ICEF South Asia: Pre-screened, education agents from across India

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Perfect for regular attendees to both refresh their knowledge and share their experiences with first timers, this special session provides practical tips and strategies for making the most out of any ICEF event, and ICEF South Asia in particular.

With community at the heart of the international education industry, this session presents a unique opportunity for ICEF regulars and newcomers alike to pool their knowledge in a supportive environment, fostering a more productive event experience.

Topic areas include:

Making the most of your time during the event
Developing effective post-event follow-up strategies and agent contracts
Building a mutually beneficial relationship with providers and agents

For international students and their families, the application cycle for an institution can be needlessly complex. However, with a growing recognition that clarity and transparency is essential at every stage in the recruitment funnel, agents and institutions are turning to the latest technology to streamline the process, making the route to an international education simpler, faster, and more inclusive for students.

In this session, the speaker discusses how they are harnessing the power of AI to simplify the recruitment process from application to acceptance. Providing real-world examples and data, the session highlights the importance of being able to capture and sort large volumes of data effectively, leaving admissions teams free to work directly with the students, answering questions and providing essential support.

Join us for an in-depth exploration of the latest ICEF Agent Voice survey results, offering valuable insights into current trends in student recruitment.

Key topics covered for 2025:

Recruitment expectations & Decision-making factors
Student interest & Visa approval rates
Employability factors
Enrolment challenges & Institutional support
Online programmes
Agency operations & Remuneration

The ICEF Agent Voice survey is conducted annually with ICEF-screened agents from over 100 countries. The survey stands out for its frequency, extensive reach, and detailed insights, comparing the perspectives of agents worldwide. It provides fresh insights into how agents are adapting to and addressing global challenges.

To provide students with the very best experience, it is essential that agents and educators establish and maintain a close working relationship. Both sides bring key elements to the table. Agents provide local knowledge, a close personal relationship with prospective students and their families, and a strategic view of the market, allowing them to align the needs of the student with the best institution. Educators bring academic expertise, support, training, and local industry knowledge.

In this interview, we look at how to manage expectations and nurture effective partnerships. The session will illustrate the importance of effective communication from the very first meeting, creating agreements that provide a strong foundation from which to work, with clear expectations that include training, remuneration, and key performance indicators. The interview will then cover how to maintain agreements with regular contact points, both virtual and in person, ensuring the best possible outcomes for institutions, agents and, most importantly, students.

In recent years, a number of study destinations have emerged to challenge the historic dominance of the “big four” (Australia, Canada, the UK, and the US). While still immensely popular, with the US attracting over a million students alone, there is no question that, driven by a range of factors, students are considering destinations that are closer, cheaper, and more welcoming.

In this session, we look at the key emerging destinations for South Asian students. We look at both the push factors - what is driving students towards these destinations; and the pull factors - what these destinations are doing to tempt students in. WIth regard to this latter point, we take a close look at the role of policy decisions around visa accessibility. Identified as a key decision making factor for students in the 2025 Agent Voice Survey (along with cost of living), it is clear that students are increasingly likely to travel where they feel most welcome and most valued.

In the immediate aftermath of the COVID lockdowns, a surge of activity led to huge numbers of international students being recruited, particularly across the major study destinations. While this opened up new opportunities for the majority of students, a certain drop in standards resulted in a backlash that continues to be felt today. In consequence, there has been a move to develop and maintain high standards across the recruitment pipeline, with national frameworks appearing across a number of study destinations.

This change has come rapidly and, for both institutions and agents, there is much to do. Agreements between parties must be specific, information about the recruitment process must be transparent, and every element from training to contract agreement must be evidenced in order to meet the evolving, strengthening requirements of the industry. In this session, our panel looks at how to ensure that effective evidencing of behaviours is embedded into every aspect of international student recruitment, providing a range of strategic tips and examples of best practice that will help to raise standards across the board.

As outbound mobility from South Asia continues to grow, students and families are placing increasing emphasis on career outcomes and return on investment. Study decisions are no longer driven solely by destination or rankings, but by employability — both at home and in an increasingly competitive global labour market.

At the same time, economies across South Asia are undergoing structural shifts, while global demand is accelerating in sectors such as technology, healthcare, advanced manufacturing, infrastructure, and sustainability. Aligning study choices with these evolving skills needs has never been more important.

This session explores how regional and global labour market trends should inform international recruitment strategies. We will examine current and projected skills gaps, discuss how agents and institutions can responsibly integrate labour market intelligence into their guidance, and consider best practices for improving career outcomes through programme design, work-integrated learning, and stronger employer partnerships.

For agents, institutions, and platforms alike, the challenge is clear: how do we move beyond recruitment and ensure that international education delivers long-term value?

This twenty-five-minute session focuses on the opportunities and challenges currently facing the diverse South Asian market.

Led by Noor Al-Janabi, the session explores their extensive experience of enrolling South Asian students. It examines how students from this diverse region, who often have very different profiles in terms of language ability and existing qualifications, can drive enrolments in language and university preparation programmes abroad. Additionally, Noor examines the benefits that South Asian students bring to institutions, such as increased diversity and cultural exchange opportunities.

The session concludes with a summary of the excellent support that agents offer before, during, and after the enrolment process.

In the competitive South Asian market, a student’s success depends entirely on their visa approval. According to the ICEF Agent Voice 2025 report, "Visa-related issues" are the #1 challenge for agents globally , while "Safety and Security" is now a top 5 factor influencing student decisions. This session explores a critical but often overlooked variable: Payment Compliance. We will demonstrate how unverified platforms use "indirect routing" to trigger embassy red flags, leading to visa rejections. Featuring a first-hand case study from a leading migration agent, we will discuss how to position secure payments as "Reputation Insurance" for your agency.

Key Takeaways:

Data Insights: Global trends on visa approval rates and student decision factors.
The "Guardian" Strategy: How secure routing acts as a Quality Assurance (QA) step for enrollment.
Operational Security: Actionable tools to identify digital red flags and ensure funds reach institutions directly.

As distinct from a panel session or keynote, the roundtables provide a space for a less-structured discussion but with guidance from an informed specialist. To provide that guidance, each table is led by a host whose role is to moderate and animate the discussion around the topic at hand.

- There will be two sittings of all tables, each lasting 25 minutes. The first begins at 15:00; the second at 15:30.

- There will be two sittings of all tables, each lasting 25 minutes. The first begins at 15:00; the second at 15:30.

Roundtables' topics:

Beyond buzzwords: How can AI be practically employed in student recruitment? - Gaurav Batra
How can we prove to students that they are getting the best exchange rates? - Suresh Rajendran
Evolving the agent role: Skills, training and the path ahead - Deeksha Kamath
Access to academic courses and future employability: What role does language proficiency play? - Anil Peruka
Facilitating international student mobility: What insurance and finance products do international students need? - Aditya Mhatre