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Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Registrant Name dei_EntityRegistrantName AIM VARIABLE INSURANCE FUNDS (INVESCO VARIABLE INSURANCE FUNDS)
Prospectus Date rr_ProspectusDate Apr. 29, 2013
Series II shares | Invesco V.I. High Yield Fund
 
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Risk/Return [Heading] rr_RiskReturnHeading Fund Summary
Objective [Heading] rr_ObjectiveHeading Investment Objective(s)
Objective, Primary [Text Block] rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock The Fund’s investment objective is total return, comprised of current income and capital appreciation.
Expense [Heading] rr_ExpenseHeading Fees and Expenses of the Fund
Expense Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock This table describes the fees and expenses that are incurred, directly or indirectly, when a variable product owner buys, holds, or redeems interest in an insurance company separate account that invests in the Series II shares of the Fund but does not represent the effect of any fees or other expenses assessed in connection with your variable product, and if it did, expenses would be higher.
Shareholder Fees Caption [Text] rr_ShareholderFeesCaption Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)
Operating Expenses Caption [Text] rr_OperatingExpensesCaption Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement over Assets, Date of Termination rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssetsDateOfTermination April 30, 2014
Portfolio Turnover [Heading] rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading Portfolio Turnover.
Portfolio Turnover [Text Block] rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 58% of the average value of its portfolio.
Portfolio Turnover, Rate rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate 58.00%
Expense Example [Heading] rr_ExpenseExampleHeading Example.
Expense Example Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

This Example does not represent the effect of any fees or expenses assessed in connection with your variable product, and if it did, expenses would be higher.

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same.

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:
Strategy [Heading] rr_StrategyHeading Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund
Strategy Narrative [Text Block] rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock The Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in debt securities that are determined to be below investment grade quality and in derivatives and other instruments that have economic characteristics similar to such securities. These types of securities are commonly referred to as junk bonds. Investment grade securities are: (i) securities rated BBB- or higher by Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC, a subsidiary of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (S&P) or Baa3 or higher by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (Moody’s) or an equivalent rating by another nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO), (ii) securities with comparable short-term NRSRO ratings, or (iii) unrated securities determined by the Adviser to be of comparable quality at the time of purchase.

The Fund will principally invest in junk bonds rated B or above by an NRSRO or, if unrated, deemed to be of comparable quality by the portfolio managers.

The Fund may invest in preferred stocks and convertible securities, which are securities that generally pay interest and may be converted into common stock.

The Fund may invest up to 25% of its net assets in foreign securities. In regard to foreign security holdings, up to 15% of the Fund’s net assets may be in securities of issuers located in emerging markets countries, i.e., those that are in the initial stages of their industrial cycles. The Fund may also invest in securities not considered foreign securities that carry foreign credit exposure.

The Fund may purchase mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities such as collateralized mortgage obligations (CMOs), collateralized loan obligations (CLOs) and collateralized debt obligations (CDOs). The Fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets in illiquid or thinly traded securities. The Fund also may invest in securities that are subject to resale restrictions such as those contained in Rule 144A promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933. The Fund may also purchase municipal securities. The Fund’s investments may include securities that do not produce immediate cash income, such as zero coupon securities and payment-in-kind securities.

The Fund can invest in derivative instruments, including forward foreign currency contracts, futures contracts and swap contracts.

The Fund can use futures contracts, including currency futures contracts, to hedge against adverse movements in the foreign currencies in which portfolio securities denominated.

The Fund can use swap contracts, including interest rate swaps, to hedge or adjust its exposure to interest rates. The Fund can also use swap contracts, including credit default swaps, to gain or reduce exposure to an asset class or a particular issue. The Fund can further use swap contracts, including credit default index swaps, to hedge credit risk or take a position on a basket of credit entities and to gain or reduce exposure to an asset class or a particular issue.

In selecting securities for the Fund’s portfolio, the Adviser focuses on securities that it believes have favorable prospects for high current income and the possibility of growth of capital. The Adviser conducts a bottom-up fundamental analysis of an issuer before its securities are purchased by the Fund. The fundamental analysis involves an evaluation by a team of credit analysts of an issuer’s financial statements in order to assess its financial condition. The credit analysts also assess the ability of an issuer to reduce its leverage (i.e., the amount of borrowed debt).

The bottom-up fundamental analysis is supplemented by an ongoing review of the securities’ relative value compared with other junk bonds, and a top-down analysis of sector and macro-economic trends, such as changes in interest rates.

The portfolio managers attempt to control the Fund’s risk by limiting the portfolio’s assets that are invested in any one security, and by diversifying the portfolio’s holdings over a number of different industries. Although the Fund is actively managed, it is reviewed regularly against its benchmark index (the Barclays U.S. Corporate High Yield 2% Issuer Cap Index) and its peer group index (the Lipper High Current Yield Bond Funds Index) to assess the portfolio’s relative risk and its positioning.

Decisions to purchase or sell securities are determined by the relative value considerations of the investment professionals that factor in economic and credit-related fundamentals, market supply and demand, market dislocations and situation-specific opportunities. The purchase or sale of securities may be related to a decision to alter the Fund’s macro risk exposure (such as duration, yield, curve positioning and sector exposure), a need to limit or reduce the Fund’s exposure to a particular security or issuer, degradation of an issuer’s credit quality, or general liquidity needs of the Fund.
Risk [Heading] rr_RiskHeading Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
Risk Narrative [Text Block] rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock As with any mutual fund investment, loss of money is a risk of investing. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other governmental agency. The risks associated with an investment in the Fund can increase during times of significant market volatility. The principal risks of investing in the Fund are:

Collateralized Loan Obligations Risk. In addition to the normal interest rate, default and other risks of fixed income securities, collateralized loan obligations carry additional risks, including the possibility that distributions from collateral securities will not be adequate to make interest or other payments, the quality of the collateral may decline in value or default, the Fund may invest in collateralized loan obligations that are subordinate to other classes, values may be volatile, and disputes with the issuer may produce unexpected investment results.

Convertible Securities Risk. The Fund may own convertible securities, the value of which may be affected by market interest rates, the risk that the issuer will default, the value of the underlying stock or the right of the issuer to buy back the convertible securities.

Credit Risk. The issuer of instruments in which the Fund invests may be unable to meet interest and/or principal payments, thereby causing its instruments to decrease in value and lowering the issuer’s credit rating.

Derivatives Risk. The performance of derivative instruments is tied to the performance of an underlying currency, security, index, commodity or other instrument. In addition to risks relating to their underlying instruments, the use of derivatives may include other, possibly greater, risks. Derivatives involve costs, may be volatile, and may involve a small initial investment relative to the risk assumed. Risks associated with the use of derivatives may include counterparty, leverage, correlation, liquidity, tax, market, interest rate and management risks. Derivatives may also be more difficult to purchase, sell or value than other investments. The Fund may lose more than the cash amount invested on investments in derivatives. Investors should bear in mind that, while the Fund intends to use derivative strategies, it is not obligated to actively engage in these transactions, generally or in any particular kind of derivative, if the Adviser elects not to do so due to availability, cost, market conditions or other factors.

Developing/Emerging Markets Securities Risk. The prices of securities issued by foreign companies and governments located in developing/emerging markets countries may be affected more negatively by inflation, devaluation of their currencies, higher transaction costs, delays in settlement, adverse political developments, the introduction of capital controls, withholding taxes, nationalization of private assets, expropriation, social unrest, war or lack of timely information than those in developed countries.

Foreign Securities Risk. The Fund’s foreign investments may be affected by changes in a foreign country’s exchange rates, political and social instability, changes in economic or taxation policies, difficulties when enforcing obligations, decreased liquidity, and increased volatility. Foreign companies may be subject to less regulation resulting in less publicly available information about the companies.

High Yield Bond (Junk Bond) Risk. Junk bonds involve a greater risk of default or price changes due to changes in the credit quality of the issuer. The values of junk bonds fluctuate more than those of high-quality bonds in response to company, political, regulatory or economic developments. Values of junk bonds can decline significantly over short periods of time.

Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk refers to the risk that bond prices generally fall as interest rates rise; conversely, bond prices generally rise as interest rates fall. Specific bonds differ in their sensitivity to changes in interest rates depending on their individual characteristics, including duration.

Liquidity Risk. The Fund may hold illiquid securities that it may be unable to sell at the preferred time or price and could lose its entire investment in such securities.

Management Risk. The investment techniques and risk analysis used by the Fund’s portfolio managers may not produce the desired results.

Market Risk. The prices of and the income generated by the Fund’s securities may decline in response to, among other things, investor sentiment, general economic and market conditions, regional or global instability, and currency and interest rate fluctuations.

Mortgage- and Asset-Backed Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in mortgage- and asset-backed securities that are subject to prepayment or call risk, which is the risk that the borrower’s payments may be received earlier or later than expected due to changes in prepayment rates on underlying loans. Faster prepayments often happen when interest rates are falling. As a result, the Fund may reinvest these early payments at lower interest rates, thereby reducing the Fund’s income. Conversely, when interest rates rise, prepayments may happen more slowly, causing the security to lengthen in duration. Longer duration securities tend to be more volatile. Securities may be prepaid at a price less than the original purchase value. An unexpectedly high rate of defaults on the mortgages held by a mortgage pool may adversely affect the value of mortgage-backed securities and could result in losses to the Fund. The risk of such defaults is generally higher in the case of mortgage pools that include subprime mortgages. Subprime mortgages refer to loans made to borrowers with weakened credit histories or with lower capacity to make timely payments on their mortgages.

Municipal Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in municipal securities. Constitutional amendments, legislative enactments, executive orders, administrative regulations, voter initiatives, and the issuer’s regional economic conditions may affect the municipal security’s value, interest payments, repayment of principal and the Fund’s ability to sell it. Failure of a municipal security issuer to comply with applicable tax requirements may make income paid thereon taxable, resulting in a decline in the security’s value. In addition, there could be changes in applicable tax laws or tax treatments that reduce or eliminate the current federal income tax exemption on municipal securities or otherwise adversely affect the current federal or state tax status of municipal securities.

Preferred Securities Risk. Preferred securities may include provisions that permit the issuer, in its discretion, to defer or omit distributions for a certain period of time. If the Fund owns a security that is deferring or omitting its distributions, the Fund may be required to report the distribution on its tax returns, even though it may not have received this income. Further, preferred securities may lose substantial value due to the omission or deferment of dividend payments.

Reinvestment Risk. Reinvestment risk is the risk that a bond’s cash flows (coupon income and principal repayment) will be reinvested at an interest rate below that on the original bond.

Zero Coupon or Pay-In-Kind Securities Risk. The value, interest rates, and liquidity of non-cash paying instruments, such as zero coupon and pay-in-kind securities, are subject to greater fluctuation than other types of securities.
Risk Lose Money [Text] rr_RiskLoseMoney As with any mutual fund investment, loss of money is a risk of investing.
Risk Not Insured Depository Institution [Text] rr_RiskNotInsuredDepositoryInstitution An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other governmental agency.
Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading] rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading Performance Information
Performance Narrative [Text Block] rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock The bar chart and performance table provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows changes in the performance of the Fund from year to year as of December 31. All performance shown assumes the reinvestment of dividends and capital gains and the effect of the Fund’s expenses. The performance table compares the Fund’s performance to that of a broad-based securities market benchmark, a style specific benchmark and a peer group benchmark comprised of funds with investment objectives and strategies similar to the Fund. The performance table below does not reflect charges assessed in connection with your variable product; if it did, the performance shown would be lower. The Fund’s past performance is not necessarily an indication of its future performance. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s Web site at www.invesco.com/us. Series I shares are not offered by this prospectus. The Series I shares and Series II shares invest in the same portfolio of securities and will have substantially similar performance, except to the extent that the expenses borne by each share class differ. Series II shares have higher expenses (and therefore lower performance) resulting from its Rule 12b-1 plan, which provides for a maximum fee equal to an annual rate of 0.25% (expressed as a percentage of average daily net assets of the Fund).
Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text] rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns The bar chart and performance table provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows changes in the performance of the Fund from year to year as of December 31. All performance shown assumes the reinvestment of dividends and capital gains and the effect of the Fund’s expenses. The performance table compares the Fund’s performance to that of a broad-based securities market benchmark, a style specific benchmark and a peer group benchmark comprised of funds with investment objectives and strategies similar to the Fund.
Performance Availability Website Address [Text] rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress www.invesco.com/us
Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text] rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture The Fund’s past performance is not necessarily an indication of its future performance.
Bar Chart [Heading] rr_BarChartHeading Annual Total Returns
Bar Chart Does Not Reflect Sales Loads [Text] rr_BarChartDoesNotReflectSalesLoads The performance table below does not reflect charges assessed in connection with your variable product; if it did, the performance shown would be lower.
Bar Chart Closing [Text Block] rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock Best Quarter (ended June 30, 2009): 22.81%
Worst Quarter (ended December 31, 2008): -20.22%
Performance Table Heading rr_PerformanceTableHeading Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2012)
Series II shares | Invesco V.I. High Yield Fund | Class: Series II shares
 
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice   
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of original purchase price or redemption proceeds, whichever is less) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther   
Management Fees rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.63%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 0.25%
Other Expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.41%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets 0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 1.30%
Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets 0.24% [1]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 1.06%
1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 108
3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 388
5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 690
10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 1,547
2003 rr_AnnualReturn2003 27.89%
2004 rr_AnnualReturn2004 11.14%
2005 rr_AnnualReturn2005 2.43%
2006 rr_AnnualReturn2006 10.41%
2007 rr_AnnualReturn2007 1.01%
2008 rr_AnnualReturn2008 (25.80%)
2009 rr_AnnualReturn2009 52.06%
2010 rr_AnnualReturn2010 13.49%
2011 rr_AnnualReturn2011 0.61%
2012 rr_AnnualReturn2012 16.96%
Highest Quarterly Return, Label rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel Best Quarter
Highest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate Jun. 30, 2009
Highest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn 22.81%
Lowest Quarterly Return, Label rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel Worst Quarter
Lowest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate Dec. 31, 2008
Lowest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn (20.22%)
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 16.96%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 8.54%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 9.36%
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Mar. 26, 2002
Series II shares | Invesco V.I. High Yield Fund | Barclays U.S. Aggregate Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)
 
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 4.21%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 5.95%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 5.18%
Series II shares | Invesco V.I. High Yield Fund | Barclays U.S. Corporate High Yield 2% Issuer Cap Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)
 
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 15.78%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 10.45%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 10.60%
Series II shares | Invesco V.I. High Yield Fund | Lipper VUF High Current Yield Bond Funds Classification Average
 
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 14.09%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 7.89%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 8.97%
[1] The Adviser has contractually agreed, through least April 30, 2014, to waive advisory fees and/or reimburse expenses of Series II shares to the extent necessary to limit Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement (excluding certain items discussed below) of Series II shares to 1.05% of average daily net assets. Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are also excluded in determining such obligation. In determining the Adviser's obligation to waive advisory fees and/or reimburse expenses, the following expenses are not taken into account, and could cause the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement to exceed the numbers reflected above: (i) interest; (ii) taxes; (iii) dividend expense on short sales; (iv) extraordinary or non-routine items, including litigation expenses; (v) expenses that the Fund has incurred but did not actually pay because of an expense offset arrangement. Unless the Board of Trustees and Invesco Advisers, Inc. mutually agree to amend or continue the fee waiver agreement, it will terminate on April 30, 2014.