There’s nothing more painful than trusting someone with your money and getting duped. It usually does not end well. Because most people use their life savings to migrate to other countries, believing that they’ll make it there.
In the past few years, there has been an enormous rush in the number of people immigrating to foreign countries for better education or economic opportunities.
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Favourites among immigrants in Education and Jobs are countries like Canada, the United Kingdom, Qatar, Germany, Switzerland, New Zealand, etc.
Sadly, as the number of people who wants to immigrate keeps growing, scammers in the immigrant niche are also on the rise.
Recently, there has been a massive increase in the number of people complaining that they’ve been duped by their immigration consultants.
Infographics on How to Identify Immigration Scams.
These scammers are a bit intelligent, and you need to have your wit around you, to save yourself your their dubious schemes. The unfortunate thing about these immigration consultants scammers is that the victims get to know about the fraud when they have already travelled.
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Most of these victims do not have any connection with the immigration authorities of their desired countries. In such a case, how can you take action against such a fake immigration consultant?
Lodge a Complaint At Protector General of Emigrants.
If you have ever been scammed, you can simply lodge a complaint at the Protector General of Emigrants.
Did your consultant misguide you, gave you a fake contract with hidden clauses, or job opportunities that is dubious?
Did your Immigration consultant charge you exorbitant fees? You can take full legal action against him/her, or if they’re a company, by filing a complaint at the Protector General of Emigrants ([email protected]).
However, ensure that in the complaint you are sending to them, provide all the details, Whatsapp chats, Calls, the Debit alert/ bank slips, about your recruiting agent.
You can also reach out to the official Indian Embassy/Consulate, where you can easily register your complaint on the MADAD Portal – www.madad.gov.in.
You can also call the Overseas Workers Resource Centre (OWRC) and seek assistance.
Always Consult a Registered Immigration Consultant.
The very first step to avoiding getting scammed by these immigration consultants is ensuring that the Consultant you are using is a registered immigration consultant.
These people are registered, have the rightful links and will ensure that your rights are protected.
You can verify whether the immigration agent/agency you are about to use, is registered by checking his credentials on the E-migrate portal: https://emigrate.gov.in.
Many times the recruitment agents charge exorbitant fees. In such cases, you need to cross-check what is the current reasonable rate and see for yourself whether you were overcharged.
Take note that there are prescribed rates for immigration. To get exact details, you should send an email to the Protector General of Emigrants at [email protected] and write the price you were charged and provide receipts.
Similarly, you can also reach out to the Overseas Workers Resource Centre (OWRC) officials or seek assistance from the Indian Government’s Migrant Resource Centers.
How to Report a Scammer to USA Immigration.
If you were scammed by an Immigration officer while trying to enter the United States of America (USA), you can report them to the Executive Office for Immigration Review’s Fraud and Abuse Prevention Program by calling 877-388-3840 or emailing [email protected].
How to Report Scammer to Nigerian Immigration.
If you were scammed by an Immigration consultant or agent/agency, you can easily report them to the Nigerian immigration force either by Phone calls, or Email.
Phone Number: +234-912-1477-092.
How Much Can a Recruiting Agent Charge?
The current guideline clearly states that a recruiting agent cannot charge beyond Rs.20,000 per immigrant. To avoid getting duped by these dubious characters, you must first verify the license number of the consultant through the official site.
Finally, if you’re yet to pay any recruiting agent, make sure that the immigration consultant you are paying to help you migrate to any country of your choice, has verifiable credentials, a good track record, and is registered with the Indian Government.
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