Don't fall prey to fake immigration service centres, says official

Dubai - DED asks consumers to verify activities of companies to avert falling victims to false promises.

Consumers have been warned of contracting with unlicensed companies, which claim they can help applicants migrate to foreign countries and offering investment visas.
The Department of Economic Development, Dubai, (DED) hence called upon the consumers to verify the commercial activity of companies that handle immigration services so people could avert falling victims to false promises into guaranteeing that the applications submitted will be definitely accepted.
The DED said some companies that operate here from within the country run advertisements to promote their immigration services to help individuals, who are willing to move to other countries across the world, particularly for investment.
The department said the advertisements sometimes assure readers that their applications will certainly be accepted by the competent bodies of the immigrants receiving countries- a matter, which is not 100 per cent sure, since applications could be rejected and not processed for specific grounds.
The department said it received over a hundred complaints of this kind, which have been investigated and the money repaid to complainants, the victims.
Mohammed Ali Rashid Lootah, Executive Director of Commercial Compliance and Consumer Protection Sector, DED, said: "Some consumers contract with companies that advertise that they are specialised in processing immigration applications to foreign countries.
Then applicants sometimes get shocked with the fact that their applications are rejected, or find out later that these companies are unspecialised in this business."
Lootah called upon consumers to not contract with any company that deals with immigration unless they make certain that they are officially licensed to carry out this activity.
"The offices that offer immigration services abroad usually give out immigration consultancy and advices as well as application processing services like filing in the applications, examining and submitting them," he said.
These offices also train applicants on how to pass the interview when meeting representatives of these countries, he added.
He said consumers are not well aware of the fact that the immigrant receiving countries have the right to reject the application submitted by some applicants for reasons related to the country's policy itself or the applicant's status.
He said the immigration offices are nothing but a middleman between the applicant on one hand and the government and legal entities representing these countries on the other hand, adding that they also do not have any guarantees that they could secure a visa to an applicant so as to enter the country immigrating to.
"It is up to the country, where an applicant submits his/her application to, to decide on each case singly," Lootah said.
Lootah called on consumers to contact Ahlan Dubai on 600545555 to report any company that gives promises for a visa before obtaining an approval from the authorised bodies at the foreign country where an applicant wants to move to.
salah@khaleejtimes.com