Dubai: After narrowly escaping deportation, expat now offers free visa advice

The UAE isn’t short on visa agencies. However, receiving genuine guidance about visas and employment for free can get tricky.

This is why Nigerian national Patience Eyong, 32, is trying to change this.

Since 2021, she has dedicated her free time to creating informative videos for people from overseas who want to live and work in the Emirates.

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Inspired by a kind immigration official who helped her overcome her own visa issues, she decided to share her story and attracted 5,000 TikTok followers in just a week. Today, she has over 80,000 followers across two accounts.

Spanning posts and live streams, her platform @realpatienceeyong1 covers everything from giving out advice on how to fill out job application forms and writing a CV, to giving out guidance on how to relocate to the UAE and solve visa problems. More content can also be found on her old account @patienceeyong.

“It’s my way of giving back to society,” Eyong said.

“A lot of people, particularly in the African community, are scared to go to the UAE police or the immigration office to sort out their visa issues. This leaves them open to being scammed by visa agencies who just want to take their money. I want to provide everyone practical knowledge, and that will hopefully give them a chance to succeed here," she added.

Most of her videos are inspired by questions sent by her followers. When she doesn’t know the answer to a query, she spends her day off from her job as a receptionist going to the Dubai immigration office. Doing so allows her to find out the answer straight from the source.

“I get so many questions and my inbox is always full. A lot of people ask me why I don’t turn my platform into a business and start charging for the advice I give. But it doesn’t cost me anything to make a video or find out the information I need, so I don’t see why I should ask other people for money,” she noted.

Not only does she research and share job vacancies and hiring sprees, she also delivers free video tutorials about how to navigate each company’s particular recruitment process.

“Some people think that you need to be rich to give back, but knowledge is just as valuable as money. I get lots of messages from people who have found employment or received visas because of the advice and guidance I gave them," she said.

Her determination to help others was sparked by her own struggles in the UAE. Due to a series of unfortunate events that were exacerbated by the lockdowns and complications of the Covid-19 pandemic, she was almost deported from the Emirates. She was also issued a Dh13,500 overstay fine through no fault of her own.

“I was ready to give up and go home. But my family reminded me of how bad the situation was back in Nigeria and convinced me to stay and fight,” she recalled.

By chance, Eyong then met an Emirati immigration official who listened to her story and took pity on her. Without her knowing, he reduced her fine to Dh3,500. This left her with enough money to process her visa.

“I went back to the immigration office twice to try and find him, but I didn’t know his name and I couldn’t track him down. I am so grateful for his kindness, and I pray that God will protect him. Without him I wouldn’t be here today. His selfless example encouraged me to do my bit to help others as well.”

Helping needy children

Eyong has also launched a non-profit organisation in Nigeria called the PAT and Menorah Care Foundation. It provides school supplies and food for needy children, and sanitary pads for women and girls.

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