Q: Hi all, An immigration consultancy cheated me in the UAE. They told me that within 6 months I would be in Canada with my family, and for that, they charged me AED 13800. Eight years have gone and there are no results, and they neither answer my phone nor return my money. Now I saw in the contract that they gave me to sign that all payments made are non-refundable. They have committed fraud, they did not provide any service to me nor they informed me that the payment that I made is nonrefundable. They first took the money then they gave me the contract to sign. I would like to know if there is any chance that I will get back my money and compensation. They have wasted my 8 years. Thank You M. M.

Q: Hi. This is Arun from Thailand. I need a legal opinion from your concern regarding the cheating faced from a UAE-based firm named R. I. In January 2017,   my wife signed an agreement with them regarding a job offer letter to Canada. The total fees they asked for were AED 7000, but for the initial payment, I paid AED 4000 to them. They said it will take 6 months. In January 2018, they told me that presently they aren’t able to do the job offer for me because there is no current openings. After that, they gave me one more offer that they have for an Atlantic immigration program to Canada. In this case, I also believed them and they started the program. Then only I came to know that they didn’t even know how to fill the immigration application. So I told them to stop the processing and refund me the full amount on last April, but till now, they didn’t refund and they are keep on postponing. I thought to file a case against them, so I am requesting you to give me an advice on the same.

Q: We have signed an agreement in October 2020 as a “UK Start-Up visa” with immigration advisers in the UAE. According to the agreement, we have paid AED 25000/- as a full package to get the visa. After submitting the application and following up for the last 6 or 7 months, they are now disclosing and asking for endorsement fees of 50,000/- GDP, which need to pay endorsement bodies for 2 years. Earlier, they did not inform us nor mentioned it in any article of this agreement, which shows it was hidden from us at the time of signing the agreement. Due to this reason, we do not want to continue and the advisers do not agree to refund our money AED 25,000. Request for your assistance and help

Q: Hi All, I paid an immigration consultant to provide me with a job offer for Canada. The office is in Business Bay. We agreed on a total cost of 30,000 CAD and a time frame of 90-120 days. I paid an initial deposit of 10,500 AED in May 2023. After I paid, they told me that the employer charged an additional 5 CAD. They have said this multiple times, claiming that the employer has high demands and the fees have increased. When I asked for a refund, they said I have to wait because they are still working on finding another employer who will charge the same amount. However, as soon as I started asking for a refund, they began to change their story. I no longer want to proceed with this process, and I want a refund.

The Law sets up the legal framework for the protection of consumer rights in the UAE. The Law establishes the Higher Committee for Consumer Protection and the Consumer Protection Department, and sets up the fines for breach of its provisions.