With Spain being such a popular destination for British citizens to either visit for a holiday, work in for a few years, or even move to, it is common for people to need the assistance of visa advisers.
Advisers help their clients find the best visa that suits their needs, as well as help with the application process.
However, there are many fake visa advisers who offer false services in an effort to scam people out of their hard-earned money.
As a result, we have put together a guide to help you figure out how to tell if a visa adviser is legitimate or not.
How fake visa advisers try to scam you
Scammers essentially pose as legitimate visa advisers. They will promise expedited processing times, and may even state that they offer cheaper fees than other, more legitimate advisers, all in a bid to attract customers.
Additionally, some scammers may say that they have a visa to give away. This is something that is not possible; everyone must apply for their own visa separately.
For those looking to work in Spain, some scammers may try to take advantage of those who want to live in a country known for its great work-life balance by offering fake jobs to try and entice people to part with their money.
Ultimately, they will break their promises to you, resulting in you losing your time and money. Then, you will have to begin the process all over again with a legitimate adviser, losing even more time and money. Be aware that scams can take many different forms.
Phishing
Not only will they take your money, they may also employ tactics such as phishing to try to steal your personal details. They do this by posing as official government bodies and other professionals and send emails or text messages to their potential victims.
People generally trust that authorities will not misuse their personal information, and so give their details away without realising that a message is from a scammer. They then use the stolen personal details to pose as the victim, so they can carry out illicit activities and avoid getting caught.
How to spot a visa scammer
Immigration advisers will be legally trained, and will have a profile on the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s (SRA) website.
If they have a website, then there are several things you can check. For example, a legitimate adviser should have their SRA registration number on their website. This may be included at the bottom of the site, in the footer.
Other ways to check
In addition to the SRA, they may include the information of other regulatory bodies they are registered with either at the bottom of their website, or on a dedicated webpage.
These regulatory bodies allow you to both check if someone is offering valid services, as well as make complaints about them if anything goes wrong. Regulatory bodies ensure that legal professionals can be held accountable for their actions.
How we are regulated
Like any other legitimate visa adviser, we are regulated by the SRA. If you look at the bottom of our website, we have our SRA regulatory details in the footer. This includes our SRA number.
You should not hesitate to get into contact with us if you are unhappy with our services. We welcome any feedback to improve our services.
If you are unhappy with us but we cannot resolve the issue ourselves, you can contact the Legal Ombudsman if you want to make any complaints about our behaviour.
We strive to be as transparent as possible with our customers, our services, and how we use their information.
How we can help
Our team of Spanish visa experts can assist you with any enquiry you may have about applying for a visa in Spain.
As we are registered with the SRA, you can be sure that our team will provide you with accurate information, and that you can trust them with your details.
We offer a free 10-minute consultation where we discuss your issue and see how we might be able to help you; this can then lead to a longer consultation where we will provide you with advice and guidance. We will work as hard as we can to make sure your Spanish visa application is successful.
Get in touch with us today to get our expert Spanish visa advice.
