A couple from Sharjah staged a four-day sit-in at a Dubai immigration firm's office after the company allegedly failed to secure their permanent residency in Canada despite receiving
full payment.
Frustrated and desperate, RB and his wife SB camped out in the firm's Plaza Building office in Al Rigga, Deira, from Monday morning until Thursday evening. The couple claims that the firm neither processed their residency papers nor refunded the money they had paid.
"We didn't want to resort to this, but we were left with no choice," said SB, a primary school teacher. The couple stated that they had paid CAD 40,000 (approximately Dh106,958) over three years, but they received neither updates nor a refund.
RB, who works in sales, explained that they initially applied through the Canadian government's Atlantic Immigration Programme (AIP) in 2019, which provides a pathway to permanent residence for skilled foreign workers in Canada's Atlantic provinces. When that application stalled, the consultants suggested they apply for a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), a document required by Canadian employers before hiring foreign workers.
"They arranged a job interview for me, and that was the last we heard from them," SB said. "For months, we’ve been asking for updates, but our requests went unanswered. Our last payment of CAD 15,000 (Dh40,100) was made 10 months ago in October."
On Monday, the couple packed a small bag and took up residence in the firm's fifth-floor office, refusing to leave until they received a clear response. "We slept on the couch, ordered take-out food, and used a common washroom in the building," RB recounted.
When Khaleej Times visited the office on Thursday afternoon, the staff confirmed the couple's presence but declined to comment further. Speaking with the Khaleej Times, SB and RB shared their ordeal and mentioned that they are now considering legal action.
An email sent by Khaleej Times to the company received no response. A similar email sent on July 4 regarding another complaint from a Pakistani couple also went unanswered, despite reminders. The Pakistani couple has since taken legal action, with the first court hearing scheduled for August 12. Their case adds to the growing list of legal actions against the firm.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Javed, another client from Oman, contacted Khaleej Times, stating that he had paid the company Dh70,000 for immigration services to Canada. Javed mentioned that he visited the office with his family earlier this week but received no positive response.
In recent years, numerous residents have seen their immigration hopes shattered as fraudulent companies fail to deliver on their promises or disappear with their money. Photo by Jared Grove (Phobophile), Wikimedia commons.
