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: Hello respectful Sir/Madam I applied for migration to Poland through a consultancy in Dubai on December 28, 2022. They said I would get a work permit within 60 days, but it has been more than 6 months. I now need my deposited amount back, but they are saying to mail customer care. I have receipts for payment and a fake offer letter. Can you please suggest how I can get a refund legally?

Q: My husband & I applied to migration services hoping to have a chance to work in Canada. After months of waiting, we decided to withdraw our application & refund the money as per the contract. We need to wait for 24 weeks before we can claim. 1-Jun-22 is our schedule but till now 18-May-23, we didn’t receive it. They always send emails to reschedule the refund. Since we are going on vacation, we consider collecting whatever recovery they have which is 2500 each but then they send an email saying that we have only 2000. I replied & corrected them but instead, they sent an email saying we have only 1500. We were really losing hope as they keep on changing their statement. So when we meet in their office we record whatever promises the staff has given us but when they found out that we are recording they said all our entitlement for refunds is forfeited because of this action. A total of 8000 dirhams for both of us is due for a refund. Our only purpose in the recording is to have evidence of their promises. Thank you

Q: Dear Sir I applied for Canada AIPP programs from one of the consultancy agencies in Dubai in 2021, and they told me it would take 1 year for the process. Now it’s more than 2 years. They told me they were applying for me these years but I didn’t get any response from any company, and when I asked them to tell me where they applied, they told me it's confidential. Now I told them to stop my process and they will refund my money but it will be very much less as per them. Please let me know how I can get my money as I paid almost AED 9000 or how I can proceed legally.

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, I applied for a Poland job through a Dubai consultancy in 2020 and paid all of the required fees, totaling AED 11,000. The consultancy then released my work permit for Poland, which expires after one year. They then said that they would apply for my Poland visa from the Poland embassy, and I believed them. However, when I messaged them about my visa because my Poland work permit is about to expire, they suddenly asked me to pay an additional AED 3,750 to apply for a new work permit. When I said that I do not want to pay and that I would like a refund, they said that they will not refund my money. Please advise me on how to get my money back. Thanks!

Q: Hello, I was working as a travel agent. One of my clients applied for a visa with me, and it's our third time trying to get her visa in 2 years. The first two times when the visa didn’t get approved, I paid her back the same time, and I’m the one who gave her the visit visa also. But for the third time, I couldn’t get the visa either. In the meantime, I lost my job, so I told her last month that I need time to give the money back - like in the first week of April, between the 5th to 10th. But she didn’t accept and made a case. So what will happen next? Will the police arrest me? When I check the case status, it’s showing "awaiting decision," and the amount is 5000. So what will happen next?

An interview-format article covering the topic of contracts in the UAE. This is from the legal podcast of lawyer Ludmila Yamalova, the founder of Lawgical with LYLAW.

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.

The provisions of this law, promulgating UAE Civil Code, govern the civil transactions in the United Arab Emirates. The commercial transactions remain subject to the laws and regulations applicable in their regard.