New Zealand Immigration Minister Erica Stanford today, January 27, announced adjustments related to visa relaxation allowing foreigners to still work remotely while visiting the country.
“This is a brand new tourism market that New Zealand can exploit. We want people to see this country as an ideal place to visit and work,” Reuters quoted Minister Stanford as saying.
The new changes will apply to all visa categories, including tourism and family visits.
Visit visas can be extended for up to 9 months, but after 3 months of working remotely in New Zealand, visitors will have to pay taxes.
Speaking at the press conference later, Ms. Stanford admitted that it is still unclear how many foreigners will take advantage of this opportunity. However, the “digital nomad” trend is extremely popular around the world, and New Zealand focuses on those who want the opportunity to work during their stay in the country.
“I expect that while they’re here, they’ll stay in New Zealand longer than usual, and they’ll spend more because of the extended stay, and we really hope the extended stay will makes them fall in love with this country,” according to the minister.
New Zealand’s economy in the third quarter of 2024 technically fell into recession and the government is looking for measures to stimulate growth.
New Zealand’s tourism sector has not really recovered since the border closure during the Covid-19 Pandemic, with the number of foreign visitors last year still only reaching about 86% of the previous year’s figure. .
“The government’s ambition is that the new visa regulations will establish New Zealand’s position as a welcoming haven for the world’s talent,” Reuters on January 27 quoted Economic Development Minister Nicola Willis as saying. . According to the minister, the new regulations target high-value tourists, especially from the US and Asia.
Ms Willis hopes that in some cases, the new visa rules will encourage “digital nomad” workers and the companies they work for to consider expanding their businesses in New Zealand. in the future.