Dubai firm apologises for false claims on UAE lifetime Golden Visa: 'No fixed-price programme'

Rayad Group, a visa advisory firm, took “full responsibility” for causing public confusion after it was quoted in media reports, including PTI, as saying that lifetime Golden Visas could be obtained from outside the UAE under simplified conditions through consultancy channels.

“All visa decisions remain solely under the jurisdiction of the relevant UAE government authorities,” Rayad Group said in a statement, adding it would discontinue private advisory services for Golden Visas.

"We apologise unreservedly for the public confusion caused by recent reports and commentary, and we take full responsibility for ensuring future communications are clear, accurate, and consistent with the UAE's stringent regulatory frameworks," the Rayad Group said in a statement.

"We also wish to take this opportunity to acknowledge that certain public comments made by Rayad Group’s Managing Director were misplaced and have contributed to the misinterpretation of our role and the nature of the initiative in question," it said.

"These statements did not accurately reflect our intent, our scope of services, or the limitations of our authority in relation to the UAE Golden Visa programme. To reiterate with full clarity: no guaranteed visa, fixed-price programme, or lifetime UAE residency product currently exists, and the Rayad Group does not offer, support, participate, or endorse any such arrangement.

The ICP earlier reiterated that Golden Visa applications are processed only through official government channels within the UAE, and no external consultancy is authorised. It warned of legal action against any party exploiting people’s aspirations for UAE residency through unverified claims.

"The Authority had recently observed news articles from a consultancy office based in another country, suggesting that lifetime Golden Visas could be obtained for all categories from outside the UAE via consulting or commercial entities under simplified conditions. These claims have no legal basis and were made without coordination with the relevant authorities in the UAE," it said.

"The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) has denied the accuracy of rumours circulated by some local and international media outlets and websites regarding the United Arab Emirates granting lifetime Golden Visas to certain nationalities."

The authority urged the public to always verify such information directly from official sources via the ICP website or the smart application.