Privacy notice

Luminous International (“we”) is an education consultancy registered in Canada. This notice explains what personal information we collect when you use our website and services, why, who else handles it, and your rights. We aim to meet Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018 for people in the UK, and Bangladesh’s data protection law as it comes into force, and we apply the strictest of these where they differ.

What we collect

• What you send us through a form or message: your name, email address, WhatsApp number, the course or service you’re asking about, and anything you write in the message. For K-12 enquiries we ask for the child’s age, never their name.
• When you unlock a tool (the course finder results, the IELTS level-check result, the free IELTS demo exams or the scholarship matches): your name, email address, WhatsApp number, the country and city you live in, your highest qualification and result, where and when you’d like to study, which tool you unlocked and what it showed you (for example the career, number of courses or estimated band). We email you a one-time code to confirm your email address; the code is stored in hashed form and deleted after use or after 15 minutes.
• Practice-test answers you choose to send for marking: your writing and the transcript of your spoken answers. Audio recordings never leave your device.
• Documents you choose to send an adviser by email or WhatsApp to prepare an application.
• Payments: if you pay us, we see the amount and status. Card details are entered on Stripe’s pages; we only ever see the card brand and last four digits.
• On your own device only: your browser’s local storage keeps your checklist ticks, the choices you made on the site (where you’re from, what you enjoy, your qualification) and, once you unlock, your name, email, WhatsApp number and a signed code confirming your email, so the tools stay open when you come back. You can clear these at any time in your browser settings.
• Technical data: the minimum needed to run the site securely: server logs kept by our host, and the IP address a form was sent from, which we keep with the submission to prevent spam and abuse.

You don’t need an account to use this website, and practice tests run entirely in your browser.

Children

Our student services are for people aged 16 and over. For K-12 school placement we deal only with parents or legal guardians. At enquiry stage we ask for the child’s age, never their name. Any information about a child that is needed later for a school application is collected from the parent, used only for that placement, and never used in marketing. We never publish any student’s name, face or documents, and never anyone’s under 18.

Why we use it

• To answer your enquiry and provide the service you asked for (contract, or steps you asked us to take before one).
• When you unlock a tool: so an adviser can contact you about your study plans and the courses or scholarships you looked at (your consent, which you give on the form and can withdraw at any time).
• To take payments, refund them where our refund policy says so, and keep financial records (contract and legal obligation).
• To send you messages about your application or service. We only send marketing if you opt in, and you can opt out at any time.

Who else processes your data

• Hostinger: hosts this website and our email (form submissions arrive as email, and sends your one-time email code).
• Google (Google Workspace / Sheets): a private spreadsheet, visible only to our team, where we keep a copy of form submissions so no enquiry is missed.
• Stripe: card payments, invoices and refunds.
• WhatsApp (Meta): if you choose to message us there.
• Meta Platforms (Meta Pixel): only if you accept advertising cookies, to measure which of our Facebook and Instagram posts and ads bring visitors and enquiries, and to show our ads to people who have visited. It records the pages you visit and when you send a form, but not what you type. See our Cookies page to change your choice.
• Institutions you apply to: we send your application to the university, college or school you chose, with your consent, as part of the service.

Some of these providers store data outside your country, including in the United States and the European Union. Where UK GDPR applies we rely on adequacy regulations or standard contractual clauses for these transfers.

How long we keep it

Enquiries that do not lead to a service: 24 months. Application and payment records: 7 years after the last activity, for financial and regulatory reasons. Practice answers sent for marking: 12 months. Details from unlocking a tool: 24 months after your last contact with us, unless you become a client.

Your rights

You can ask to see the personal information we hold about you, have it corrected, get a copy in a portable format, object to or restrict some uses, withdraw consent, and have it deleted where we are not required to keep it. Email us and we will respond within 30 days. If you are unhappy with our answer you can complain to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, the UK Information Commissioner’s Office, or the relevant authority where you live.

Security

Documents you send us are kept in our business email and shared only with the staff working on your case and the institution you apply to. Card details never touch our systems.

Contact

Questions or requests about your data: info@luminousinternational.org. Please put “Privacy” in the subject line.