Turns out, there’s no such thing as a guaranteed lifetime Golden Visa, at least not the way one Dubai-based firm made it sound. After creating quite a buzz about the lifetime golden visa (and a fair bit of confusion), Dubai’s Rayad Group has officially issued a public apology and pulled the plug on its private visa advisory services. Here’s the full lowdown on the news that had half the internet asking, “Wait, so can I get one for ₹23.30 lakh or not?”
Dubai’s Rayad Group Apologises For Golden Visa Mix-Up & Halts Advisory Services
It all started with a bold claim: that the UAE would grant a lifetime Golden Visa for around ₹23.30 lakh (approx. AED 100,000). Rayad Group, which ran visa consultancy services in Dubai, suggested this golden deal was available for certain nationalities and could be arranged from outside the UAE under “simplified” terms. Sounds too good to be true? That’s because it was.
UAE’s Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) then released an official statement. The authority shut the rumour down, saying the Rayad Group’s statements had zero legal standing and definitely didn’t align with official immigration procedures.
Faced with mounting backlash and a stern word from the ICP, Rayad Group released a statement on Wednesday, taking “full responsibility” for the mix-up and issued a formal apology for the “public confusion” caused. They admitted the ₹23.30 lakh was, in fact, their service fee, not a fixed visa price issued by the UAE government.
No More “Guaranteed” Talk, No More Advisory Services
Rayad Group didn’t just stop at an apology, they’re exiting the stage completely. In their statement, they confirmed that their private advisory services for Golden Visa applications are being discontinued.
They also addressed comments made by their Managing Director, Rayad Kamal Ayub, earlier in the week. On Sunday, he called it a “golden opportunity for Indians” to secure a UAE Golden Visa. But by midweek, they changed. The group acknowledged that those comments were “misplaced” and contributed to public misunderstanding. “We take full responsibility for ensuring future communications are clear, accurate, and consistent with the UAE’s stringent regulatory frameworks,” the statement added.
Just to clear the air once and for all, Rayad Group stated, “No guaranteed visa, fixed-price programme, or lifetime residency product currently exists.” They clarified that visa approvals rest solely with UAE government authorities and must be handled through official, approved channels, no shortcuts, no workarounds.
This incident is a learning moment. It teaches us to always trust official government-approved sites only when dealing with visa or immigration services.
Cover Image Courtesy: CanvaPro/imgenes-de-maksym-yemelyanov
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