Q: Dear sir/madam, I applied for an immigration program to Canada known as a startup visa through a consultant in Dubai and paid AED 85,000. The consultant has not been able to get me the letter of support that is needed to apply for immigration to Canada in the time frame mentioned in the contract. When I ask for a refund, the consultant does not respond. The incubator from whom the consultant is supposed to get the letter of support has sent us a mail saying that the way the immigration consultant is operating is illegal. How can I get my money refunded?

Q: I had signed up with an immigration consultant for immigration to Canada. According to the contract I would be refunded the full amount if my application did not get through in a year. I had asked for a refund and they have only approved 2560/- out of around Dhs 9500/-. I need help to resolve this issue. Thanks.

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: 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: I would like to know how to file a complaint against an Immigration Services Agency for CANADA AIP RNIPP application in Abu Dhabi. I paid AED 9000 and I did not receive assurance from them afterwards. They were not answering my calls and not replying to my email. I went to their office in Abu Dhabi and it was already closed. Please advise.

Q: I want to complain about the 3 consultants based in Dubai. First consultant, almost two years now and still no updates on my Canada application, I paid for the whole amount of processing. Second, an agency for New Zealand. It has been more than a year now, and there have been no updates from the employer or for an interview. I paid for the first payment. The third consultant for Portugal. I still have no visa appointment since they gave me the hard copy of the work permit dated April 4, 2024. However, I found out the work permit was fake.

Q: I'm looking for advice- I had applied for immigration service to Canada via an agency in Dubai, however, it's been a few months and there is no positive reply from their end. They keep giving evasive answers, such as my job role is not coming up, or the Government has put the applications on hold, or other things which are totally different from the picture painted before availing their service. The contract mentions this about refund: "The company is eligible to provide a refund if any wrong information is provided during our advocacy while discussing the case with the consultant." My Question is- are such immigration consultancies legal in the UAE? Is it legal for them to provide such services? And am I eligible for a refund if not for damage claims (for wasting my time with their inefficient services)?

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 Federal Law, known as the "New Consumer Protection Law", govern Consumer Protection regulations in the United Arab Emirates. The New Consumer Protection Law repeals the previous UAE Consumer Protection Law (Federal Law No. (24) of 2006 on Consumer Protection).

The provisions of this Cabinet Resolution No (12) of 2007 Concerning the Executive Regulations of Federal Law No (24) of 2006 on Consumer Protection.