The Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate General of India in Dubai have jointly warned Indian nationals in the UAE against paying fraudulent visa and migration agencies that promise approvals they cannot deliver, after a rise in complaints from victims who lost money without receiving any service or a refund.
The missions said no agency can guarantee that a visa will be approved, and urged citizens never to hand over payment based solely on a promise of approval. They also advised against relying on social media advertisements or private agencies operating outside India, and said applicants should verify requirements directly through the official websites of the relevant embassy or consulate rather than through intermediaries. Citizens were further told never to hand over passports, Emirates ID cards or biometric data to agents.
The advisory follows the arrest in Kerala in late September of a Dubai-based Indian businesswoman who founded an immigration firm, over an alleged visa and job scam. According to reports, hundreds of people across Kerala were affected, with many waiting years without receiving the permits they paid for or getting their money back, while only three police complaints have been formally filed against the company so far.
This marks the second such warning from Indian missions in recent months. In August, the embassy and consulate issued a similar alert about scammers offering fake services such as residency regularisation, emergency certificates and exit permits, cautioning that these offers were also used to defraud members of the community.