India, June 24 -- Applications for New Zealand's updated 'Active Investor Plus Visa' - often referred to as a 'golden visa' - have surged since the program was modified in April. The government has received 189 applications in just over two months, surpassing the total number of applications (116) submitted in the preceding two and a half years.New Zealand's 'golden visa' rush is predominantly driven by wealthy Americans, who represent 45% of the applicants (85 applications), followed by Chinese nationals (14%) and residents of Hong Kong (13%).

Affluent Americans are at the forefront of capitalizing on New Zealand's newly introduced 'golden visa' program, amid a significant exodus from the United States following Donald Trump's return t...