A recent Indian media article has provided an alarming insight into the extent of fraud perpetrated by migration and education agents in the city of Chandigarh. Police say they have registered 79 cases of immigration-related fraud so far in 2025. In 2024 there were 194 cases.
The article names names, including a list of agencies, and lists the sums each agency has allegedly fleeced from visa applicants, including students, between January and June 2025. The table is reproduced below, with the addition of $USD equivalent sums for the Indian rupee figures provided in the original table.
| Business Name | ₹ Indian Rupees | $USD |
| World Walk Immigration | ₹70,00,000+ | $84,000 |
| Planet Guide Overseas | ₹50,70,000 | $60,840 |
| Wish Immigration Consultant | ₹49,00,000 | $58,800 |
| My Immigration Solution | ₹48,26,351 | $57,916 |
| Skyline Experts | ₹46,25,780 | $55,509 |
| V Town International | ₹35,00,000 | $42,000 |
| High Visa Consultant | ₹30,90,000 | $37,080 |
| Setup World Travel | ₹24,80,800 | $29,769 |
| Citizen Code Services | ₹17,22,000 | $20,664 |
| RR Travels | ₹17,00,000 | $20,400 |
| GS Visa Point | ₹16,54,706 | $19,856 |
| AVC Immigration | ₹4,77,200 | $5,726 |
| Borderline Move Consultant | ₹4,58,308 | $5,499 |
| Angad Overseas | ₹5,25,000 | $6,300 |
| Sure Abroad Immigration | ₹2,70,000 | $3,240 |
| Visa Vibes | ₹2,47,500 | $2,970 |
| Eknoor Global | ₹1,50,000 | $1,800 |
| Veracity Overseas Immigration | ₹1,50,000 | $1,800 |
| Others (small firms in various sectos) | ₹2,00,00,000 | $240,000 |
Some quick Google research on each of the listed businesses quickly generates a theme of business websites that can’t be accessed, alerts on the Google business summary that the business is ‘temporarily closed’, and social media accounts that are ‘temporarily unavailable’. Those businesses that do still have any kind of web presence offer services to students – either admissions advice and support, student visa processing, or both.
Behind each of alleged frauds sit victims and their families. Lured by false promises of work and study opportunities, they instead face a nightmare of destroyed aspirations and financial ruin. Awful outcomes that have a lifelong impact. And the data above is a snapshot of just one Indian city over a six month period.
A pattern of phoenixing
Also concerning is the reported pattern of phoenix activity among some of these firms. According to the article, enforcement authorities in Chandigarh have not only shut down numerous unregistered and fraudulent consultancies but also found that many resumed operations under new names or from different office locations, often within the same buildings. In several cases, agencies subject to charge and closure in 2024 were found flouting judicial orders and continuing their business through rebranding or relocation.
For institutions working with international education agents, this highlights the need for robust due diligence processes, ongoing monitoring, and a zero-tolerance approach to agents with a history of misconduct.
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Source: The Tribune