Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has welcomed US State Department confirmation that New Zealanders will be able to apply for multiple-entry business visas from next week.

The visas – called E1 treaty trader and E2 treaty investor visas - will allow New Zealand business people who qualify to enter the US multiple times without having to apply for a new visa each time, with an option to renew their visa on a rolling basis.

“New Zealand businesses have wanted better visa access to the US for many years,” Mr Peters said.

“This will make a serious difference. It will open new opportunities for trade and investment, and deliver economic benefits for both countries.”

Access to the visas comes as a result of President Donald Trump signing the Knowledgeable Innovators and Worthy Investors Act (KIWI Act) in August 2018. Since then, the US government has taken the necessary administrative steps to bring the visas into effect. The E1 and E2 visas are expected to be available for application from 10 June.

“New Zealand’s relationship with the US has made significant progress in recent times, and we are determined to see that grow further. The decision to offer improved access for New Zealand business people helps moves this forward,” said Mr Peters.

Further information is available on: https://nz.usembassy.gov/evisa

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