Release date: Thursday, August 29, 2024 at 6:00 AM
Last updated: Thursday, August 29, 2024 at 7:30 AM
As the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) two-month amnesty program begins on Sunday, September 1, giving illegal immigrants and those who have overstayed their visit visas the opportunity to regularize their status or return to their home countries without penalty, a new threat has emerged: Scammers are raising alarms as they fraudulently offer residence visas at suspiciously cheap prices, preying on vulnerable expats.
Khaleej Times spoke to several overstaying expats in Jebel Ali and Sonapur who said they have been approached by people promising to get them a residence visa for just Dh5,000, far below the standard cost.
Sadiq (not his real name), a 35-year-old Pakistani national, who asked not to be named as he is currently in the UAE illegally, described his encounter with one such scammer: “I was approached by a man promising to get a residence visa for just 5,000 dirhams. It sounded too good to be true. When I asked him about the company details and the jobs available, he gave vague answers,” he said.
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“The director of the typing centre told me that once my status was cleared and I found a job, I could continue to reside in the country. The scammer approached me as I was coming out of the typing centre and offered me tea and struck up a conversation,” Sadiq said.
Sadiq is one of many illegal immigrants who have been in the country for a long time and are refusing to take any action without consulting experts. “I have not been able to see my children for the last three years because I am illegally here. Now I can’t afford to make such a mistake that I regret my actions,” he said.
AN, a 39-year-old overstayer from Sonapur, also faced demands from several fraudsters to renew his residency and issue a new visa. “The fines totalled more than AED 70,000 and this person, named Khan, has repeatedly tried to persuade me to start a new life,” he said.
“Khan made me an attractive offer – he said that for Dh8,000, all fines would be waived and I would get a new residence visa to start my life in the UAE. But his consistent approach made it hard for me to believe him,” AN said.
“With this new scheme by the UAE authorities, I will be able to find a job and live in the country without any hassle,” he added, saying these fraudsters are approaching many illegal immigrants in Sonapur.
“There’s no office.”
Another Indian resident of Sonarpur, Raj Till from Tamil Nadu, had been in the UAE for almost a year since his visit visa expired and was looking for a way to regularise his status. “In the last few days, when the amnesty period was announced, several agents offered to get me a residence visa for as low as Dh6,000. But none of them had an office or proper facilities, which seemed fishy. I have heard that several agents have fallen for this scheme,” Raj said.
“I don’t know how these people knew about my desperate attempts to restore my status, but I couldn’t risk losing what little money I have to being scammed,” Raj said. “The past few months have been tough, doing odd jobs but I have learnt to be cautious. Now that I have been pardoned, I hope things will finally work out.”
Immigration experts urge caution
Khaleej Times spoke to several immigration experts and found that the actual cost of obtaining a legal residence visa starts from well over 5,000 dirhams.
Immigration experts warn that the scams are designed to exploit the desperation of illegal immigrants looking for a quick, cheap way to legalize their status. “Scammers are taking advantage of the amnesty period to lure illegal immigrants with false offers,” said Mohammed Dawood Shabuddin of Seven City Document Clearing Services.
“The actual process of obtaining a residence visa is more complicated and expensive, and the visa fee depends on the type of visa you apply for. The UAE visa regime has three grades – for government companies, for multinational companies and for small businesses,” Shahbuddin said, adding that people should be cautious and only deal with authorised agents or government authorities directly.
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