Before paying a deposit or accepting an offer of admission. Both the school's classification question and the counsel question about work components are cheaper to resolve before commitments than after, and a program's structure is rarely negotiable once it has started.
Sequence the questions before the deadline
Ask the school for its requirements and classification first, since that answer shapes what counsel needs to review. Then raise the program structure and any practical component with counsel, and confirm the employer's position on schedule changes. If an extension falls due during the program, plan that filing on its own timeline rather than around the academic calendar.
Record the birthday, term start, registration deadline and present status dates without treating them as interchangeable. The employer’s deadline cannot confer a degree or supply immigration permission. An employer letter that has to be redrafted by a firm’s general counsel can sit for a fortnight. Plan cancellable travel, shipping, school arrangements, and notice to a current employer against the chosen procedure and risk tolerance. A loose offer that starts immediately while the documents remain incomplete creates pressure to describe a job before it is settled.