🛡️ Check Your Agent or Offer Before You Pay

Check a study abroad agent or offer letter before you pay: red-flag checklist, the official lists of genuine universities for Canada, the UK, Australia, the USA, Germany and Ireland, and how to verify advisers.

● Last updated November 3, 2026|By Arpit Chauhan|Checked against official sources · How we check facts

Quick answer: Before paying anyone, find the school on the official list (Canada’s designated learning institutions list, the UK register of licensed student sponsors, Australia’s CRICOS, the US SEVP school search), confirm the offer directly with the university, pay fees only to the university, and check that anyone charging for visa advice is licensed. No agent can guarantee a visa.

Six red flags before paying an agent: visa guaranteed, bank statements arranged, pay to a personal account, offer without applying, job or PR promised, hide your past refusal — Red flags that mean you should stop and verify.

🛡️ Check before you pay

Country

Tick anything your agent or offer has done:

They "guarantee" a visa or admission They offer to arrange bank statements, funds or a loan "on paper" They offer to create or "fix" documents (marksheets, experience letters, certificates) Fees go to a personal account or cash, not the university You got an offer letter without applying or without your documents They pressure you to pay today ("last seats") They promise a job, PR or a work permit with the course No written contract or receipts The adviser is not on the official register for that country You cannot find the school or course on the official list The offer comes from a Gmail/Yahoo address, not the university's domain They tell you to hide a previous refusal or a gap

6 red flags before you pay an agent (silent, 13 seconds). Six red flags: a guaranteed visa, arranged bank statements, paying into a personal account, an offer without applying, a promised job or PR, and being told to hide a past refusal. Verify the school on the official government list.

Official lists to check

Country	Is the school or course genuine?	Is the adviser allowed to charge?
🇨🇦 Canada	Designated learning institutions list (IRCC)	Find a licensed consultant (College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants)
🇬🇧 UK	Register of licensed student sponsors (GOV.UK)	Find a regulated immigration adviser (GOV.UK)
🇦🇺 Australia	CRICOS register of institutions and courses	Register of migration agents (OMARA)
🇺🇸 USA	SEVP-certified school search (Study in the States)	US Embassy in India: visa information
🇩🇪 Germany	Hochschulkompass: recognised German universities	German Missions in India: visa information
🇮🇪 Ireland	Interim List of Eligible Programmes (ILEP), being replaced by TrustEd Ireland	Irish Immigration Service

Five checks before you pay anything

Find the school on the official list for the country, not on a link the agent sends.
Confirm the offer with the university directly, using contact details from its official website, and check it appears in your applicant portal.
Pay fees only to the university (bank transfer to its account, or its official payment partner), never to a personal account.
Check the adviser's licence on the official register if they give visa advice for a fee.
Keep everything in writing: a signed contract, receipts and copies of every document submitted in your name.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I check if a foreign university is genuine?

Use the official list for the country: Canada's designated learning institutions list, the UK register of licensed student sponsors, Australia's CRICOS register, the US SEVP-certified school search, Germany's Hochschulkompass and Ireland's Interim List of Eligible Programmes (being replaced by the TrustEd Ireland quality mark). If the school or course is not there, the offer will not get you a student visa.

How can I tell if an offer letter is fake?

Check that it came from the university's own email domain, that it matches your application, and that you can see the same offer in the university's applicant portal. Contact the admissions office directly using contact details from the official website, not from the agent.

Can an agent guarantee a student visa?

No. Only the visa officer decides. Anyone promising a guaranteed visa, an earlier interview for money or "arranged" bank statements is a red flag.

What happens if my agent used fake documents?

You are responsible for everything submitted in your name. A finding of false documents can bring a ban: 5 years in Canada, up to 10 years in the UK, 3 years in Australia (10 for identity fraud) and permanent ineligibility in the USA unless waived.

Who is allowed to charge for visa advice?

Canada: licensed consultants (RCICs), lawyers and Quebec notaries. UK: advisers regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority (formerly OISC), solicitors, barristers and chartered legal executives. Australia: registered migration agents and lawyers. Education agents can help with admissions, but check their credentials and get receipts.

Sources

Figures on this page were checked against these sources on 3 November 2026. Rules change: confirm on the official site before you apply.

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