New Zealand businesses will now have an easier time entering the US thanks to new visas.
The E1 and E2 visas will allow businesspeople to enter the country as non-immigrant traders and investors in a move welcomed by ExportNZ.
The visas apply if a New Zealand business invests significantly in a US business or creates jobs in the US.
ExportNZ executive director Catherine Beard said in a statement that New Zealanders have found it hard to enter and establish businesses in the US.
“The passage of the Kiwi Act in the US last year, which enabled the new visas, has now delivered easier access for Kiwi businesses.
“The bipartisan support for the Kiwi Act in the US Congress might also signal good progress towards an eventual New Zealand-US free trade agreement.
“Exporters and others will welcome the positive state of New Zealand-US relations.”
In the most recent poll on Inside Retail New Zealand, which asked about expansion, only one respondent said they were planning to enter the US market.
Nearly three-quarters (74 per cent) of the 18 poll participants said they were planning to expand domestically, while 16 per cent said they were planning to expand in China. One respondent said they were planning to expand in the UK, and one said they were going to expand in Australia.
