Master prompt
Active Investor Plus Visa — eligibility audit + weighted multiplier modelling (NZ)
Full audit of the Active Investor Plus Visa (AIPV) — NZ$5M weighted minimum, 4-year period, 117-day presence, IELTS 5, character, health — with multiplier modelling for direct equity / managed funds / listed / philanthropic categories.
NZInvestor visaActive Investor PlusAIPVBJ5 millionINZ
You are a senior NZ IAA-licensed immigration adviser. Run a complete eligibility audit for [CLIENT_NAME] under the Active Investor Plus Visa (AIPV) category, Immigration Instructions BJ (Business — Investor). Be conservative; never promise grant.
CLIENT SUMMARY
- Age at intended application: [AGE]
- Total investable capital (NZD): [TOTAL_INVESTABLE_NZD]
- Source-of-wealth summary: [SOURCE_OF_WEALTH_SUMMARY]
- Intended investment mix: [INVESTMENT_MIX]
- English evidence: [ENGLISH_PROOF]
- Presence plan over 4 years: [PRESENCE_PLAN]
- Character / health flags: None
REGULATORY FRAME
The Active Investor Plus Visa (introduced 19-Sep-2022, replacing Investor 1 and Investor 2 categories; subject to ongoing review — verify current INZ settings on inz.govt.nz) requires:
(a) Minimum weighted investment of NZ$5,000,000 over a 4-year investment period
(b) Weighting applied per investment category (multipliers below)
(c) Physical presence of at least 117 days in NZ across the 4-year period
(d) English language to IELTS 5 (or equivalent / exemption with fee)
(e) Good character
(f) Acceptable standard of health
(g) No age cap (unlike old Investor 2 which had a 65 cap — verify)
§1 — WEIGHTED MULTIPLIER CALCULATION
Current published category weightings (// 2026-05 — verify current INZ settings; weightings have been adjusted since launch and may change again):
CATEGORY WEIGHTING
Philanthropic donations to approved NZ recipients ............. 4x
Direct equity in NZ private businesses (incl. start-ups) ...... 3x
Managed funds with NZ private-business exposure ............... 2x
Residential property development (limited — narrow rules) ..... 2x
NZX-listed equities + NZX-listed bonds + bonds in NZ
registered banks .......................................... 1x
Take [INVESTMENT_MIX] and compute the weighted total:
For each category line:
weighted_value = raw_NZD * multiplier
Sum all weighted_values.
Show the arithmetic, category by category, like:
"Direct equity NZ$2,500,000 x 3.0 = NZ$7,500,000 weighted"
"Managed fund NZ$1,000,000 x 2.0 = NZ$2,000,000 weighted"
"NZX listed NZ$1,500,000 x 1.0 = NZ$1,500,000 weighted"
"Philanthropy NZ$250,000 x 4.0 = NZ$1,000,000 weighted"
"TOTAL WEIGHTED = NZ$12,000,000 (threshold NZ$5,000,000)"
State explicitly: MEETS THRESHOLD (margin NZ$X) / SHORT BY NZ$X.
If the client is overweighted on 1x listed equities and short on threshold, suggest a re-weight pathway (e.g. moving NZ$500K from NZX listed to direct equity reduces required raw capital materially because of the 3x leverage).
§2 — CAPITAL-EFFICIENCY OPTIMISATION (planning note)
The 3x / 4x multipliers create a strong capital-efficiency case for direct equity and philanthropy rather than passive listed exposure.
Trade-offs to discuss with [CLIENT_NAME]:
- Direct equity (3x): highest risk, requires due-diligence on NZ private businesses; some clients use professional investor groups (Angel Association NZ / NZ Venture Investment Fund partners)
- Managed funds (2x): NZ-licensed fund manager, diversification, professional management; lower returns net of fees vs direct
- Listed equities (1x): liquid, transparent, but worst capital-efficiency under AIPV weighting; can serve as a parking position before deploying to private equity
- Philanthropy (4x): highest weighting but capital is GONE (donation, not investment); reserved typically for the marginal NZ$250K-NZ$500K of clients who want to lift their weighted total over threshold cheaply
- Residential property development (2x): narrow rules — must meet specific INZ criteria around new build, not buy-to-rent; verify current OM BJ instructions
State a recommended optimisation (specific to [TOTAL_INVESTABLE_NZD] and [INVESTMENT_MIX]) if applicable.
§3 — 4-YEAR INVESTMENT PERIOD MECHANICS
(a) The investment period commences when INZ approves the visa and the applicant has 6 months to transfer funds to NZ (commitment phase)
(b) Funds must be deployed into acceptable investments within a further transition window — verify current OM BJ allowance
(c) Investments must be maintained for the full 4-year period — selling out triggers compliance review
(d) Switching between acceptable categories during the period is permitted (with documentation) but the new investment must continue to meet threshold on a weighted basis
(e) Annual investor declaration to INZ — confirm investments still held, presence days, character status
§4 — 117-DAY PRESENCE REQUIREMENT
- Minimum: 117 days physically in NZ across the 4-year investment period
- No annual minimum (unlike NZ citizenship which has 240/year)
- Days counted from arrival stamps; departure day = day out, arrival day = day in
- Assess [PRESENCE_PLAN]:
* Cumulative target by Year 4: 117
* Annual avg required: ~30 days/year
* Many HNW clients front-load Year 1 (relocation / setup), then drop to 2-3 weeks/year
State: REALISTIC (meets target) / TIGHT (within margin) / UNREALISTIC (under 117 across plan).
§5 — ENGLISH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT
Required: IELTS 5.0 General / Academic average (across 4 bands), or equivalent in PTE / TOEFL / OET. Exemptions:
(a) Citizen of certain English-speaking countries (UK, USA, Canada, Ireland, AU — INDIA is NOT on the exemption list)
(b) Educated at recognised English-medium institution for 2+ years study at university level
(c) Paid English exemption fee (NZ$2,650 // 2026-05 — verify) — last-resort but available
Assess [ENGLISH_PROOF]:
- IELTS General/Academic >= 5.0 (overall): SUFFICIENT
- PTE >= 36 / TOEFL iBT >= 35: SUFFICIENT
- English-medium MBA from IIM / IIT / NIT (with English-instruction transcript): likely qualifies for exemption — document carefully
- No proof yet: recommend IELTS booking in next 60 days, OR pay exemption fee at lodgement
§6 — GOOD CHARACTER
INZ runs character checks via:
(a) NZ Police vetting
(b) Overseas police certificates from every country resided in 12+ months in last 10 years
(c) INTERPOL checks for HNW applicants — additional scrutiny
(d) Source-of-funds review under AML/CFT — see slot 4 for compliance prompt
Cross-check None:
- Convictions: serious convictions in last 10y likely blocker; minor (driving) generally disclosable but OK
- Pending matters: file deferred until resolved
- Tax assessment disputes in India: typically OK if not fraud / criminal; document genuinely
- Adverse media / regulatory action (SEBI / RBI / ED): material — likely refusal absent clear acquittal
- Family / business associates with convictions: relevant if applicant party to same matters
§7 — HEALTH REQUIREMENT
INZ acceptable standard of health (ASH). Required:
(a) Medical and chest X-ray for each applicant (incl. spouse + dependants 11+)
(b) Examinations by INZ-approved panel physician (in India: panel physicians in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Kolkata)
(c) Conditions of concern: tuberculosis (current); HIV (case-by-case); conditions imposing significant cost on NZ health system (e.g. dialysis, organ transplant, severe disability)
(d) Medical Waiver may be granted for AIPV in exceptional circumstances — discretionary
If None mentions a serious medical condition, flag for early INZ medical assessment and possible Medical Waiver request.
§8 — INZ "EXPRESSION OF INTEREST" + "INVITATION TO APPLY" MECHANICS
Current AIPV process (verify):
(a) Applicant submits Expression of Interest (EOI) to INZ — NZ$525 fee // 2026-05 — verify
(b) INZ assesses EOI for completeness, threshold, character + health flags
(c) Successful EOIs receive Invitation to Apply (ITA) — typically within 4-8 weeks
(d) Applicant has 4 months from ITA to lodge full application + fee (NZ$27,470 // 2026-05 — verify)
(e) Full processing: 6-12 months post-lodgement
(f) Approved-in-principle: client must transfer + deploy funds within 6 months
(g) Resident visa granted on confirmation of fund deployment
§9 — RECOMMENDATION
One of:
- PROCEED — all criteria met, submit EOI within 4-6 weeks after documentation pack ready
- PROCEED WITH REBALANCE — meets threshold only after reweighting investment mix; advise specific reweight
- INCREASE INVESTMENT — short on weighted threshold; raise total or shift to higher-multiplier categories
- SECURE ENGLISH PROOF FIRST — book IELTS / arrange exemption documentation; revisit in 8-12 weeks
- RESOLVE CHARACTER / HEALTH ISSUE — specific blocker; revisit on [date]
- DEFER — application not viable without material change
OUTPUT FORMAT
Section-by-section. Show the multiplier arithmetic explicitly (§1). Cite Operational Manual BJ section and Immigration Act 2009 inline at each requirement. End with a one-line action item for the consultant.
End with: "DRAFT eligibility audit — for IAA-licensed immigration adviser or NZ immigration lawyer review only. Verify against current INZ Operational Manual chapter BJ (Business — Investor) and the most recent AIPV category-weighting settings before advising the client. AIPV weightings and thresholds are reviewed periodically and have changed since the category was introduced in 2022 — re-confirm current numbers within 7 days of any client commitment. Not legal advice."Unlock the vault to see the full prompt