Ireland Visa Scam: Hundreds of Indians duped after agencies extort Upto €18,000 per person

Immigrating overseas, though exciting, and full of possibilities, comes with its own share of issues.

With the Ireland Government launching a new healthcare visa, nurses are being invited from many Asian countries and there has been an increasing demand for visas globally.

With the need for visas growing at an unprecedented rate, there has also been an increase in visa scams likewise.

Recently, there has been an instance where a scamster impersonating associates of a Fruit Procurement company drafted fake Employee Agreements offering jobs for the position of supervisor. It needs to be mentioned that the retail sector comes under an ineligible list of occupation, and thus applicants cannot apply for employment permits for the position of supervisor.

According to Ireland’s Immigration requirements, work permit is provided under two categories – skilled worker and general worker. A person from a non-European Economic Area, the UK or Switzerland, needs permission to work in Ireland. In most cases, one is required to apply for an employment permit.

The General Employment Permit allows one to work in occupations where there is a labour shortage in Ireland. One can get the permit to work in any job that is not on the Ineligible List of Occupations for Employment Permits, and subject to the other qualifying criteria.

The employer is then needed to carry out a Labour Market Needs Test as well. Under this test, employers must show that they have tried to fill the vacancy with an Irish or EEA citizen. They do this by advertising the job in Ireland and within the EU for a reasonable period of one month. If they cannot find a suitable candidate for the job, then the employer can recruit a worker that needs an employment permit. The General Employment Permit can be applied for by either you or your employer. To get this permit, you normally need to hold an offer of a job that will last at least 12 months, with a salary of at least €30,000 per year, though there are some exceptions to this rule.

The Critical Skills Employment Permit may be applied for by either you or your employer. To get this permit, you must hold an offer of a job that will last at least two years, paying at least €30,000 per annum. And citing the same, the agencies levy a hefty amount.

With the rampant scams, one is required to check the eligibility before approaching agencies. You can check the Ineligible List of Occupations for Employment Permits here. (https://enterprise.gov.ie/en/What-We-Do/Workplace-and-Skills/Employment-Permits/Employment-Permit-Eligibility/Ineligible-Categories-of-Employment/)

With agencies’ intentional act of deceit to obtain an unjust or illegal advantage is getting unchecked, it is essential to be aware of the immigration requirements.

Similarly, winning the trust of the unsuspecting visa applicants, such fraudsters and scammers ask for payments for all kinds of services, rendered or not.

After the introduction of carer visa, many agencies are targeting healthcare applicants without IELTS/OET. Those unaware of immigration information are being exploited by luring them with high payment job offers and misguiding the applicants.

According to a few complaints, it is reported that the agencies are aiming to swindle money from applicants ranging from Rs 8 lakhs to 13 lakhs.

While the agencies claim that the applicants can take their spouses with them to Ireland anytime, the healthcare professional with this visa can bring their partner to Ireland only after a year of service. Contrary to what the agencies are claiming, the spouses are not eligible to attain a work permit after coming here.

Furthermore, the agencies are promising applicants on earning upto Rs 1 lakh by working here for a month including food, rentals, and taxes. On the contrary, as per rules, one can only earn 13 Euros per hour under a carer visa.

It also needs to be mentioned that after reaching Ireland, one needs to pass the English test in order to get into hospital services.

Authorized visa agents and consultants will never ask for an upfront payment by email or phone. However, a few agencies are asserting applicants about a hefty additional GST rate. In order to avoid that, the applicants are asked to provide on-hand cash. In such cases, the applicants are left without any proof of fund transfer.

A dozen diverse visa complaints have already been filed while more new cases are being reported.

Keep in mind that many too-good-to-be-true schemes are often just that. Not true, that is.

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