The Iranian education ministry said it would welcome Russian students to Iran and that there may be further exchanges between Moscow and Tehran.

The education agency industry is considered a nascent, perhaps unregulated profession by some, but in fact in most countries, the business of counselling students about where to study overseas stretches back 20 years. Amy Baker charts the evolution of education advising.

Manoeuvring through the student visa application process can be a trying experience and the rules constantly evolve as immigration policies change to suit the political climate. Sara Custer spoke with 20 major education agencies about the visa journey and charted their insight into the pros and cons of systems in top study destinations.