Folks are bugging out, and I wonder why, for supposedly if such folks cannot prove they did not give up their US citizenship for tax reasons (either they did so because their spouse is not of US citizenship, or the place of new nationality sports higher tax rate), then they might not even be eligible to visit family in USA. Then there is the issue of exit tax.
Of course, taking up residency in NZ is not the same as giving up USA citizenship, but it is prepping the way to eventual option
bbc.com
Larry Page: Google co-founder granted New Zealand residency
22 hours ago
 Getty Images
New Zealand's authorities say Larry Page applied for residency under a category for wealthy investors
Larry Page, Google's co-founder and one of the world's richest men, has been granted New Zealand residency under a category for wealthy investors.
Applicants are required to invest at least NZ$10m ($7m, £5m) in New Zealand over three years.
Mr Page entered New Zealand in January, when its borders were still closed because of Covid-19.
But the government said he was allowed in because of a medical emergency application involving his son.
Mr Page, 48, had applied for residence in November. However, his application could not be processed because he was offshore at the time.
But in January, the US tech billionaire was allowed into New Zealand so his son could be evacuated from Fiji because of a medical emergency, the government confirmed on Thursday. His application was approved in February.
In parliament this week, Health Minister Andrew Little defended the decision to grant him entry.
"[His entry] met all the standard conditions of a medical emergency requiring a medical evacuation from the islands, and every requirement and regulation that was in place... was complied with," Mr Little said, according to a transcript on the parliament's website.
Some critics of the decision highlighted its apparent unfairness.
"We have got these GPs or nurses who are stuck in an interminable waiting room to get their residence, whereas Larry [Page] comes in and boom, straight away can become a resident," immigration adviser Katy Armstrong told Radio New Zealand.
Mr Page is listed as one of the richest people in the world with a reported wealth of more than $116 bn. He stepped down as chief executive of Google's parent company Alphabet in 2019, but remains a board member and controlling shareholder.
He is not the first Silicon Valley tech billionaire to have taken a particular interest in New Zealand.
Peter Thiel, a co-founder of Paypal and early investor in Facebook, once described the South Pacific island nation as "the future" and became a citizen back in 2011. He has since invested heavily there.
Located more than 6,000 miles (10,000km) from the US mainland, New Zealand was recently identified as a country more resilient than most to the threat of climate change.
In a study released last month, researchers at the UK-based Global Sustainability Institute described New Zealand as "best placed to survive the collapse of global civilisation".
The temperate, mountainous country is well-placed to deal with threats such as rising sea levels.
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