Earlier than the investment decision itself. Source-of-funds documentation, project due diligence, petition adjudication, visa availability, and consular or adjustment processing each take their own time, and none carries a guaranteed completion date. No fixed decision date exists. Starting while the child is comfortably below the threshold leaves room for the steps to unfold.
Set review dates rather than a target arrival
Pick calendar points — document gathering complete, petition filed, first Visa Bulletin review, decision on schooling — and attach a named owner to each. Revisit the child's analysis at every one of those points, because a fact that seemed settled can change when a birthday, a marriage, or a queue movement intervenes. Keep housing, resignation, and enrolment commitments behind the milestone that actually authorises the move, not the one the family hopes for.
Pick calendar points with a named owner for each: document gathering complete, petition filed, first review of visa availability, decision on schooling. Revisit the child's analysis at every one of them, because a fact that seemed settled can change when a birthday, a marriage, or a queue movement intervenes. Source-of-funds documentation, project due diligence, petition adjudication, visa availability, and consular or adjustment processing each take their own time and none carries a guaranteed completion date.
Starting while a child is comfortably below the threshold leaves room for those steps to unfold. Keep housing, resignation, and enrolment commitments behind the milestone that actually authorises the move.