Indian expats in UAE warned about fraudulent visa agencies: Never pay on promise of approval

Abu Dhabi/ Dubai: Indian nationals in the UAE and elsewhere are being urged to think twice before paying any visa or migration agency, after Indian missions in the country flagged a rise in complaints about services that never materialised.

In an advisory posted on social media on Monday, the Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate General of India in Dubai and Northern Emirates said they have been receiving complaints from Indian nationals against certain visa and migration processing agencies operating outside India, including in the UAE.

According to the missions, these agencies promote third-country employment and resident visa services through social media advertisements.

They then collect fees from applicants but fail to deliver the promised services or provide refunds.

Indian nationals have been advised to exercise utmost caution. They should not rely solely on social media advertisements or blindly trust private visa processing agencies, especially those operating from outside India, the missions said in the advisory.

The missions also said that no one should pay any amount based on promises of visa approval, as no agency can guarantee a visa. That decision rests solely with the issuing government, the missions pointed out.

Applicants should verify visa requirements, application procedures and authorised channels for employment or residency visas directly with the embassy or consulate of the country they wish to visit, located in their country of residence.

For accurate and updated visa information, the missions said, applicants should always consult the government or embassy websites of the country concerned rather than third-party sources.

The advisory comes weeks after a Dubai-based Indian businesswoman, the founder and CEO of an immigration services firm, was arrested in Kerala over an alleged visa and job scam that police describe as a multi-crore fraud. The missions have not referred to this case or to any particular company in their advisory.

The woman was detained at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport in late September and handed over to Palarivattom Police in Ernakulam district, which had issued a lookout circular against her. A Judicial First-Class Magistrate Court in Kochi granted her bail on September 28. The had court barred her from leaving Kerala without prior permission and directed her to surrender her passport within seven days.

Police allege that hundreds of people have been cheated across Kerala, although only three FIRs have been registered against the company so far. Media reports quoted victims alleging that they had paid large sums but waited years without receiving work permits or refunds. Police said most transactions went to the company's overseas accounts, and they are seeking the support of the Enforcement Directorate to examine a possible money-laundering angle.

It is not the first time the Consulate in Dubai has cautioned Indian nationals about scams. In August, it warned Indian nationals in the UAE, particularly blue-collar workers, about individuals and agents falsely offering visa regularisation, emergency certificates, exit permits, Emirates IDs and employment.

Scammers were reportedly asking victims to hand over passports, Emirates IDs and biometric data, including face, eye and fingerprint scans, while claiming to help with official procedures. The Consulate cautioned that such information could be misused to carry out financial transactions or to obtain bank accounts, loans and credit cards in victims' names without their knowledge.

On September 21, the Consulate also organised a walk-in Legal Counselling Camp, offering free legal advice on cybercrime, financial and banking fraud, and the misuse of Emirates IDs.