What Astra International does

Astra International (OPC) Pvt Ltd, operating under the brand name 'Astra Overseas', is an Indian human resources consultancy and overseas recruitment agency headquartered in Cochin, Kerala. The company was founded in 2017 as a sole proprietorship, converted to a private limited company in 2019, and obtained formal approval from India's Ministry of External Affairs in 2024. It places Indian job seekers into roles abroad across four service lines: manpower consulting and talent acquisition, migration and visa assistance, travel and transportation assistance, and BPO services.

The firm's core operations revolve around sourcing candidates from South India and matching them to employer demand in destination countries, with active placements advertised in the UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Malta, and Germany. It recruits across five primary sectors: information technology, construction, aviation and hospitality, banking and finance, and healthcare, with a notable concentration in healthcare worker placements into GCC Ministry of Health programmes. The business model is a fee-for-placement model typical of licensed overseas recruitment agencies, monetising per-candidate placement fees, visa processing services, and ancillary travel/logistics support.

The company is privately held with no disclosed external investors, no parent company, and no public listing. Its operating scale is small (11-50 employees), with a cumulative customer base of 3,500+ since inception. There is no disclosed proprietary technology, no AI/ML capabilities, and no enterprise software product; the firm competes as a relationship-driven services business whose primary differentiator is its MEA licence, destination-country coverage, and vertical specialisation in healthcare migration.

Name

Astra International

Legal name

Astra International OPC Pvt Ltd

Website

https://astraoverseas.org.in

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Astra International (OPC) Pvt Ltd, trading as 'Astra Overseas', is an India-based HR consultancy and licensed overseas recruitment agency headquartered in Cochin, placing South Indian candidates into jobs across the GCC, Malta, and Germany, with a specialisation in healthcare worker migration.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Overseas Recruitment and HR Consultancy

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies (561311)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Global Contractor Engagement & Cross-Border Payments (BPACAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Global Employer of Record (EOR) Services (BPACAHAA)

Keywords

• Overseas recruitment services
• HR consultancy
• Visa migration assistance
• Talent acquisition
• BPO services

Headquarters

HQ city

Cochin

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Core offering

Astra International (OPC) Pvt Ltd, operating under the brand 'Astra Overseas', is a South India-based HR consultancy that provides overseas recruitment, talent acquisition, migration and visa assistance, travel and transportation assistance, and BPO services. The company matches candidates from India to job openings primarily in GCC countries (UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar) and European destinations such as Malta and Germany across sectors including IT, construction, aviation/hospitality, banking/finance, and healthcare.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Manpower Consulting / Talent Acquisition Recruitment and selection of candidates using a standardized, competitive methodology, connecting talent to employer requirements across IT, construction, aviation, banking/finance, and healthcare sectors. Targeted at both job seekers in India and employers (including overseas organizations) seeking to hire Indian talent.
• Migration & Visa Assistance End-to-end immigration and visa processing support to help individuals and organizations navigate complex immigration requirements for destinations such as GCC countries, Malta, and Germany. Targeted at individual migrants and employer-sponsored candidates.
• Travel and Transportation Assistance Logistical support for business travel and relocation, addressing the practical transport needs of candidates and corporate clients moving between India and overseas destinations.
• BPO Services Business Process Outsourcing services provided to organizations seeking operational optimization and cost reduction. Targeted at corporate clients needing outsourced process support.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• ABC Consultants: India-headquartered HR consultancy and recruitment firm with a long track record in both domestic and overseas placement. Directly comparable to Astra as a Cochin/North-India headhunter operating across multiple sectors and geographies.
• Michael Page India: India operations of PageGroup providing mid-to-senior level permanent and interim recruitment across sectors. Comparable as a multi-sector, multi-geography recruitment firm serving cross-border hiring needs.

Emerging players

• Xpheno: India-based specialist tech staffing firm focused on niche IT talent placement. Comparable as a focused recruitment player serving employer hiring needs, though narrower in sector than Astra's multi-sector model.
• Naukri Gulf (InfoEdge): India-to-Gulf focused job platform operated by InfoEdge, enabling candidate-to-employer matching primarily for Middle East roles. Comparable as a cross-border recruitment channel between India and the GCC, though operates as a marketplace rather than a full-service agency.

Broad incumbents

• TeamLease Services: India's largest staffing company listed on NSE/BSE, providing temporary staffing, permanent placement, HR services and regulatory compliance (including overseas compliance). Comparable in regulated placement activity but at far larger scale.
• ManpowerGroup India: India arm of global staffing leader ManpowerGroup, providing permanent placement, temporary staffing and cross-border recruitment across all sectors. Comparable in offering breadth but operates at significantly larger scale and brand recognition than Astra.
• Gi Group India: Indian operations of Italian-headquartered global staffing firm Gi Group, offering permanent and temporary staffing across multiple sectors. Comparable in cross-border recruitment activity but with multinational employer relationships.
• Randstad India: Indian arm of global recruiter Randstad, providing permanent and contract staffing across IT, healthcare, manufacturing and BFSI. Comparable in multi-sector recruitment but with multinational employer relationships Astra does not yet match.
• Quess Corp: Indian-listed business services platform offering staffing, recruitment, HR outsourcing and skill development across multiple sectors. Comparable service portfolio to Astra but at listed-company scale with institutional clients.
• Adecco India: Indian operations of global staffing major Adecco, covering permanent placement, temporary staffing and IT/skilled recruitment. Comparable in service mix to Astra but as a multinational incumbent with substantially broader employer relationships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Astra International