Australia student visa — checking agents and admission letters

Australian study fraud usually involves one of three things: a forged offer letter, a real course you were never actually enrolled in, or fees collected for a “guaranteed visa” nobody can guarantee. All three are checkable before you pay.

1. Confirm the offer with the institution directly

Every genuine Australian institution lists its contact details on its own website. Email the admissions office (find the address yourself — do not use contact details printed on the letter the agent gave you) and ask them to confirm:

• That the offer letter reference number is genuine,
• That it was issued in your name and passport number,
• Which agents, if any, are their authorised representatives in India — most universities publish this list.

Forged offer letters from real institutions are one of the most common frauds in this corridor; institutions will confirm or deny quickly.

2. Check the course and provider on CRICOS

Any course offered to international students in Australia must be registered on CRICOS (Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students) — a public, searchable register. Check that the provider and the specific course exist and are current. A “college” not on CRICOS cannot enrol you, whatever its website looks like.

3. Understand the CoE

After you accept and pay the institution (not the agent) your initial deposit, the institution issues a Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) — the document your visa application is built on. Red flags:

• The agent asks you to pay tuition to the agent’s account “to forward to the university”. Tuition goes to the institution’s own bank account, details of which appear on the institution’s offer/invoice.
• A “CoE” appears within hours of payment, or before the institution has your documents.

4. Nobody can guarantee the visa

Student visas are decided by the Australian Department of Home Affairs, including a genuine-student assessment. “100% visa success”, “visa within 2 weeks guaranteed”, or “we have contacts in the embassy” are lies by definition. Also be wary of agents who write your financial documents or statement of purpose for you with invented facts — a fraud finding can bar you from Australia for years.

5. Sensible extras

• Prefer agents on your target university’s published representative list.
• Get every promise (course, intake, scholarship, refund terms) in writing on letterhead.
• Keep your own login for any application portal used in your name.

Something doesn’t add up? Report the agent and warn others.