IAEC

What IAEC does

IAEC is a privately held international education and migration consultancy founded in 1991 by the late Mr. Navin Shah in India, with its global headquarters established in Melbourne, Australia in 2001. The company serves prospective international students and immigration clients through in-person counseling, university placement, and registered migration agent services across visa categories including student, work, partner/spouse, business/investor, family/parent, and visitor visas, plus visa refusal appeals. IAEC is an official representative of more than 175 leading universities and institutes worldwide (described in some materials as 350+), with the majority of partnerships based in Australia (Monash, RMIT, Deakin, La Trobe, Swinburne, Federation, Victoria, Tasmania, and others) and a growing international footprint including the USA, UK, Canada, Ireland, Singapore, New Zealand, Switzerland, Dubai, Malaysia, France, and Germany. The company additionally operates in-house test preparation coaching (IELTS, PTE, TOEFL, GMAT, GRE, SAT) at its Ahmedabad center and runs a multi-city India office network (Ahmedabad, Baroda, Delhi, Mumbai) feeding student placements into Australian and global universities.

The business operates on a professional services fee model with quote-based pricing, generating revenue from education counseling commissions paid by partner universities, visa application fees, and coaching class fees. The company documents 25,000+ students placed cumulatively, 25,000+ visas granted, and 1,000+ students recruited annually, supported by a senior team of 3 licensed MARA consultants with 50+ years of combined experience. IAEC is a founding member of the Education Consultants Association of Australia (ECAA), and CEO Seema Shah has held senior ECAA leadership positions (President 2011-12, Vice President since 2012). Today the company is led by Seema Shah (CEO), Bina Shah (COO, 30+ years tenure), and Jitesh Chheda (Director, Registered Migration Agent since 2009). Distribution is direct-sales-led via five physical offices and digital channels (Facebook, Instagram, blog, SEO), with no disclosed technology platform, no external funding, and no subsidiaries.

Name

IAEC

Legal name

IAEC

Website

https://iaec.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

IAEC is a Melbourne-headquartered, family-owned education and migration consultancy founded in 1991, serving international students and visa applicants across 175+ partner universities through offices in Australia and India.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cairns

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Education Counseling Services: Fees charged for international education counseling, university selection guidance, application support, and placement services for students seeking to study abroad in Australia, Canada, USA, UK, and other countries.
2. Visa Application Services: Fees for visa application assistance including student visas, work visas, partner/spouse visas, business visas, visitor visas, and PR applications for Australia and Canada.
3. Test Preparation Coaching: IELTS, PTE, TOEFL, GMAT, GRE, and SAT coaching services offered at their Ahmedabad center.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

IAEC is an education and migration consultancy that provides end-to-end international education counselling, university placement, and registered migration agent services for Australia and Canada. It operates as an official representative of 175+ universities worldwide, supporting students with admissions, visa applications, test preparation (IELTS, PTE, TOEFL, GMAT, GRE, SAT), and post-study migration pathways through offices in Melbourne and across India.

Product overview

IAEC Education is a comprehensive education and migration consultancy offering a unified service portfolio centered around international student recruitment and visa immigration assistance. The core offering comprises education counselling and university placement services, complemented by in-house test preparation coaching (IELTS, PTE, TOEFL, GMAT, GRE, SAT) and registered migration agent services for visa applications. Supporting modules include scholarship assistance, pre-departure briefings, and post-study career and migration pathway planning. The company serves as official representative for 175+ universities and institutes worldwide, facilitating end-to-end student placement from initial counselling through to visa approval and arrival support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Education Consultancy Services Expert guidance and counselling for international students seeking to study abroad in Australia, Canada, USA, UK, Ireland, Singapore, New Zealand, Switzerland, Dubai, Malaysia, France, and Germany, including course selection, university matching, and admission support.
• Migration and Visa Consultancy Registered Migration Agent services providing assistance with Australian visa applications including Student Visa, Work Visa, Business and Investor Visa, Partner/Spouse Visa, Family and Parent Visa, Visitor Visa, and Visa Refusal Appeals, plus Canada PR Express Entry, Canada Student Visa, Canada Visitor Visa, and Canada Partner/Spouse Visa.
• Test Preparation Coaching Exam coaching services for IELTS, PTE, TOEFL, GMAT, GRE, and SAT examinations delivered at the Ahmedabad centre to help students meet entry requirements for international universities.
• Professional Year Program Specialised professional year programs designed to provide work experience and career development opportunities for international graduates in Australia.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30+ years of education counselling and migration experience
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Monash UniversitycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIAEC is an official representative of Monash University. The partnership includes promoting Monash courses (Nursing, Engineering, Data Science, Art & Design, Architecture) to international students and assisting with admissions processing.
• RMIT UniversitycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial representative of RMIT University promoting courses including Bachelor of Architectural Design, Bachelor of Information Technology, Fashion Enterprise, and engineering programs. Awarded Social Media Superstar Award by RMIT.
• Deakin UniversitycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial representative of Deakin University. Promoting AI degrees, Engineering, Nursing, Bachelor of Politics Philosophy and Economics. Awarded Outstanding Partner Award by Deakin.
• La Trobe UniversitycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial representative promoting La Trobe courses including Nursing, IT and Engineering, Construction and Engineering Management.
• Swinburne UniversitycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial representative. Awarded Top Performing Representative (2006), Excellence in Student Engagement Award (2018, 2019). Promotes IT, Engineering, Robotics, Telecommunications, Biomedical Engineering courses.
• Charles Sturt UniversitycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial representative. Awarded Top 10 Performing Agent recognition. Promotes various Charles Sturt University courses to international students.
• Federation UniversitycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial representative. Awarded Gold Level Achievement in International Student Recruitment (2021). Promotes university courses with 350+ global education partners.
• Victoria UniversitycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial representative promoting Victoria University courses including Engineering, Construction Industry programs, and unique block model learning.
• University of TasmaniacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial representative promoting University of Tasmania courses to international students.
• Southern Cross UniversitycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial representative. Awarded Outstanding Recruitment Performance recognition (2017-2018).
• Curtin UniversitycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial representative promoting Curtin University courses. Curtin ranked #1 for employer satisfaction in Australia (QILT survey).
• Australian Catholic UniversitycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial representative promoting Australian Catholic University Social Work degrees and other programs.
• Central Queensland University (CQU)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial representative promoting CQU Engineering and Technology courses.
• Hochschule FreseniuscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial representative for this German university offering Business Administration, Media, Health Sciences, Engineering programs with 175 years history.
• Elmhurst UniversitycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial representative for US-based Elmhurst University, promoting Doctor of Nursing Practice program for working registered nurses.
• Education Consultants Association of Australia (ECAA)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerIAEC is a founding member of ECAA. CEO Ms. Seema Shah served as President (2011-12) and continues as Vice President since 2012. ECAA plays central role in building credibility of education agents in Australia.
• Study GroupcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational education provider partner. Awarded Gold Award for Outstanding Sales Performance (1999-2000) to IAEC.
• World VisionminorOthersIAEC actively sponsors children through World Vision as part of their social responsibility initiatives to support underprivileged children globally.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Others

• Study Group: Study Group is a global education provider offering pathway programs at universities, and is an existing partner of IAEC (Gold Award recipient). Operates in the same international student ecosystem and shares the same institutional customers and source markets as IAEC.
• Navitas: Navitas is an Australian education provider operating pathway colleges and university partnerships globally, and is actually a partner university of IAEC per the data. Adjacent ecosystem player offering pathway/Foundation programs to international students that complement IAEC's recruitment funnel.

Emerging players

• ApplyBoard: ApplyBoard is a Canada-based technology platform that connects international students with educational institutions worldwide, serving a similar Indian-source, multi-destination market. Represents the technology-enabled disruption to traditional brick-and-mortar education consultancies like IAEC.
• QS Global Education Group: QS provides international student recruitment services, university rankings, and education fairs globally. Comparable to IAEC in serving international student recruitment from South Asia and other source markets, though with a more events-and-rankings-led approach.

Direct peers

• AECC Global: AECC Global is a leading education consultancy founded in 2008, also headquartered in Melbourne, providing international student recruitment and visa assistance services. Directly comparable in business model (education counseling + immigration), geography (Australia-India corridor), and target customer base to IAEC.

Regional players

• Keystone Education Group: Keystone is an Australian education consultancy offering international student placement and migration services. Direct competitor to IAEC within the Australian education agent market, with similar positioning around South Asian source markets.
• Edvance Global Education: Edvance Global is an Australian education and migration consultancy serving South Asian students seeking international study opportunities. Direct regional competitor to IAEC with comparable service offering, similar target customer base, and overlapping university partnerships.
• Envision Global Education: Envision Global Education is an Australia-based consultancy providing international student recruitment services, primarily from India. Operates in the same Australia-India corridor as IAEC and serves overlapping university partners and student segments.
• Gateway Education Australia: Gateway Education is an Australian education agency offering international student placement and visa services. Compares to IAEC on geography (Australia-based), customer segment (international students, primarily South Asian), and business model (education counseling plus visa application support).

Broad incumbents

• IDP Education: IDP Education is an ASX-listed global education and migration services company and one of the largest international student placement providers, co-owner of IELTS. Overlaps significantly with IAEC on international student recruitment, English language testing, and migration services, but operates at vastly larger scale across multiple continents.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/IAECMelbourne
• Instagraminstagram.com/iaecmelbourne
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iaec-education-migration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about IAEC