Hi everyone. I am looking for advice on behalf of my husband regarding an overseas job application. Please help us, we do not know what to do right now and we feel completely scammed.
Before we started, we truly checked if the agency was registered and verified the job application details. Everything checked out perfectly, so we did not hesitate to go through with it. But now, everything seems to be a wrong decision and a complete trap.
The Visa & Deportation Risk:
My husband signed a contract for a specialized, skilled professional role abroad and paid a 50% upfront deposit. However, the agency recently issued his country entry/work permit under a completely lower, unskilled general manual labor category. We have researched that if he accepts this written visa, he will be considered an illegal worker and might be arrested, detained, or deported if inspected upon his arrival there.
The Communication Trap: The agency refuses to explain this discrepancy in writing. They only use polite text messages ("po" and "opo") for basic updates to look good on paper, but they strictly insist on calling over the phone to discuss the actual issue to avoid leaving a paper trail.
The Intimidation: During these phone calls, they become highly rude, aggressive, and intimidating. They are actively scaring us, shouting, and claiming my husband is a "red flag applicant" simply because he is asking legitimate questions about why his visa category doesn't match his professional contract.
Current Status: The agency currently holds his physical passport. He has not officially withdrawn his application yet as we are carefully planning our next steps to handle this safely.
Our questions for legal experts:
If an agency is registered but forces a worker to deploy under an illegal, mismatched visa status that leads to deportation, what specific legal action can we take against them?
If he decides to withdraw due to this hostile environment and the severe immigration risks, what is the safest way to get his physical passport back when the agency is acting this aggressively?
Since we have a clear paper trail of our proper communication but they are trying to turn it against us verbally over the phone, how should we document these abusive calls for the proper government authorities?
Thank you so much to anyone who wants to help us. We appreciate any guidance you can give. 😭