EduCart Consultant (“EduCart”, “we”, “us” or “our”) is committed to protecting the personal information of students, parents and visitors who use our website and services. This Privacy Policy describes our practices in accordance with Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and applicable provincial privacy legislation in Ontario.
1 Introduction
EduCart Consultant provides study-abroad counselling, college and program selection assistance, admission support and career planning services for students seeking education in Canada. To deliver these services effectively, we need to collect and process certain personal information.
By accessing our website, submitting an enquiry form, booking a consultation, or engaging our services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with any part of it, please refrain from using our website or services.
2 Information We Collect
We collect only the information that is reasonably necessary to provide our consultancy services. This falls into the following categories:
a) Information You Provide Directly
- Identity details — full name, date of birth, gender, nationality and passport information.
- Contact details — email address, phone number, mailing address and preferred contact method.
- Academic records — transcripts, mark sheets, degree certificates, English proficiency scores (IELTS, PTE, TOEFL, Duolingo) and gap justifications.
- Financial documents — proof of funds, bank statements and sponsorship letters, where required by an institution or immigration authority.
- Supporting materials — statement of purpose, résumé, work experience letters and reference letters.
- Communication records — emails, WhatsApp messages, call notes and counselling session summaries.
b) Information Collected Automatically
- IP address, browser type, device type and operating system.
- Pages visited, time spent on pages, referring website and general location (city level).
- Cookie identifiers and analytics data, as described in Section 6.
3 How We Use Your Information
Your personal information is used strictly for legitimate, service-related purposes, including:
- Assessing your academic profile and recommending suitable colleges, universities and programs.
- Preparing and submitting admission applications to educational institutions on your behalf.
- Providing counselling on documentation, study permits and post-arrival planning.
- Responding to your enquiries, scheduling consultations and sending application status updates.
- Sending service-related notices, reminders and — with your consent — occasional newsletters about intakes, scholarships and deadlines.
- Improving our website, service quality and user experience through aggregated analytics.
- Meeting legal, accounting and regulatory obligations.
We do not sell, rent or trade your personal information to any third party for marketing purposes — ever.
4 Legal Basis & Consent
We collect and process personal information on the basis of your consent, which may be express (for example, when you sign a service agreement or tick a form checkbox) or implied (for example, when you voluntarily submit your details through an enquiry form).
Where we intend to use your information for a new purpose not described in this policy, we will seek your consent beforehand. You may withdraw your consent at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions and reasonable notice. Please note that withdrawing consent may limit our ability to continue providing certain services.
5 Sharing & Disclosure of Information
We share your information only when necessary, and only with parties who are bound to protect it. Specifically:
- Educational institutions — colleges and universities to which you have authorised us to apply.
- Institutional partners & authorised representatives — where required to process your application.
- Service providers — secure hosting, email, CRM and analytics providers who act on our instructions under confidentiality obligations.
- Government or regulatory authorities — where disclosure is required by law, court order or a valid legal process.
- Professional advisors — auditors or legal counsel, strictly on a need-to-know basis.
6 Cookies & Tracking Technologies
Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to help the site function properly and to understand how visitors use it.
- Essential cookies — required for basic site functionality, security and form submissions.
- Analytics cookies — help us measure page views, traffic sources and overall performance in aggregated form.
- Preference cookies — remember your settings so you don't have to re-enter them on each visit.
You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings at any time. Please note that blocking essential cookies may affect certain features of the website.
7 Data Security
We apply organisational, technical and physical safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information we hold, including encrypted connections (SSL/HTTPS), access controls limited to authorised staff, password-protected systems, secure document storage and regular backups.
While we take data protection seriously, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is entirely secure. We therefore cannot guarantee absolute security, but we commit to notifying affected individuals and the appropriate authorities promptly in the event of a breach that poses a real risk of significant harm.
8 Data Retention
We retain your personal information only for as long as it is required to fulfil the purposes described in this policy, or to comply with legal, accounting and reporting obligations.
Where an application has been completed or a file has been closed, records are generally retained for a reasonable period to support future reference, re-applications or audits, and are then securely destroyed, erased or anonymised. You may request earlier deletion by contacting us, subject to any overriding legal requirement.
9 Your Privacy Rights
Under PIPEDA and applicable provincial law, you have the right to:
- Access — request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
- Correct — ask us to amend information that is inaccurate or incomplete.
- Withdraw consent — stop further use of your information, subject to legal and contractual limits.
- Delete — request erasure of your data where we are not required to retain it.
- Opt out — unsubscribe from marketing emails using the link in any message, or by writing to us.
- Complain — raise a concern with us, and escalate to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada if unresolved.
To exercise any of these rights, email us at info@educartconsultant.ca. We will respond within 30 days and may request proof of identity before releasing information.
10 Children's Privacy
Our services are intended for students aged 16 and above. Where a prospective student is a minor under the applicable law, we require the involvement and consent of a parent or legal guardian before collecting or processing their personal information. If we become aware that we have collected data from a minor without proper consent, we will delete it promptly.
11 Third-Party Links
Our website may contain links to external sites such as college portals, government immigration pages, testing bodies or social media platforms. These sites operate independently and are governed by their own privacy policies. EduCart Consultant is not responsible for the content, security or data practices of any third-party website, and we encourage you to review their policies before submitting information.
12 International Data Transfers
Because our services involve applications to institutions in Canada and communication with students located in other countries, your personal information may be stored or processed outside your province or country of residence. In such cases, the information may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which it is held. We take reasonable steps to ensure that any recipient provides a comparable level of protection to that required under Canadian privacy law.
13 Updates to This Policy
We may revise this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology or legal requirements. The revised version will be posted on this page with an updated “Last Updated” date. Where changes are significant, we will make reasonable efforts to notify you directly. Your continued use of our website or services after such changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
14 Contact Us
If you have questions, concerns or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or the handling of your personal information, please reach out to us:
EduCart Consultant — Privacy Enquiries
We aim to acknowledge every privacy request within two business days and resolve it within 30 days.
Mississauga, ON, L4Z 2J1, Canada