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NEW Zealand is always willing to accept migrants who want to set up a new business in the country, under the business migration policy.
This requires the applicant to submit a formal and well researched business plan.
This is then considered by the government's Business Migration Branch, in Wellington.
This is not simply an academic exercise and a poorly presented or under-researched plan will either delay it being accepted or mean it is thrown out altogether.
The business migration branch reports that it has noticed a marked deterioration in the quality of business plans for long term business visa applications in recent months. A business plan is supposed to be a plan to establish a specific business in New Zealand. To be specific a plan should be tailored to an applicants experience and aspirations.
An increasing trend has been for business plans to be produced off templates with little alteration or information.
Examples of this have been business plans being drafted with no relevance to an applicant's past experience, a number of businesses being proposed for the same address, and the same business plan being used to establish the same business for a number of different applicants.
It has become obvious that a significant number of plans are being drafted without any reference to the applicant. Ideally these plans should be drafted after the consultant and/or business planner has had an in-depth discussion with the applicant.
This is not always possible, particularly when an applicant does not visit New Zealand and the New Zealand based consultant does not visit the applicant overseas. However, in this situation the New Zealand Immigration staff query how an acceptable business plan can be drafted when key parties do not communicate effectively with one another.
The Business Migration Branch is willing to assist consultants and business planners who are having difficulty drafting business plans.
While the Business Migration Branch has a policy to draw any deficiencies in an application to your attention to give you the opportunity to comment or make further submission prior to their final decision, this is not intended to be an opportunity to correct deficiencies in business plans that have been hastily prepared and without proper research into the proposed business, or to submit an entirely new business plan.
Furthermore it is not satisfactory to say that the required research will be carried out after a long term business visa has been granted.
The marked deterioration in the quality of business plans recently has lead to a significant increase in the number of application declined.
Business plans are commonly prepared as a document separate from the application form. Where this occurs the applicant must sign the business plan.
If the applicant is not familiar with the English language, there should also be a statement from another party confirming that the business plan has been fully discussed with the applicant in his/her own language and the applicant has understood and agreed with the content of the business plan.
If you can show you have specific knowledge of the New Zealand market for your product or business your business plan will have a much greater chance of success.
You should show details of research undertaken and knowledge gained, specifically related to the proposed business and also show you have made an informed decision to set up a business in New Zealand, knowing the market in which you will be operating.
The "NZ knowledge" section should include information to satisfy the Business Immigration Specialist that you are aware of your obligations as an employer and also know your employees' rights under the Employment Relations Act.

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