The next Canada? Rich mainland Chinese push New Zealand migration to 11-year high
China is top immigration source for southern nation, with half of all newcomers using investor scheme, some paying up to HK$53m
An influx of deep-pocketed mainland Chinese has helped New Zealand reach its highest intake of immigrants in more than 10 years, official data shows.
New Zealand's net migration surged to an 11-year high of 31,900 in the year to March, as 98,000 immigrants arrived and 66,100 left the country. It was the second-highest net gain yet.
China was the nation's biggest source of long-term arrivals at 6,200, followed by 6,100 from India and 5,800 from Britain over the same period. Ming Tiang, head of Chiwi Immigration Services in Auckland, said that half of all Chinese immigrants to the country arrived through the investor scheme. The rest were parents whose children studied there.
The top draw for Chinese families was the "beautiful environment, good weather and living standard", he said.
New Zealand has been wooing wealthy Chinese after Canada, a top destination, restricted its immigrant visa scheme after it was overloaded by mainlanders seeking citizenship. New Zealand Prime Minister John Key recently said he wanted mainland and Hong Kong investors to spend money not on land, but on fixed assets, manufacturing or real estate projects like hotels.