No fixed universal minimum applies. Substantiality is assessed in relation to the cost of the particular business, and nationality, the investor's control, and the enterprise's own qualifying characteristics still need to be established separately.
Understand what the number is actually measuring
Identify the total cost of establishing or acquiring the specific business and what the proposed budget includes. Flag any expenses sitting outside a headline purchase price, and distinguish firm commitments from rough estimates. A larger payment does not resolve an unrelated nationality or business-operation problem.
A first review should create a transaction map showing nationality, ownership, lawful funding source, each contract condition, the money actually committed, and the operating plan. The signed agreements, bank trail, security documents, and realistic business records settle these matters; a broker's summary or a prospective budget does not. Trace the funds first, read the release and refund clauses next, then compare the enterprise plan with the investment.
Problems arise when money remains freely retractable, the investor lacks practical control, or a forecast has no support in the transaction. Correct the structure before filing rather than trying to relabel it afterwards. For requirements, calculate ownership and actual investment against the particular enterprise, then test whether the investor will direct it and whether it is expected to be more than marginal.
The decision is whether the proposed structure works now, not whether it might become suitable after future growth. Hypothetical example: A rope-access safety school has a committed lease and equipment orders but no workable ownership control; the investor must solve control before assuming the spending alone carries the case.