’s already overburdened managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) system.
New Zealand’s wealthy visa scheme reignites anger among locked-out citizens
The resumption of the scheme, according to Martin Newell, a representative for the advocacy group Grounded Kiwis, will cause “disbelief” among New Zealanders living abroad, who may lose out on MIQ spots to the investors.
“The government is forsaking its citizens’ needs in favor of those with enough capital to purchase their way into the country.”
Immigration New Zealand (INZ) officially awarded 32 visas to people who promised to make investments of $10 million over three years and another 76 visas to people who promised to make investments of $3 million.
INZ has yet to make a decision on 816 additional applications in both categories. The visas represent a financial contribution of at least $548 million. According to an INZ spokesperson, the agency has begun processing applications for a variety of visa categories, including humanitarian and family visas, in addition to investor visas.
Investors who hold visas in hand may apply to contend for places in New Zealand’s overcrowded MIQ system. Staying in MIQ is required for entry into the country, which has been largely closed to non-quarantined international travel since March 2020 to combat Covid-19. As a result, thousands of New Zealanders have been unable to return home due to a lack of MIQ spots.
Seerwan Ali Jafar, an Auckland citizen whose parent has yet to travel and visit her grandkids due to MIQ issues, called the re-establishment of the investor scheme “outrageous and offensive.” Kiwis cannot enter to visit family, but the wealthy can. It’s unbearable.”
The reinstatement of the scheme follows a delay in the reinstatement of quarantine-free travel for New Zealanders. Chris Hipkins, the Covid-19 response minister, stated that the reopening date would be pushed back from January 17 to the end of February due to uncertainty surrounding Covid-19’s Omicron variant. The reversal ensures that the difficulties associated with MIQ access will continue into 2022.
Only 51 investor visas were given visas in 2020-2021 due to Covid-19 and the closing of New Zealand’s borders. Some were contentious. Larry Page, the co-founder of Google, decided to apply for an investor visa in November 2020 and was approved in February 2021. Considering the length of delays several migrant workers have faced in obtaining visas for themselves or their families, the quick approval sparked outrage.
