An Indian software engineer duped by fraudsters promising a dream job with Emirates airline is emerging from two years of turmoil to make a fresh start in the UAE, thanks to the country's visa amnesty campaign.
Abhijeet Ahire, 31, has been living illegally in the UAE since June 2022, when a fake company in Mumbai offered him what he believed to be a legitimate role with the Dubai airline, only to swindle his family out of Dh24,000 ($6,500), leaving him with a mountain of debt he saw no way of climbing out of.
At the start of the amnesty programme last month, Mr Ahire headed to Dubai’s Al Awir centre intending to request an exit pass to return to his home country and put his bitter experience behind him.
His fortunes turned, however, after he received an employment offer from the LuLu Exchange Group, who were among the companies interviewing people with expired visas.
software programmer and victim of a job scam
“Coming to Dubai and working for Emirates was my dream but I got caught in a very terrible situation,” Mr Ahire told The National in an interview at the Al Awir amnesty centre.
“I had lost all hope and was in complete depression. I’m so thankful for this job from LuLu Exchange and for the UAE government because this new opportunity will save my family from financial ruin. I can stand up, I can start my new journey of life because of the amnesty.”
The two-month amnesty initiative ends on October 31 and gives people on expired residency and tourist visas the chance to return home or remain in the UAE if they find employment without paying overstay fines.
Second chance
Mr Ahire, a native of Nashik, a town in western India, had been working as a computer programmer for more than five years. In 2021 he received an email from a company claiming to be part of the Emirates Group, announcing interviews at a Mumbai hotel for software engineers.
After four rounds of interviews, he was sent an offer letter promising a Dh13,000 monthly wage. When the scammers asked for Dh24,000 towards training, processing an employment visa and stay in Dubai, his father paid up from his pension savings.
Mr Ahire arrived in Dubai on a visit visa on the assurance that it would soon be converted into an employment visa.
Along with several others, he was tasked to complete software projects in an office in the Bur Dubai area and was told he would get a consolidated three-month salary after the training was completed.
“It all looked genuine to me. But one day when I went into work, everything had vanished, the office was shut, there was nothing there and none of the seniors were answering their phones,” he said.
He finally told his parents about his situation and his father sent him Dh800 every month. He spent half the amount on rent for a bed in a room he shared with nine men and spent the remaining Dh400 on food and transport.
“My parents are the reason for my survival,” he said. “I would go to a park, sit alone and cry. There were suicidal thoughts in my mind. But my father and mother stood by me. My father would call and tell me to be patient, he was my backbone. My mother gave me strength. I thought if I did anything wrong what would happen to my family, they needed me and that thought kept me going.”
He continued to live in Dubai, as he could not afford to pay overstay visa fines that had crossed Dh24,000, and hoped to land a job to earn back some of the money lost, but was always asked for an Emirates identity card.
Beware of fake companies
The Indian Consulate and companies in the UAE have repeatedly warned people against searching for jobs on visit visas and cautioned that firms would not ask candidates to pay to secure a position.
Asked about Mr Ahire’s case, a spokeswoman from Emirates asked The National to highlight an online statement on recruitment fraud that the company hoped would educate people.
“Any job offer, seemingly from the Emirates Group, that asks you for money is fraudulent,” the Emirates statement says.
“It has come to our attention that various people and organisations unrelated to the Emirates Group are sending emails or otherwise contacting individuals offering fraudulent employment opportunities in the Emirates Group.
“The Emirates Group will never ask for money transfers or payment of any kind from job applicants and will never ask for advance payment from you towards travel expenses or visas/work permits if your application is successful. Never transfer funds, handover cash or provide your bank account or credit card details as part of a job application.”
Indian consulate officials and human resources professionals too have told Mr Ahire the offer letter was fake.
New beginning
Mr Ahire is among several people with expired visas from across Africa and Asia who have secured jobs with LuLu Exchange in the software and customer service departments.
“We firmly believe in the potential of these individuals to actively participate in and drive the ongoing development of this great nation and we are happy to be the channel through which they can do that,” said Adeeb Ahamed, managing director of LuLu Financial Holdings. “The visa amnesty programme not only reinforces the multicultural fabric of the UAE but also serves as a beacon of hope, offering individuals a second chance to rebuild their lives.”
Technology firms, construction and maintenance companies and restaurant chains have set up recruitment desks at the Al Aweer amnesty centre, to recruit eligible people keen to remain in the UAE.
“We have a huge number of people who are changing their status because they got a new job. We know that today everyone wants to stay in the UAE so if you find an opportunity to get a job that’s good,” said Lt Col Salem Bin Ali, director General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs customer happiness department.
“It has been good to help these people, to see that smile on their faces. But we advise if you cannot find a job, please leave the country, there is no ban, you can come back, you are most welcome anytime.”
For Mr Ahire, he can finally take care of his family.
“I have a good education but I still got fooled. It’s not just me, there are many people like me who are here facing similar issues,” he said. “When I got a call from LuLu Exchange, I was so thankful to them and to the UAE government because I have completely lost everything.
“I will work so hard because the government has given me such an opportunity to remove all my fines in amnesty. It seriously is a great initiative, no nation does this for defaulters with companies giving you a chance of jobs and new visas.”
