Choosing a consultancy safely, and avoiding scams
How to check an agent, what a good one does, and the warning signs of fraud.
1 min read🇨🇦 Canada · 🇦🇺 Australia
You don't need a consultancy. Everything in the study-abroad process can be done yourself, and this site is built for that. If you do use one, choose carefully. You carry the consequences of anything they submit in your name.
Check before you sign anything
- In Nepal: ask for the consultancy's MoEST permission/registration and check it is current.
- For Canadian immigration advice: the adviser should be a licensed RCIC. Check the CICC public register.
- For Australian visa advice: the adviser should be a registered migration agent (or a lawyer). Check the official register.
- Get every fee in writing, including what is refundable, and a receipt for every payment.
Warning signs
- "Guaranteed visa" or "guaranteed PR"
- Offers to "arrange" bank balances, experience letters or certificates
- Asking you to submit documents you haven't seen, or refusing to share your application login
- Keeping your original documents or passport
- Pressure to pay today, or only for one specific college
Fake documents follow you for years
If fake or altered documents are found, both Canada and Australia can refuse the application and ban you from applying for several years. The ban applies to you, not the agent.
Your rights
- Always keep access to your own IRCC account, ImmiAccount and email.
- Ask for a copy of everything submitted.
- You can apply to a school directly, even if an agent also represents it.
Official sources
- CICC – Find a licensed consultant (Canada) ↗
- Home Affairs – Using a registered migration agent ↗
- Ministry of Education, Science & Technology ↗
Rules change often. Always confirm with the official source before you submit anything.
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