Short answer
Before you pay anyone, check the company on SECP’s eServices search, its NTN on FBR’s Active Taxpayer List, and every accreditation on the issuer’s own website. For a job abroad, the recruiter must be a licensed Overseas Employment Promoter. Then insist on a written agreement and a receipt for every payment. No one can guarantee a visa.
Why should you check a visa consultant before you pay?
For most families, an application abroad is paid for with years of savings. The money often changes hands in cash or through a WhatsApp number, with nothing written down. If the consultant is dishonest, getting it back is slow and uncertain.
You also hand over your passport, original degrees and CNIC copies. And the application carries your name and your signature, not the agent’s. As a lawyer, that is the point I would stress most.
Fake documents are refused in your name
Governments treat false documents and hidden facts as deception, and the consequences outlast a single refusal.
- United Kingdom. Under the Suitability part of the Immigration Rules, an application must be refused where the applicant used deception, and may be refused where a third party made false representations, whether or not the applicant knew. Where deception was used in an application, later applications face a ten-year refusal period (for visits, this applies to entry clearance applications).
- Canada. Section 40 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act makes a person inadmissible for misrepresenting or withholding material facts, for five years. IRCC says you are responsible for all the information in your application, even if a representative completes it.
- United States. Under section 212(a)(6)(C)(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, a person who seeks a visa by fraud or by wilfully misrepresenting a material fact is inadmissible. That clause sets no end date, although a waiver exists in limited cases.
A consultant who offers to “arrange” a bank statement is putting a refusal, and possibly a ban, on your record. If a refusal has already happened, read the guide to a refused student visa.
How do you check a consultant is a registered company?
These checks do not prove a consultant is good at the work. They tell you whether a real, accountable business stands behind the name.
Search the company on SECP eServices
The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan registers companies. Its eServices company name search is free and accepts a company name or an incorporation number. Enter the name exactly as it appears on the letterhead and receipt, because look-alike names are common.
A sole proprietor or partnership will not appear, because the search covers companies. Registration does not prove honesty, but it tells you who is legally responsible if you ever need to complain.
Check the NTN on FBR’s Active Taxpayer List
FBR describes the Active Taxpayer List as a central record of online income tax return filers for the previous tax year. Use the ATL status check on FBR’s website, or for a company send ATL, a space and the 7-digit NTN by SMS to 9966. For an individual, FBR uses the 13-digit CNIC instead.
A physical office and a named responsible person
Visit the office, whether it is in Lahore, Islamabad or Karachi, and meet the person responsible for your file. Write down their full name. A business that works only through WhatsApp, or changes its number every few months, is hard to hold to account.
How do you check an education agent is genuine?
Study abroad consultants often display logos from education bodies. Several of these can be checked in public.
ICEF Agency Status
ICEF certifies education agencies under its ICEF Agency Status. A certified agency should be able to give you a link to its live certificate on accreditations.icef.com. Check that the agency name, city and certification dates match the business you are paying today.
British Council agent training
The British Council trains education agents and counsellors who advise on UK study, and publishes a database of UK trained counsellors. Search for the name of the counsellor handling your file. Training shows knowledge of UK education. It does not make anyone a regulated immigration adviser.
The university’s own list of agents
In the UK, the Agent Quality Framework sets standards for how education providers manage their agents. Check the university’s website for its representatives in Pakistan, or email its international office to ask whether the agency recruits for it. A reply from the university’s own email address is strong evidence.
Which registers show a licensed immigration adviser abroad?
Some countries regulate who may give immigration advice. Each register below answers one narrow question: is this person licensed by that country’s regulator?
United Kingdom: the Immigration Advice Authority
The UK regulator formerly called the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) is now the Immigration Advice Authority. GOV.UK says immigration advisers must be registered with it or belong to an approved professional body, and that you cannot get your money back if an adviser is not regulated. Check anyone who claims to be a regulated UK adviser on the Immigration Advice Authority Adviser Finder.
Canada: paid advice and representation need authorisation
Section 91 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act makes it an offence to knowingly represent or advise a person for a fee in connection with an application, unless they are authorised. It covers paid advice as well as paid representation. Authorised people are members in good standing of a Canadian provincial or territorial law society, the Chambre des notaires du Québec, or the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC). IRCC says that if someone is not a member in good standing, you should not use their services. Check consultants on the CICC public register.
Australia: the register of migration agents
Registered migration agents are regulated by the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA), part of the Home Affairs portfolio. You can search the register of migration agents and check that a person’s registration is current.
Where this leaves my own work
I am not on any of these registers. I am a qualified lawyer in Pakistan and an education consultant. I am not a CICC licensee or a member of a Canadian law society, and not registered with the Immigration Advice Authority or OMARA. So for paid advice or representation on a Canadian application, you need an authorised representative, and for regulated advice given in the UK or Australia, a registered adviser. What I can offer is a free first consultation and a lawyer’s reading of an agreement a consultant in Pakistan has asked you to sign.
Check me the same way
Everything in this guide applies to me too. On this site, the ICEF certificate and the UK Companies House entry open on the issuers’ own websites. For the Pakistani registrations, do not rely on any link, including mine: run the SECP name search for Borders & Bridges Pvt Ltd yourself, ask for the NTN and check it on FBR’s Active Taxpayer List, then compare the results with the credentials listed on this site before you decide anything.
Who can legally recruit you for a job abroad from Pakistan?
Under Pakistan’s Emigration Ordinance 1979, anyone who wants to engage, assist or recruit a person to emigrate for work must apply for a licence under section 12. A licence holder is an Overseas Employment Promoter, usually called an OEP.
Section 22 makes it an offence for anyone who is not a licensed promoter to demand or receive money for providing a job abroad, or on the pretext of providing one. Section 18 covers forging emigration documents and inducing someone to emigrate by fraud or wilful misrepresentation. Both carry imprisonment of up to 14 years, a fine, or both.
So if someone offers you a “work visa” for a fee, check the Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment’s list of licensed Overseas Employment Promoters first. No licence, no payment.
For the UK, a genuine Skilled Worker application depends on a real job with an employer licensed to sponsor you. The UK Skilled Worker visa guide explains sponsorship and how to spot a fake job offer.
What are the warning signs of a fake visa consultant?
One sign on its own may have an innocent explanation. Two or three together should stop you paying anything until you have answers.
Promises nobody can keep
- A “guaranteed visa”, or a verbal promise of your money back if the visa is refused.
- Claims of “embassy contacts” or someone “inside” who can approve or speed up a decision.
- Extra fees for “fast processing” the government does not offer. Check the official website for real priority services.
Offers to create or hide things
- Selling job offers or a certificate of sponsorship. GOV.UK says UKVI will never guarantee a job in the UK.
- Offering to arrange bank statements, experience letters, degrees or sponsor documents.
- Telling you to leave out an earlier refusal or a previous visa.
Money and paperwork
- Cash with no receipt, or payment into a personal account. GOV.UK says it will never ask for visa payment by email, at a visa application centre or into a personal bank account.
- No written agreement, or one you may not take home and read.
- Refusing to show you the final application before it is submitted.
Pressure
- “Only two seats left”, “the quota closes tomorrow”, or a discount that ends today.
- Anger or silence when you ask for the registration details in this guide.
What should a written agreement with a consultant include?
A written agreement turns vague promises into specific words, which is exactly why dishonest agents avoid one. When I read a consultancy agreement, the refund clause is the first thing to find, because that is where real promises either appear or quietly disappear.
- The parties. Registered company name, incorporation number, NTN, office address and the named person responsible.
- Services included. Each one listed, such as course selection, university applications or visa file preparation.
- What is left out. Anything not covered, so there is no argument later.
- Fees, separated. The consultant’s own fee shown apart from visa fees, health surcharges or tuition deposits, which go through official channels.
- Payment schedule. Instalments tied to work actually done, not everything on day one.
- Refund terms. What happens if you withdraw, a university rejects you, or a visa is refused.
- Receipts. One for every payment, on letterhead, with amount, date and purpose.
- Your documents. Which originals the consultant holds, why, and when they come back.
- Who decides. A plain statement that the decision belongs to the government or university.
To see what a normal, staged process looks like, read how the process works, step by step.
Where can you report a fake visa consultant in Pakistan?
Before you report, gather the agreement, receipts, bank records, WhatsApp chats, the names used and the office address. Do not pay anyone who promises to recover your money for a fee.
The FIA
The Federal Investigation Agency’s public complaint portal asks you to choose the type of crime, and its categories include Anti Human Trafficking and Smuggling, and Immigration. Its listed helplines are 1991 and 051-111-345-786. The Anti-Human Trafficking and Smuggling Wing works under laws including the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act 2018, the Prevention of Smuggling of Migrants Act 2018 and the Emigration Ordinance 1979.
The Pakistan Citizen’s Portal
The Pakistan Citizen’s Portal, run by the Prime Minister’s Performance Delivery Unit, takes complaints to government departments through its website and mobile app.
Reporting to the UK, Canada and the US
If the scam used a foreign government’s name, report it there too. GOV.UK explains how to report visa and immigration scams. IRCC has a page on immigration and citizenship fraud and scams, including how to report. The US State Department publishes a visa fraud warning.
How do you check a consultant, step by step?
No single result clears a consultant. Together, they build a picture, so first be clear about what each check can and cannot tell you.
| What to check | Where to check it | What it proves | What it does not prove |
|---|---|---|---|
| Company registration | SECP eServices company name search | A company by that name is registered | That the people you meet run it, or that it is honest |
| Tax status | FBR Active Taxpayer List (online or SMS 9966) | The NTN filed a return for the previous tax year | Anything about skill, licences or conduct |
| ICEF Agency Status | The certificate on accreditations.icef.com | ICEF certified the agency for the stated dates | That it may give immigration advice |
| British Council training | British Council database of trained counsellors | The named counsellor completed UK training | That the agency is regulated or honest |
| UK adviser | Immigration Advice Authority Adviser Finder | The adviser is regulated in the UK | That a visa will be granted |
| Canada paid adviser | CICC public register | The consultant is licensed by the CICC | That fees or outcomes are fair |
| Australia agent | OMARA register of migration agents | The agent’s registration status | That the advice suits your case |
| Job abroad recruiter | Bureau of Emigration list of licensed OEPs | The promoter holds a licence | That the specific job is real |
Get the registered name and a named person in writing
Before any meeting, ask in writing for the exact registered name, incorporation number, NTN, office address and the name of the person responsible for your file. A genuine business can send these in minutes.
Search the company on SECP eServices
Open SECP’s eServices company name search yourself. Check that the name matches the letterhead, the receipt and the agreement exactly, not just roughly.
Check the NTN on FBR’s Active Taxpayer List
Use FBR’s online ATL status check, or send ATL, a space and the 7-digit NTN to 9966. An inactive or unknown NTN is a question the consultant should answer clearly.
Verify every badge on the issuer’s own website
Open an ICEF certificate on accreditations.icef.com and check the name, city and dates. Search a counsellor’s name in the British Council database. Never rely on a screenshot or a logo on a poster.
Match the service to the right licence
Paid advice or representation on a Canadian application needs an authorised representative, such as a CICC licensee. For regulated UK advice, use the IAA Adviser Finder, and for Australia the OMARA register. A job abroad needs a licensed Overseas Employment Promoter.
Visit the office and meet the responsible person
Go to the address during working hours and meet the named person, not only a receptionist or a WhatsApp number. Ask who prepares your application and who checks it before submission.
Sign a written agreement and keep a receipt for every payment
Pay nothing substantial until a signed agreement lists the services, service fee, government fees, refund terms and documents held. Keep a receipt for every payment, and pay government fees only through official channels.
What goes wrong most often?
Trusting a WhatsApp profile and a logo
A business account, a smart logo and a stream of approval photos cost almost nothing to create. None of them is a registration. Treat social media as advertising, and check the company from official websites.
Accepting a picture of a certificate
A screenshot or a framed certificate can be edited, expired or borrowed from another company. The only version that counts is the one on the issuer’s own website, under the name you are paying.
Paying for a job offer
Families sometimes pay large sums for a job letter, believing the visa follows automatically. In Pakistan, taking money for a job abroad without an OEP licence is an offence, and a fake offer can lead to a refusal for deception.
Signing forms you have not read
Some applicants sign a half-filled form and let the agent “complete the file”. Read every answer, check every date and figure, and keep a copy of exactly what was submitted in your name.
Letting the agent keep your only copies
Hand over originals only when truly needed, against a written list signed by the consultant. Keep scans of everything, and make sure your passport comes back.
A realistic example
This is a hypothetical illustration, not a real client or company. Imagine the Awan family in Gujranwala. Their daughter Hira wants a master’s degree in the UK, and a cousin recommends a consultant in Lahore who promises to “handle everything”.
Before meeting, Hira’s father asks on WhatsApp for the registered name, incorporation number and NTN. He finds the company on SECP’s name search and checks the NTN by SMS to 9966. The consultant says the agency is ICEF-accredited, so Hira opens the certificate on accreditations.icef.com and confirms the name, city and dates. At the office, the named counsellor shows the service fee separately from the visa fee. The family takes the agreement home, reads the refund clause, and pays the first instalment by bank transfer against a receipt.
The version that goes wrong. Another family pays cash to a man who works from a WhatsApp number. He promises a guaranteed visa, offers to “adjust” the bank statement, and says an earlier refusal “does not need to be mentioned”. There is no agreement and no receipt. The application is refused for deception, and the ban follows the applicant, not the agent. For a second opinion before you pay anyone, book a free first consultation.
Key takeaways
- Check the company on SECP’s eServices name search and its NTN on FBR’s Active Taxpayer List before you pay.
- Verify ICEF and British Council claims on their own websites, never from a screenshot or a poster.
- Paid advice or representation on a Canadian application needs an authorised representative, such as a CICC licensee.
- Only a licensed Overseas Employment Promoter may recruit you for a job abroad from Pakistan.
- A guaranteed visa, arranged documents or advice to hide a refusal are reasons to walk away.
- Deception can bring a ten-year UK refusal period and five years of inadmissibility in Canada, in your name.
- Report fraud to the FIA or the Pakistan Citizen’s Portal, and keep every receipt and message as evidence.
Frequently asked questions
Does every visa consultant in Pakistan have to be on one official register?
No. There is no single register for every consultant. A company should appear on SECP’s company search, and a business should have an NTN. Recruiting people for jobs abroad needs a licence from the Bureau of Emigration. Paid advice or representation on a Canadian application needs an authorised representative. Check the specific claim the consultant makes.
How can I check if a consultancy is registered with SECP?
Use the free company name search on SECP’s eServices portal. Type the exact registered name, or the incorporation number, which the consultant should give you in writing. If nothing matches, ask why. A trading name on a shop sign or a Facebook page is not the same thing as a registered company.
What does being on FBR’s Active Taxpayer List prove?
FBR describes the list as a central record of online income tax return filers for the previous tax year. It suggests a real, tax-registered business. It says nothing about honesty or skill, or whether the business may give immigration advice or recruit workers. You can check it online or by SMS to 9966.
Is an ICEF or British Council certificate proof that an agent is honest?
No. They are useful signals, not promises. An ICEF Agency Status certificate shows ICEF certified the agency for the dates stated. British Council training shows a counsellor completed UK training. Neither makes anyone a regulated immigration adviser. Check the certificate at its source, and still read the agreement before you pay.
Can a consultant in Pakistan advise me on a Canadian application for a fee?
No, unless they are authorised. Section 91 of Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act covers paid advice as well as paid representation. Authorised people are members in good standing of the CICC, a Canadian provincial or territorial law society, or the Chambre des notaires du Québec. Check consultants on the CICC public register before you pay.
What is a licensed Overseas Employment Promoter?
Under Pakistan’s Emigration Ordinance 1979, an Overseas Employment Promoter is a person licensed under section 12 to recruit people for work abroad. Section 22 makes it an offence for anyone else to take money for providing, or pretending to provide, a job abroad. Check the licence on the Bureau of Emigration’s website.
Can an agent sell me a UK job offer or certificate of sponsorship?
Treat any such offer as a serious warning sign. GOV.UK warns about websites offering UK jobs that do not exist, and says UKVI will never guarantee a job in the UK. A genuine Skilled Worker application starts with a real employer. In Pakistan, taking money for a job abroad without a licence is an offence.
What happens if my agent submits false documents without telling me?
The consequences fall on you, because the application is yours. The UK rules allow refusal where a third party made false representations, whether or not you knew. IRCC says you are responsible for everything in your application, even if a representative completes it. Always read the final application before it is submitted.
Should I pay a visa consultant in cash?
Cash leaves you with very little proof. If you do pay cash, get a receipt on the company’s letterhead showing the amount, the date, what it covers and who received it. A bank transfer to the company’s own account is easier to trace. Pay government visa fees only through the official channels.
Is it a bad sign if a consultant tells me not to mention a previous refusal?
Yes. It is one of the clearest warning signs there is. Application forms ask about earlier refusals, and hiding one can turn an ordinary refusal into a finding of deception. In the UK that can lead to a ten-year ban, and in Canada to five years of inadmissibility for misrepresentation.
Where do I report a fake visa agent in Pakistan?
You can report to the FIA through its public complaint portal, which lists Anti Human Trafficking and Smuggling and Immigration among its categories, or call its helpline on 1991. The Pakistan Citizen’s Portal is another route. Keep the agreement, receipts, bank records and WhatsApp messages as evidence before you report.
Can Ch. Bilal Rasheed check an agreement or offer for me?
Yes, for an agreement or offer from a consultant in Pakistan, in a free first consultation. He reads it as a qualified lawyer in Pakistan and tells you plainly what it commits anyone to. He is not registered with the Immigration Advice Authority (formerly the OISC), the CICC or OMARA, so for paid advice or representation on a Canadian application you need an authorised representative. No one can guarantee a visa.
