In an editorial on Friday, the Gulf News has said that jobseekers should take serious note of the Indian consulate’s advisory, warning them against coming to the UAE on visit visas.

"The consul-general’s advice comes in the wake of several incidents where nefarious recruiters preyed on unsuspecting jobseekers. Large numbers of Indian jobseekers arrive in the UAE on visit visas, and there is a good chance of being duped by bogus agents or dishonest employers.

"The UAE has put in place systems like the Wage Protection System, WPS, and attestation process to ensure that prospective employees are not exploited by unscrupulous recruitment agencies. But the lure of working in the UAE is so strong that many jobseekers overlook the warning signs and end up being victims of well-planned scams. Some of them end up with bad contracts that offer poor pay, long work-hours and mistreatment. When they turn to the authorities for help, it is often too late," the Dubai based daily added.

In the first half of this year, the Indian consulate in Dubai received 540 labour complaints, which has prompted the consul general to issue the advisory.

The paper went on to say, "The onus of ensuring that the contract is genuine rests with the jobseekers themselves. Before signing contracts, they should do a background check on the employer, if possible. The eMigrate system for overseas employment is a good first step to make sure that a job offer is genuine."

"Potential employees should verify the veracity of job offers and ensure that they are given employment visas, and not visit visas. One of the recommendations is to ensure that the contract signed in the home country is the same as the one signed in the UAE. And ensure that the terms of contract remain the same," the Gulf News concluded.

Source: Wam