Student devastated by dishonest education agent
On 14 February 2023, CBC News Edmonton published the story of 25-year-old Karamjeet Kaur, a disabled Indian student who faces removal from Canada due to a fake letter of admission
Agent aggregators on sub-agent recruitment drive
One of our most popular posts in 2022 was Boots on the ground: agent aggregators build their networks, which mapped the growth of the sub-agent networks of several of the
ApplyBoard – the one that got away…
ApplyBoard has made a big impact in the world of international student recruitment. Founded in 2015 by brothers Martin, Meti, and Massi Basiri, the company now has partnerships with 1,700+
Another fake education certificate racket busted in India
Indian media outlets are reporting the arrest by Rachakonda police of seven members of a gang who were operating a fake education/degree certificate scam. The accused reportedly admitted to selling
Adventus.io cuts staff in India
A Linkedin post by a former Adventus.io employee in late December 2022 stated that:
Over 50 staff pan India was [sic] laid off on all of the sudden zoom call at
Jan 2023 update: Aggregator sub-agent networks
This update post follows our earlier posts:
5 questions to ask an education agent aggregator about their sub-agents, and
Boots on the ground: agent aggregators build their networks
The chart below shows the
Into temptation: the rise of education agent aggregators and sub-agent risk
In 2022, a recurring topic of focus in the international education world was the role and rise of education agent aggregators. Established players like ApplyBoard and Adventus.io continued to market
US college admission fraud mastermind faces 6 years in prison
The long running US college admission fraud scandal is finally drawing to a close, and the man behind it all - William 'Rick' Singer - will soon face his day
ApplyBoard explains sub-agent due diligence process
An episode of Canadian investigative journalism program, The Fifth Estate, on 12 October 2022, shone a light on international student recruitment in Canada, including the role of education agents and aggregators.
5 questions to ask an education agent aggregator about their sub-agents
(First published June 2021. Last update - December 2022.)
Much has been written recently about the rise and market impact of education agent aggregators. An education agent aggregator acts a market
Hyderabad City Police warn community against fake education agencies
In mid-December, the Deputy Commissioner of Hyderabad City Police in India issued a public warning about dishonest education agents:
Please do not believe Fake Educational Consultancies, [or] Mediators/Agents of other state
ApplyBoard cuts 90 staff
Regional media in the Waterloo region of Canada is reporting that ApplyBoard cut 90 of its 1500 staff on Monday 28 November. The staff ApplyBoard has let go are from
Indian students rely on police to check education agents
A recent story in Indian newspaper, The Hindu, describes how many Indian students now seek help from the police to check on education agents that they are considering working with.
I-Unite: another education agent aggregator launches
While attending the recent ICEF Berlin Digital Day, Gaurav Batra, the Managing Director of Infinite Group, announced the launch of "I-Unite, an AI driven recruitment platform".
I-Unite is an education agent
New AIRC standards cover education agents
In a statement on 9 November 2022, the Executive Director of the American International Recruitment Council (AIRC), Brian Whalen, officially launched the International Enrollment Management (IEM) Standards for Higher Education
Iranian police arrest education agent scammers
In late October, Iranian police announced the arrest of five members of a gang who had scammed millions of dollars from people on the false promise of sending them to
Update: Aggregator sub-agent networks
Our recent post, 'Boots on the ground: agent aggregators build their networks', seemed to strike a chord, attracting interest on Linkedin, and almost 100 shares.
An episode of Canadian investigative journalism
German Ambassador: agents involved in Indian student visa fraud
The German Ambassador to India, Phillip Ackerman, has said that up to 15 per cent of the student visa applications made by Indian students include fake documents. The Ambassador also
Nigeria: Education agents involved in sex trafficking
Trends show that victims that come to the “TRNC” with student visas are deceived by agents that are used as a shield by the traffickers.Nigeria's National Agency for the Prohibition
Education agent jailed for money laundering
On 17 February 2022, an Australian court sentenced education agent Andre Giminez Barbosa, to six years in jail for the offence of "dealing in money or property worth $1 million