From receiving the Offer Letter to submitting the application Visa Study Abroad Australia how long does it take? What needs to be prepared at each stage? This is a question often asked by parents whose children plan to study abroad in Australia for the February 2027 (Feb 2027) intake period. For parents to easily imagine, De1 Consultancy shares a comprehensive, anonymous roadmap based on the process of accompanying a family to prepare documents for the Feb. 2027.
Each application has different circumstances and requirements, but preparing in stages will help families be more proactive and limit unnecessary shortcomings.
April 2026: Research and choose a major
The first step is consulting on choosing a school and major. In this case, the family contacted De1 for advice and choice of Business major at a CRICOS school in Melbourne. This is a very important stage because choosing a major is not only related to school and cost but also needs to consider compatibility with:
- Previous educational background.
- Student’s learning process.
- Future career orientation.
- Reasons for choosing a major and school in Australia.
These contents are also related to the process of preparing the GS Statement (Genuine Student Statement) later. Therefore, instead of just choosing a trending industry or because that industry is of interest to many people, families should build a learning path with a clear and reasonable reason.
June 2026: Receive Offer Letter and pay deposit
After completing and submitting academic documents as required by the school, the family receives an Offer Letter. The next step is to pay the deposit required by the school to confirm admission. This is the time when families begin to move from the research and selection stage to the stage of preparing official documents for the February 2027 admission period.
July 2026: Receive CoE and start preparing GS Statement
After completing tuition requirements according to school regulations, CoE (Confirmation of Enrolment) is issued. This is also the time when De1 started building the GS Statement – Genuine Student Statement with his family. The GS Statement should not be viewed simply as a paper to complete formalities. According to De1’s experience in preparing documents, this section requires specific research on:
- Selected field of study.
- Reason for choosing industry.
- Reason for choosing school.
- Previous study history.
- Career orientation.
- Plan to study in Australia.
Presenting information in a general way can make the application unconvincing. Therefore, families should start preparing content early instead of waiting until close to the visa submission date to do so.
August 2026: Prepare financial documents
This is one of the periods when families need to spend a lot of time reviewing documents. In this case, the family must readjust the way it prepares bank statements. Instead of combining documents into one file like the initial preparation, documents are arranged and separated by month, and have the bank’s confirmation stamp. This is a seemingly small detail, but it shows that the arrangement and presentation of financial documents should also be carefully checked before submitting. In case the application requires additional documents, the Australian Department of Home Affairs may request additional information, for example through S56, which can extend the processing time of the application.
September 2026: Complete OSHC, health check and review of documents
By September 2026, the family is entering the stage of completing the documents.
Main tasks include:
1. Complete OSHC insurance
Family complete health insurance for international students (OSHC) upon request.
In this case, OSHC is prepared to take effect at least 1 week before the first day of school.
2. Schedule a health examination
The family schedules a health examination according to the requirements of the Australian Department of Home Affairs (DHA).
3. Review of the entire application
Along with completing the OSHC and medical examination, the entire application is reviewed one last time before submitting the Student Visa Subclass 500 application.
From Offer Letter to visa submission date: How long does it take to prepare?
With the roadmap of the above case:
April 2026 → June 2026 → July 2026 → August 2026 → September 2026
The family has about 5 months to prepare before completing the application to submit the visa for the February 2027 admission. It is important not to wait until the CoE is in place to start preparing all the paperwork. Some sections such as major selection, study orientation, GS Statement and financial documents need to be prepared early so that families have time to check, adjust and supplement if necessary.
If you plan to study abroad in Australia in February 2027, what should you do at this time?
If your child is aiming for the February 2027 enrollment period, this is the period to speed up application preparation.
Families can begin reviewing:
✓ School and field of study
✓ Academic profile
✓ Offer Letter and CoE
✓ Professor Statement
✓ Financial profile
✓ OSHC
✓ Medical examination
✓ Necessary documents for Visa 500
Preparing early will help families have more time to handle arising problems instead of having to run applications close to the admission date.
The process of preparing your application to study in Australia is not just about collecting documents. An application needs to be built according to a unified roadmap, from choosing a major, school, study orientation to GS Statement, finances and requirements before submitting Visa 500. De1 Consultancy accompanies families from the consulting step of choosing a school, choosing a major to the process of preparing and completing the visa application.
