Over the years there has been a humungous growth in the number of people immigrating to foreign countries for education or work. Contrarily, there also has been a massive increase in the number of people complaining of being duped by their immigration consultant. More often, these people come to know about the fraud when they are already abroad. For many that particular immigrant consultant is the only link between him and the immigration authorities. So how to take action against such a fake immigration consultant?
Lodge a Complaint At Protector General of Emigrants
Did your consultant misguide you, gave you a fake contract, or charged you exorbitant fees? Do you want to take legal action against him? Then you must file a complaint at Protector General of Emigrants (pge@mea.gov.in). In the complaint provide all the details about your recruiting agent. Another option is to contact the Indian Embassy/Consulate or register your complaint on the MADAD Portal – www.madad.gov.in.
You can also make a call to Overseas Workers Resource Centre (OWRC) and seek assistance.
Always Consult a Registered Immigration Consultant
To avoid getting duped you must always consult a registered immigration consultant. It will also ensure that your rights are protected. You can verify whether your agent is registered or not by checking his credentials on the E-migrate portal:https://emigrate.gov.in.
Many times the recruitment agents charge very high free. In such cases, you need to cross-check what is the current reasonable rate and whether these consultants are charging you prescribed rates or not. To get exact details, you should send an email to the Protector General of Emigrants at pge@mea.gov.in. Similarly, you can also call OWRC officials or seek assistance from the Indian Government’s Migrant Resource Centers.
The current guidelines indicate that a recruiting agent cannot charge beyond Rs.20,000 per immigrant. To avoid getting duped you must first verify the license number of the consultant. So, in nutshell, you must always ensure that the immigration consultant you are hiring has verified credentials, a good track record, and is registered with the Indian Government.