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Agent accreditations and government approvals explained

Quick answer. An IELTS or immigration agent in Punjab can hold several different accreditations, each from a different authority and covering different work. The Punjab Travel Act licence is the state licence for travel and study-visa work; on top of it, an agent may be MEA-registered (overseas jobs), an AAERI member (Australian education), ICEF-accredited, or work with a CICC/RCIC (Canada) or MARA agent (Australia). Each has its own official register you can check.

The accreditations, at a glance

Different bodies regulate different work — here is who does what:

AccreditationAuthorityWhat it covers
Punjab Travel Act licenceDistrict Magistrate (Punjab)State licence for travel, study-visa, IELTS and consultancy work
MEA Recruiting AgentMinistry of External Affairs (India)Recruitment for overseas employment (rare, strict)
AAERI memberAssn. of Australian Education Reps in IndiaEducation agents representing Australian institutions
CICC / RCICCollege of Immigration & Citizenship Consultants (Canada)Paid Canadian immigration advice/representation
MARA-registeredOMARA (Australia)Lawful Australian immigration assistance
ICEF Agency StatusICEF (global)Screened international student-recruitment agency
Official IELTS test centreBritish Council / IDPAuthorized to conduct the IELTS test

Which one should your agent have?

It depends on what you need. For a student or tourist visa, the state Punjab Travel Act licence is the baseline. For a job abroad, look for MEA registration. For Australian study, AAERI membership is a strong signal; for Canadian immigration advice, the person advising you should be a CICC-licensed RCIC. IELTS itself is only conducted by the British Council and IDP — a coaching centre is not a test centre.

How to verify any of them

Every one of these bodies keeps a public register. On this directory we cross-reference agencies against these registers and show the badges an agency matches, each linking the official source so you can confirm it yourself. Never take an accreditation claim on trust — check it on the issuing authority's own register, which we link on every accreditation page.

Frequently asked questions

Does an accreditation guarantee a good agent?
No accreditation guarantees an outcome, and none lets an agent "guarantee" a visa. What accreditations do is confirm the agent is authorized and accountable to a regulator or association — a necessary check, not a promise. Combine it with the state licence status and your own due diligence.
Where can I see which agents hold which accreditations?
Our accreditations hub lists every body we track, how many agencies are on record for each, and a link to the official register. Individual agent profiles show the accreditations that agency matches by name.

Sources

Related guides: How to check if a travel or immigration agent is licensed in Punjab · Punjab Travel Act licence vs central MEA registration: what the difference means · Study-visa and immigration terms explained (SDS, GIC, PAL, PGWP, Express Entry)

Find licensed help: Immigration & visa consultants · Search the register

Reviewed against official government sources; figures that change (fees, fund thresholds) are dated and linked — always verify at the source. — Recepta Editorial.

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Last updated: 2026-07-13