Filipino Expats Lose Thousands Over Fake UAE Visas

I got here throughout this as we speak and truthfully, it made me consider each Filipino pal right here in Kuwait who’s ever been tempted by a Fb advert promising a fast visa. This explicit story is unfolding within the UAE, nevertheless it’s the sort of factor that any expat neighborhood within the Gulf ought to take note of, as a result of the trick used right here may simply as simply flip up by yourself timeline..

A bunch of Filipino employees in Dubai and Abu Dhabi say they paid an organization known as Journey Professional Enterprise and Advertising Options hundreds of dirhams for self-sponsored visas and associated paperwork, solely to finish up with no visa, no refund, and in some instances, fines that preserve climbing by the day.

A number of of them have now come ahead with receipts, agreements, fee information and WhatsApp chats, asking for a correct investigation.

So what truly occurred?

Most people who spoke about this stated they first heard of Journey Professional by way of Fb adverts, Filipino influencers, or a pal’s suggestion. That’s an vital element, as a result of it’s precisely how belief will get constructed round these schemes – not by way of official channels, however by way of acquainted faces vouching for a service.

Myra Javier, who has lived in Abu Dhabi for 13 years, paid Dh6,000 for a self-sponsored visa with a commerce licence after a widely known vlogger endorsed the corporate. She says she solely realised one thing was unsuitable when no one answered her questions on her visa standing, and she or he later discovered Fb posts from different folks asking for refunds too.

Mira Mahilum’s story is a little more sophisticated. She’d labored in Dubai for 3 years earlier than her employer closed the enterprise in April over regional considerations, cancelling her visa. She went to Oman for 2 months, then needed to return to the Philippines in June after her father handed away. By August she needed to come back again to Dubai and begin supporting her household once more, which is when she discovered Journey Professional by way of the identical sort of influencer endorsement.

She was informed by the person she identifies because the founder and CEO, Junie Sorsano, {that a} two-year self-sponsored visa would price Dh8,500 and that she’d be introduced as a enterprise investor so she wouldn’t be offloaded at Philippine immigration. Earlier than paying, she truly requested a pal in Dubai to go to the corporate’s Deira workplace to examine it was actual. The pal reported the employees appeared skilled, so Mahilum went forward and paid Dh8,100 after a reduction. Three days later, Sorsano stopped replying. When her pal went again to the workplace, it had been deserted.

Fines that saved climbing

For Guendolyn Cajutol, who has been in Dubai for 11 years, the harm wasn’t simply the misplaced fee – it was the fines. She utilized for her visa in March, paid a Dh1,500 deposit by way of Tabby, and settled the remainder in June. Her licence and e-card arrived in August, however the visa itself by no means did. In the meantime, overstay fines saved accumulating. By the point she spoke about it, she stated her fines had reached nearly Dh10,600, with Dh50 extra added day by day.

Lorena Magpantay, a housemaid who has lived in Dubai for 26 years, stated she visited the workplace in September and located round 86 different Filipinos there with the identical criticism. She was ultimately informed to signal refund papers, promised her a refund inside every week, then informed to come back again in a month as an alternative – and when she tried once more, the workplace was already shut. She says she ended up promoting her gold to cowl what she owed by way of Tabby.

Charma Bornidor, a salon employee in Dubai for 12 years, had paid Dh7,000 by way of an agent to get a one-year visa for a pal nonetheless within the Philippines. After weeks of being informed the appliance had