Master prompt
Document tracking + INZ validity calendar (NZ)
Build a per-document tracker (status, expiry, recollect-trigger date). Validity windows: medical 3mo, PCC 6mo, IELTS 2y, skills assessment 3y. Recollect-trigger calendar so nothing goes stale mid-application.
NZDocumentsTrackerValidityIELTSPCCMedicalExpiry
Build a complete document tracker and validity calendar for [CLIENT_NAME] (INZ Client [INZ_CLIENT_NUMBER]) for the [VISA_TYPE] application targeted for submission on [INTENDED_SUBMISSION_DATE].
§1 — INZ VALIDITY WINDOWS (reference table)
Anchor: INZ Operations Manual A4 + A15 + visa-stream chapters.
Document type | Validity window | Counted from
─────────────────────────────────|─────────────────────────|──────────────────────────
Police Certificate (PCC) | 6 months | Date of issue
eMedical / INZ 1007 medical | 3 months | Date of examination // 2026-05 — verify current INZ medical validity
Chest X-ray (INZ 1096) | 3 months | Date of X-ray
IELTS / PTE / TOEFL (English) | 2 years | Test date
OET (healthcare English) | 2 years | Test date
NZQA IQA (qualification assess) | 3 years | Date of NZQA report
Bank statements (proof of funds) | 3-6 months (varies) | Statement date
Employer reference letter | 3 months recommended | Date of letter
Payslips | Most recent 3-6 months | Pay date
Passport (any application) | Min 3 months beyond | Visa expiry date
intended departure
Photos | 6 months | Date taken
Sponsor income docs | Most recent tax year | NZ tax year end
Birth certificate | No expiry | —
Marriage certificate | No expiry | —
Apostille (MEA / FCDO) | No formal expiry, but | Apostille date
apostille of expired
underlying doc still
useless
§2 — DOCUMENT-BY-DOCUMENT TRACKER FOR [CLIENT_NAME]
Parse [DOCUMENTS_IN_HAND]:
For each document listed, build a row:
Document name | Date obtained | Validity expiry | Status at [INTENDED_SUBMISSION_DATE] | Action
Status options:
• VALID at submission — no action needed
• VALID at submission, EXPIRES BEFORE DECISION (estimate decision date as submission + visa-stream-typical processing time)
• EXPIRES BEFORE SUBMISSION — re-obtain before [INTENDED_SUBMISSION_DATE]
• STALE — already expired; immediate re-obtain
Example output:
Document: IELTS Academic
Date obtained: 2024-10-12
Validity expiry: 2026-10-12
Status at 2026-09-15 submission: VALID (27 days margin before expiry)
Action: [!] Tight — if INZ takes >27 days, IELTS will expire mid-processing. Recommend re-test now OR accept risk that INZ may request fresh test.
Document: Indian PCC
Date obtained: 2025-08-04
Validity expiry: 2026-02-04
Status at 2026-09-15 submission: EXPIRED 7+ months before submission
Action: [NO] Re-obtain immediately. Apply via Indian High Commission Wellington / VFS — target arrival by 2026-09-01.
Document: eMedical
Date obtained: 2025-12-01
Validity expiry: 2026-03-01
Status at 2026-09-15 submission: EXPIRED 6+ months before submission
Action: [NO] Re-book panel physician. Schedule for 2026-08-15 (4 weeks before submission) to ensure valid at submission AND for at least 3 months into processing.
§3 — RECOLLECT-TRIGGER CALENDAR (timeline view)
Working backwards from [INTENDED_SUBMISSION_DATE]:
T-16 weeks: Initiate PCCs from all required countries (if not in hand or expired)
T-12 weeks: Initiate NZQA IQA (if needed and >3y old)
T-12 weeks: Schedule IELTS / OET retest if validity at risk
T-8 weeks: Refresh employer reference letter request
T-6 weeks: Receive PCCs; verify completeness
T-6 weeks: Receive English-test certificate; upload to INZ Online
T-5 weeks: Refresh sponsor income documents
T-4 weeks: Schedule eMedical appointment
T-4 weeks: Order fresh bank statements
T-3 weeks: Attend eMedical
T-3 weeks: Refresh payslips (most recent 3 months)
T-2 weeks: eMedical results received; HAP ID in INZ Online
T-2 weeks: Photos (35mm × 45mm) — take fresh if existing photos > 6mo
T-1 week: Final pre-submission review (see §6)
T: Submit INZ application
§4 — PROCESSING-PERIOD RISK CHECK
Once submitted on [INTENDED_SUBMISSION_DATE], INZ processing windows (mid-2026; verify current — INZ publishes processing times by visa stream at immigration.govt.nz):
Visa stream | Typical processing
────────────────────────────|─────────────────────
Visitor Visa offshore | 4-8 weeks
Student Visa | 4-10 weeks
AEWV | 4-8 weeks
Partner of NZ Citizen | 12-24 months
SMC Resident | 12-18 months
Parent Resident | 18-36 months (queue + processing)
Investor | 6-12 months
Working Holiday | 1-4 weeks
For documents with short validity (medical 3mo, PCC 6mo), Resident Visa applications WILL outlast original validity. Plan for at least one mid-processing refresh:
PCC: typically re-issued at INZ request 6-12 months into processing
Medical: typically re-issued at INZ request 9-12 months into processing
Bank statements: typically re-issued at INZ request mid-way
Note in tracker: "Mid-processing refresh expected for [DOC] around [DATE+9mo]."
§5 — PENDING DOCUMENTS PRIORITISATION
Parse None:
For each pending document, assign:
• Critical path (delays the entire submission)
• Parallel-track (can be completed alongside other steps)
• Issuing-authority typical turnaround
• Earliest-start date and latest-acceptable date
Order by Critical-path-with-longest-turnaround FIRST.
Example:
Pending: UAE Good Conduct Certificate
Critical path: Yes (mandatory PCC)
Issuing authority: UAE Ministry of Interior (Good Conduct service)
Typical turnaround: 3-7 days from UAE; 4-8 weeks if applying from abroad via Indian/UAE diplomatic channels
Earliest start: NOW
Latest accept: T-2 weeks before submission
Pending: Employer reference letter
Critical path: Yes (employment-based visa)
Issuing authority: Current employer HR
Typical turnaround: 1-2 weeks (depending on HR responsiveness)
Earliest start: T-3 weeks
Latest accept: T-1 week
Pending: Updated payslips (last 3 months)
Critical path: No (refresh from monthly pay run)
Issuing authority: Employer payroll
Typical turnaround: 1-3 days
Earliest start: T-2 weeks
Latest accept: T-3 days
§6 — FINAL PRE-SUBMISSION CHECKLIST (T-1 week)
□ All [DOCUMENTS_IN_HAND] still valid at [INTENDED_SUBMISSION_DATE]?
□ All None now obtained?
□ All non-English documents translated by NAATI/NZSTI translator (Prompt 2)
□ All foreign documents apostilled / authenticated (Prompt 3)
□ eMedical HAP ID confirmed in INZ Online?
□ PCC from every country in residence history (per Prompt 4)?
□ Statutory declarations witnessed and annexures properly identified (per Prompt 5)?
□ Photos meeting INZ specifications (35mm × 45mm, < 6 months old)?
□ Fee + Immigration Levy paid?
□ Form INZ 1146 (Use of Adviser) signed; adviser IAA Licence on cover?
□ Letter of engagement signed by client (IAA Code of Conduct cl.18)?
□ Online file size within INZ limits (each PDF < 10 MB; total < 50 MB)?
□ Backup copy of entire submission saved in client file?
§7 — POST-SUBMISSION MONITORING
After submission, set calendar reminders for:
T+2 weeks: Confirm INZ Acknowledgement of Receipt received
T+1 month: Status check in INZ Online
T+3 months: Status check; re-issue any document approaching expiry preemptively
T+6 months: PCC re-issue (if Resident Visa application); start now to be ready when INZ asks
T+9 months: eMedical re-issue (if Resident Visa application)
Mid-processing: monitor for "Information Request" (RFE) — respond within 14-30 days
§8 — TRACKER OUTPUT FORMAT
Produce a clean table the adviser can paste into client CRM / spreadsheet:
| # | Document | Current status | Issued | Expires | Action by | Action |
|---|----------|----------------|--------|---------|-----------|--------|
| 1 | IELTS Academic | VALID, tight margin | 2024-10-12 | 2026-10-12 | T-12w | Consider re-test |
| 2 | Indian PCC | EXPIRED | 2025-08-04 | 2026-02-04 | T-12w | Re-obtain via VFS NZ |
| 3 | eMedical | EXPIRED | 2025-12-01 | 2026-03-01 | T-4w | Re-book panel physician |
| 4 | NZQA IQA | VALID | 2024-05-15 | 2027-05-15 | — | No action |
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
Plus a calendar view of action deadlines:
Week of 2026-06-23 (T-12w): Initiate PCC re-issue + IELTS booking decision
Week of 2026-07-21 (T-8w): Employer reference letter request
Week of 2026-08-04 (T-6w): Receive PCC + English test result
Week of 2026-08-18 (T-4w): Book eMedical appointment
Week of 2026-09-01 (T-2w): Final document refresh (payslips, bank statements, photos)
Week of 2026-09-08 (T-1w): Pre-submission QA
2026-09-15 (T): Submit
§9 — RED FLAGS
□ Any "VALID" doc with < 30 days margin at submission → re-issue preemptively
□ Multiple docs expiring in the same window → re-stagger to avoid bottleneck
□ PCC from a country with long turnaround (e.g. India 6+ weeks abroad) — start earliest
□ Sponsor income docs: NZ tax year end (31 March) creates a refresh-window each year — note this for sponsor-based applications
□ Documents stamped "for emigration only" — ensure they cover NZ; some Indian-issued PCCs are limited to one country
End with: "DRAFT — for IAA-licensed immigration adviser review. Verify against current INZ Operations Manual before submission."Unlock the vault to see the full prompt