PRIVACY POLICY

UR Counselor Consulting

1. About This Policy

UR Counselor Consulting (“URC”, “we”, “us” or “our”) is a study abroad and education consultancy based in Multan, Pakistan. Since 2016 we have helped students choose the right course and institution, prepare their applications, and navigate the student visa process.

This policy describes what personal information we gather when you browse our website, contact us, book a consultation, apply through us, or otherwise use our counselling, admissions and visa support services. It also explains why we need that information, who we share it with, how long we keep it, and the choices and rights available to you.

We work with universities, colleges and other education providers in the United Kingdom, Europe, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Turkey and further afield. Because many of the students we support apply to UK institutions, we handle personal data in line with:

• the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR);
• the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018); and
• the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) Agent Quality Framework (AQF).

2. Who Is Responsible for Your Data

UR Counselor Consulting acts as the “data controller” for the personal information described in this policy. In plain terms, we decide what information is collected and how it is used, and we are accountable for looking after it properly.

You can reach us using the details below:

3. What We Collect, Why, and Our Legal Grounds

Data protection law only allows us to use your information where we have a valid legal reason (a “lawful basis”) under Article 6 of the UK GDPR, plus an additional condition under Article 9 for more sensitive information. The table below sets out each type of information, where it comes from, what we use it for, and the lawful basis we rely on.

4. Who We Share Your Information With

We only share your information where it is needed to deliver our services, or where the law requires it. Depending on your case, recipients may include:

• universities, colleges and other education providers you have chosen to apply to;
• visa and immigration authorities, including UKVI and the equivalent bodies in other destination countries;
• English language testing organisations, when your scores need to be checked;
• trusted service providers who support our business, such as email, cloud storage, website hosting and analytics providers, who may only use your data on our instructions; and
• regulators, law enforcement or courts, where we are legally obliged to disclose information.

We never sell your personal information, and we do not pass it to third parties for their own marketing.

5. How Long We Keep Your Information

We hold personal information only for as long as we genuinely need it, including to meet legal, accounting, audit and regulatory requirements. When setting retention periods, we consider:

• how long we are actively working with you on your counselling or applications;
• legal time limits for bringing claims (in the UK, usually six years for contractual claims); and
• record-keeping requirements set by partner institutions, accreditation bodies and immigration authorities, including UKVI and the AQF.

Our standard retention periods are:

Once a retention period ends, we securely delete or anonymise the information.

6. Sending Your Information Abroad

Helping you study overseas means your information will often need to reach institutions and organisations in other countries, some of them outside the UK and the European Economic Area. Wherever this happens, we make sure your information stays protected to a standard equivalent to the UK GDPR by relying on one or more of the following:

• Adequacy regulations: sending data to countries the UK Government has formally recognised as offering adequate protection;
• Standard Contractual Clauses: using approved Standard Contractual Clauses together with the UK Addendum;
• International Data Transfer Agreements (IDTAs): using the ICO-approved IDTA where tailored transfer terms are agreed with an overseas institution; and
• Necessity: where a transfer is essential to submit an application you have asked us to make, relying on the exceptions in Article 49 of the UK GDPR, with your informed agreement.

7. Automated Decisions and Profiling

Article 22 of the UK GDPR protects you from decisions with legal or similarly significant effects that are made entirely by automated means. We do not make any such decisions. Every assessment of your academic profile, visa eligibility or application is carried out by our trained counsellors.

8. Your Rights

You have a number of rights over your personal information. To use any of them, contact us at info@urcounselor.net. We will normally respond within one month and will not usually charge a fee.

• Access: Ask for a copy of the information we hold about you and an explanation of how we use it.
• Rectification: Ask us to correct information that is wrong or incomplete.
• Erasure: Ask us to delete your information, for example where we no longer need it or you have withdrawn consent and there is no other lawful basis to keep it.
• Restriction: Ask us to pause using your information, for example while we check its accuracy or consider an objection.
• Objection: Object to us using your information on the basis of legitimate interests. We will stop unless we have compelling grounds that override your interests.
• Portability: Ask us to provide your information to you, or to another organisation, in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format.

9. Withdrawing Your Consent

Where we rely on your consent, for example for non-essential cookies, marketing messages, or sensitive information you have chosen to share, you can withdraw it at any time by contacting us using the details in Section 2. We will then stop that particular use of your information, unless another lawful basis allows us to continue. Withdrawing consent does not affect anything we did lawfully before you withdrew it.

10. Making a Complaint

If you have a concern about how we have handled your information, please tell us first so we can try to resolve it. You also have the right to complain to the UK’s data protection regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):

11. Keeping Your Information Secure

We use appropriate technical and organisational safeguards to protect your information against loss, misuse and unauthorised access. These include SSL encryption on our website, password-protected systems, secure cloud storage, two-factor authentication, restricted physical and digital access, and regular secure backups. No method of sending information over the internet is ever completely secure, but we take reasonable steps to protect what you share with us.

12. Cookies

Our website uses cookies to function properly, remember your preferences, and help us understand how visitors use it. Non-essential cookies are only set with your consent. You can change your choices or block cookies through your browser settings at any time, although some parts of the website may not work as intended if you do.

13. Students Under 18

Some of the students we support are under 18. Where the law requires it, we will obtain consent from a parent or legal guardian before using a minor’s personal information, and we will involve them in key decisions about the application.

14. Our Commitment Under the UKVI Agent Quality Framework

As an education recruitment agency, we follow the principles of the UKVI Agent Quality Framework. This means giving honest, transparent and ethical advice; keeping applicant information confidential and secure; maintaining accurate student records; taking active steps to prevent fraud and document tampering; and always acting in the applicant’s best interests.

15. Data Protection Principles

Our handling of personal information is guided by the core principles of the UK GDPR: lawfulness, fairness and transparency; purpose limitation; data minimisation; accuracy; storage limitation; integrity and confidentiality; and accountability.

16. Updates to This Policy

We may revise this policy from time to time to reflect changes in the law, our services or how we work. The current version will always be available on this page, and the “Last Updated” date at the top will show when it was last changed.

17. Contact Us

For any questions about this policy, or to exercise your data protection rights, please get in touch: