Immigration is one of the few professional services in India where the buyer cannot judge the product until years after paying for it. That asymmetry is what the weaker firms in this market rely on. Here is how to test a consultancy properly
Meeras Resource | Published 1 October 2026 | Last reviewed 1 October 2026
KEY TAKEAWAYS
No consultancy in India can approve a visa, guarantee an outcome, or influence a decision. Any firm that implies otherwise is misrepresenting what it does.
Verify the company exists as a legal entity. A CIN can be checked free on the MCA portal in under two minutes.
Ask for the service agreement before paying anything, and read the refund terms specifically for what happens on refusal.
A firm that assesses your profile honestly and tells you a route is closed is worth more than one that tells you everything is possible.
Immigration consultants in Delhi are not regulated by a single licensing body. The checks below replace the assurance a licence would otherwise give you.
The short answer
Immigration consultants in Delhi provide advisory and documentation services. They assess eligibility, prepare files, manage submission timelines and prepare candidates for interviews. They do not issue visas, influence decisions or hold any authority over an application. Before paying any firm, verify that the company legally exists, obtain the service agreement in writing, understand exactly what the fee covers, and test whether the firm is willing to tell you when a route is not open to you.
Why this sector needs more scrutiny than most
Three features of immigration advisory make it unusually easy to sell badly.
The outcome is delayed. A client pays today and learns whether the advice was sound eighteen months later, by which point the firm may have moved on and the client has no realistic recourse.
The outcome is attributable to someone else. When an application is refused, a firm can point to the immigration authority. Sometimes that is fair, because refusals happen on well prepared files. Sometimes it conceals a file that was never viable.
The client cannot evaluate the work. Most applicants do not know what a good expression of interest looks like, whether their occupation code was correct, or whether the route they were sold was the strongest one available. They see activity and assume competence.
None of this means the sector is untrustworthy. It means the ordinary signals people rely on, an impressive office, confident staff, a busy waiting room, do not tell you what you need to know. The checks below do, and our companion piece on how to read overseas recruitment and immigration claims covers the specific claims to be sceptical of.
Check one: does the company legally exist
Ask for the Corporate Identification Number, the CIN, and check it on the Ministry of Corporate Affairs portal. It is free, it takes two minutes, and it tells you the incorporation date, the registered address, the directors and whether the company’s status is active.
What you are looking for is consistency. The registered address should match the office you are sitting in or be plausibly related to it. The incorporation date should match any claim the firm makes about how long it has operated. A firm claiming fifteen years of experience against a company incorporated three years ago is not necessarily dishonest, the directors may have worked elsewhere before, but it is a question worth asking directly.
Also ask for the GST registration. Any firm charging professional fees at this level should be invoicing with GST. A firm that prefers cash and offers no invoice is a firm you have no record with.
Check two: what exactly are you being told
This is the test that separates the sector more reliably than any credential.
- A firm that guarantees a visa, a job, a placement or an approval is misrepresenting what it can do. Decisions rest with immigration authorities and employers. No Indian consultancy has any authority over either.
- A firm that quotes you a points score you will achieve, rather than the score you currently hold and what would need to change, is selling optimism.
- A firm that offers to supply a job offer or a labour market document for a fee is describing something unlawful in most destination countries and dangerous for you. In Australia, paying for a sponsored nomination can result in visa cancellation. In Canada, selling a Labour Market Impact Assessment is an offence.
- A firm that cannot tell you which specific programme, stream or occupation code your case will be filed under is not far enough into your case to be taking money for it.
- A firm that will not tell you a route is closed to you is the clearest warning of all. Most enquiries include at least one route that does not work. A consultancy that finds none is not assessing, it is selling.
A related test: ask them to explain the difference between the routes they are recommending. Anyone advising on overseas work should be able to explain how a job seeker visa, a work permit and permanent residence differ without reaching for a brochure.
Check three: the service agreement
Ask for it before any payment, read it before you sign, and look specifically for the following.
- What is inside the fee and what is not. Government fees, embassy charges, assessment body fees, language test fees and medical costs are almost always separate. Confirm this in writing rather than assuming.
- Stage-wise payment. Fees tied to defined milestones give you control. A single large upfront payment does not.
- The refund position on refusal. Most firms do not refund professional fees when an application is refused, because the work has been done. That is defensible. What matters is that it is stated plainly rather than discovered later.
- What happens if the rules change mid-process. Immigration settings move annually. The agreement should say who bears the cost of refiling under changed rules.
- Who actually handles your file. Ask for the name of the person managing your case, not just the name of the firm.
A firm that hesitates to give you the agreement in advance has told you something important. Our own terms are published on the refund policy page, and you are entitled to the same from anyone you are considering.
Check four: regulated advice for the destination
countries do regulate who may give immigration advice for their own systems, and this is where the distinction matters.
- Canada. Only a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant registered with the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants, or a Canadian lawyer or notary, may represent a client before the Canadian authorities for a fee. An Indian consultancy may prepare and support your file, but if it claims to represent you, ask who the registered representative is and check the register.
- Australia. Registered Migration Agents, regulated by the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority, and Australian legal practitioners may provide immigration assistance. The register is public and searchable.
- Other destinations. Germany and most EU states do not require a licensed intermediary, which makes the other checks in this article carry more weight for those routes.
The practical question to ask is simply this: who is acting as my representative before the authority, and what is their registration number? A good firm answers it immediately.
Check five: how the firm handles your documents
You will hand over your passport, your educational records, your employment history and your financial statements. Ask how they are stored, who has access, whether you receive copies of everything submitted on your behalf, and whether you get access to the online account created in your name.
That last point matters more than it sounds. On several systems, including Express Entry and SkillSelect, the profile is created in your name and you are responsible for its accuracy. You should hold the login. A firm that will not give you access to your own account has made itself difficult to leave.
A competent firm will also be able to explain the certification chain your documents need, because apostille, attestation and credential evaluation are different things and getting them in the wrong order is the most common cause of avoidable delay.
Questions worth asking in the first meeting
- Which specific programme and stream would my case be filed under, and why that one rather than the alternatives?
- What is my occupation code, and which assessing authority covers it?
- What does my profile score today, and what would need to change for it to be competitive?
- Which routes are closed to me, and why?
- What is the longest item on my timeline, and what can start today?
- What is not included in your fee?
- Who is my case handler, and how do I reach them?
The answers matter less than whether they are specific. Vague answers at the first meeting rarely become precise later.
How Meeras Resource works
Meeras Resource Private Limited is incorporated in India and registered with the Registrar of Companies, Delhi, under CIN U74999DL2022PTC404554. Our office is at 913, 9th Floor, Hemkunt Chambers, 89 Nehru Place, New Delhi 110019.
We provide consultancy, documentation support, application preparation and interview preparation. We are a private, non-government firm. We do not offer employment, placement or recruitment services, we do not supply job offers, and we do not guarantee a job, a visa or an approval. Where a route is not open to a client’s profile, we say so and explain what would have to change.
If you are weighing several firms, use the checks in this article on us as well as on them. Our About Us page and contact page carry the details you would need to verify, and our registrations are published here.
Frequently asked questions
Are immigration consultants in Delhi regulated?
Not by a single Indian licensing authority. Destination countries regulate who may represent applicants before their own authorities, for example Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants for Canada and Registered Migration Agents for Australia. In India, verification falls to the applicant, which is why company registration, a written service agreement and clear fee terms matter.
Can an immigration consultant guarantee my visa?
No. Visa decisions rest solely with the immigration authority of the destination country. No consultancy in India or elsewhere has authority over that decision, and a guarantee of approval is a misrepresentation of what the service is.
How do I verify an immigration consultancy in Delhi?
Ask for the Corporate Identification Number and check it on the Ministry of Corporate Affairs portal, which shows incorporation date, registered address and current status. Ask for GST registration and a proper invoice. Request the service agreement before paying, and confirm in writing what the fee covers and what it does not.
Is it normal for fees to be non-refundable if my application is refused?
It is common, because the professional work has already been performed. What matters is that the position is stated clearly in the service agreement before you pay, and that government and third party fees are identified separately.
What is the biggest warning sign?
A firm that tells you every route is open. Most profiles have at least one pathway that does not work, and a consultancy unwilling to identify it is selling rather than assessing.
About Meeras Resource
Meeras Resource Pvt. Ltd. is a career and immigration consultancy established in 2022 and based at 913, 9th Floor, Hemkunt Chambers, 89 Nehru Place, New Delhi 110019. We advise individuals on overseas study, work and migration routes, and we support them through eligibility assessment, documentation, application preparation and interview preparation. Our guidance is grounded in the published rules of the issuing authorities, and we tell clients what those rules mean for their specific profile, including when a route is not open to them.
