
welcome to icef
We are the global market leaders in business-to-business networking events and services for the international education sector.
Through our unrivalled global programme of online and in-person networking events, support for education agents and market intelligence services, we facilitate outstanding international student experiences.
about us
For over 25 years, we have been bringing together education institutions, carefully chosen student recruitment agents and providers of other services for the international education industry with the simple aim of improving international student mobility.
upcoming events
To find out more about our upcoming events for international education professionals from around the world, click on the links below.

ICEF Virtual Americas
May 11 - 13, 2021
ONLINE
DESTINATION EVENT
ICEF Virtual Americas gives education providers from across the Americas the opportunity to meet high quality, carefully-screened international student recruitment agents from around the world.
More than 450 education professionals join us every year for an unmatched programme of business meetings, insightful seminars and industry presentations.
Register for the event
ICEF Virtual Africa
June 08 - 10, 2021
ONLINE
ORIGIN EVENT
Following its success in 2019 and 2020, ICEF Africa returns in 2021 as a virtual networking event dedicated to meeting the needs of international education providers looking to attract students from the continent.
The event is a standout opportunity for educational institutions around the world to access these emerging student markets and pro-actively market their institutions to would-be recruitment partners.
Register for the event
ICEF Virtual Asia
June 22 - 24, 2021
ONLINE
ORIGIN EVENT
ICEF Virtual Asia is an exciting new online event designed specifically to meet the needs of international education professionals with a focus on Asia.
Bringing together education agencies from all over Asia, we are proud that this event provides the region’s best networking community for professionals with an interest in over 20 Asian student origin countries including Vietnam, South Korea, Japan, China, and India.
Register for the event
ICEF Virtual ANZA
August 10 - 12, 2021
ONLINE
DESTINATION EVENT
ICEF ANZA returns virtually in 2021 and is the 14th in our series of networking events for the Australian and New Zealand international education community. Developed specifically to meet the needs of this distinctive region, ICEF Virtual ANZA gives leading educators and service providers from these two exciting and vibrant study destinations the opportunity to meet the top international student recruitment agents from around the world who have a focus on Australia and New Zealand.
Register for the event
ICEF Virtual Latin America
September 28 - 30, 2021
ONLINE
ORIGIN EVENT
ICEF Latin America returns virtually in 2021 as a networking event dedicated to helping global education providers to easily and cost-effectively identify reliable new student recruitment partners and refresh existing relationships with education agents from this part of the world.
This 3 day online event is designed to enhance opportunities for international study as students increasingly look to travel to and within this region.
Register for the event
ICEF Virtual China
October 13 - 15, 2021
ONLINE
ORIGIN EVENT
ICEF Virtual China is an exciting new online networking event dedicated to helping education institutions around the world identify reliable new student recruitment partners as well as refresh existing relationships with agents in China.
Featuring high-quality, ICEF-screened education agents from 24 Chinese cities and provinces, the event brings 3 days of dedicated focus.
Register for the event
ICEF Berlin
October 31 - November 02, 2021
Berlin, Germany
GLOBAL EVENT
ICEF Berlin gives you the international education industry’s largest networking event, and the world’s most comprehensive way to keep up with the latest developments in the international education sector.
Attendees can hold up to 40 one-to-one business meetings with other conference attendees over the course of the event and attend a range of insightful seminars, covering issues affecting the world of international education.
Register for the event
ICEF Miami
December 06 - 08, 2021
Miami, USA
DESTINATION EVENT
ICEF Miami is an ideal opportunity for education institutions from the Americas to benefit from a large number of top quality student recruitment agents committed to building lasting partnerships and sending students to the region.
This packed event allows participants to schedule up to 38 one-to-one business meetings, and enjoy various market intelligence seminars and industry presentations.
Register for the event
ICEF ANZA
March 09 - 11, 2022
Adelaide, Australia
DESTINATION EVENT
The 15th annual ICEF Australia New Zealand (ANZA) gives you the opportunity to meet the top international student recruitment agents from around the world who have a focus on Australia and New Zealand, as well as leading educators and service providers from this exciting and vibrant study destination.
Register for the event
ICEF Ukraine Focus
March 21 - 22, 2022
Kiev, Ukraine
ORIGIN EVENT
ICEF Ukraine Focus gives international educators and service providers the opportunity to meet top-quality student recruitment agents from Ukraine at one focused event. It gives participants a chance to effectively target their marketing efforts in Ukraine, as well as in Russia and Eastern Europe all in one trip.
Register for the event
ICEF Central Asia Focus
March 31 - April 01, 2022
Almaty, Kazakhstan
ORIGIN EVENT
ICEF Central Asia Focus gives international educators and service providers the opportunity to meet top-quality student recruitment agents from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Mongolia and Northern China at one focused event.
In 2022, ICEF Central Asia will be a hybrid event held in Almaty, Kazakhstan, as well as welcoming participants simultaneously online.
Register for the event
ICEF Toronto
May 13 - 15, 2022
Toronto, Canada
DESTINATION EVENT
ICEF returns to Toronto in 2022 to give education providers from across the Americas the world’s best opportunity to meet student recruitment agents from around the world actively looking to send students to this leading study destination. Attended by the world’s best education agents focused on the Americas and organised by the industry leader in educator-agent networking events, ICEF Toronto is the must-attend international education networking event in Canada.
Register for the event
ICEF French Education - Canada
May 17 - 18, 2022
Montréal, Canada
DESTINATION EVENT
ICEF French Education - Canada provides a targeted opportunity for Canadian education providers promoting programmes taught in French to meet top-quality, focused student recruitment agents from around the globe.
At this immersive hybrid event, educational institutions are able to meet with screened, focused student recruitment agents and service providers from around the world, both in-person and online.
Register for the eventmarket intelligence
ICEF Monitor is the leading source of market intelligence for the international student recruitment industry. Read about the latest issues affecting the sector and learn about emerging trends with ICEF Monitor.
World travel organisation calls for “harmonised travel and health protocols” to spur recovery in 2021
The severe disruption in global travel that we observed throughout much of 2020 is continuing this year. The latest tracking data from the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) finds an 87% decline in international arrivals for January 2021 compared to January 2020. The UNWTO reports that nearly a third (32%) of all global destinations remainContinue reading…

International student recruitment and online communications in the age of COVID
Thoughtful and strategic online marketing has never been more important to educators’ and agents’ ability to connect with both current and prospective students. To be successful in their digital outreach efforts, recruiters will need to consider how student perspectives have changed due to the pandemic – and how that should in turn can inform communicationsContinue reading…

France: Further foreign enrolment growth in 2019/20 before COVID’s impact
The number of new international students in France fell by 25% in 2020 as the pandemic took hold. But before COVID total international student enrolments grew by 3.4% year-over-year in 2019/20 to reach a new high of 370,052. International students now make up 14% of all students in France’s higher education institutions, rising to 21%Continue reading…

US ends suspension of working visa programmes amid calls for restoration of visa processing services
In June 2020, former US President Trump issued a directive entitled the Proclamation Suspending Entry of Aliens Who Present a Risk to the US Labor Market Following the Coronavirus Outbreak. That proclamation, which banned the issuance of visas including H-1Bs, expired on 31 March 2021, and President Biden has elected not to renew it. H-1BContinue reading…

Spanish language travel sector calls for government support
A recent statement from the Federation of Associations of Schools of Spanish as a Foreign Language (FEDELE) illustrates the pandemic’s impact on language schools in Spain. FEDELE estimates that enrolment in the country’s language schools fell by just over 82% in 2020 compared to the year before. The association notes that the sector “attracts hundredsContinue reading…

EU fast tracks Digital Green Certificate to promote safe travel this summer
The European Commission (EC) is fast-tracking the approval process for its proposed Digital Green Certificate so that it can be available in June 2021 – in time to facilitate safe travel for Europeans to other EU countries. It is intended to ease border restrictions currently in place across the EU and to stimulate the recoveryContinue reading…

Will more colleges require vaccinations for students returning to campus in September 2021?
President Biden’s ambitious COVID vaccination targets and determination to beat back the virus have prompted one US university – Rutgers – to announce that it will require students to be vaccinated before they return to campus in the fall of 2021. Rutgers enrols 71,000 students on three campuses, more than 9,000 of whom are internationalContinue reading…

EC closing locations in four countries, including all centres in Australia and New Zealand
Leading ELT chain EC English Language Centres announced today that it will close its schools in New Zealand and Australia along with selected centres in the UK and USA. In a message to agents, Executive Chairman and CEO Andrew Mangion confirmed that EC schools will be closed indefinitely in Auckland, New Zealand and Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane,Continue reading…

International students can apply for UK Graduate Route beginning 1 July 2021
The UK government has confirmed that international students will be able to apply for a post-study work visa via the Graduate Route beginning 1 July 2021. This means that all international students who graduate with a bachelor’s degree or higher from a recognised UK university will soon be eligible to stay on in the countryContinue reading…

International student enrolment in the US fell by nearly 18% in 2020
A new report from the US Customs and Immigration Student and Exchange Visitor Program paints a clear picture of the impact of COVID on international enrolment in the US. Not surprisingly, given that almost all of 2020 was spent in the grip of a pandemic, the picture is one of greatly decreased enrolments last year,Continue reading…

stand out with icef
icef virtual reality
Virtual Reality with ICEF empowers education and accommodation providers to tell uniquely engaging stories, access new audiences, and grow international student recruitment. Learn how to leverage this immersive technology to connect with students around the world and tell powerful stories about your institution.
Training for education agents
International student recruitment agencies play a vital role in international education, connecting education institutions with students around the world. We offer high-quality professional development to keep education agencies informed about immigration requirements, course entry standards, and student support expectations around the world.