When should I file for a student visa for Australia for Feb 08 intake?

The Immigration Department says Student visa applications normally take 3 months.

I just spoke to a friend from China who said her visa only took 1 month, so you've got plenty of time before Feb '08. Do take care if you are planning to arrive in early Feb that things may be a bit slower here in January over the Australian summer holiday period.

You can apply for a student visa online through a migration agent*, which may speed up the process. If you are going through an agent, you should know that all the Universities pay agents to attract overseas students . If you would like to go to Monash for instance, contact information about their international agents who can help you with your application is freely available from the Monash recruitment services unit.

*currently only from India, Indonesia, Thailand and The People’s Republic of China