Someone paid an agent 800,000 naira to process a Canada Express Entry application. The agent had a nice Instagram page, client testimonials, and a professional-looking website. They also had no registration, no actual knowledge of the Express Entry system, and no intention of doing what they were paid for.
Six months later, the money was gone. The application had never been submitted. The “agent” had relocated.
This is not a rare story. It plays out in different versions across Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, and every other city where people are planning to japa. The victims are not naive people who should have known better. They are nurses, engineers, teachers, and accountants who worked hard, saved money, and trusted someone who presented themselves convincingly.
The protection is not to avoid agents entirely. Some legitimate consultants and regulated immigration advisers do add genuine value. The protection is knowing exactly what to ask before you pay anyone a single naira.
Here are the 10 questions. Ask all of them. Every single one.
Quick Summary
- Legitimate immigration consultants are regulated by official bodies. In Canada, it is the CICC. In the UK, it is the OISC. Verify registration before anything else.
- Any agent who guarantees a visa approval is either lying or scamming you. No one can guarantee a visa outcome.
- You should be able to verify every claim an agent makes independently, through official government websites, registration databases, and public records.
- Paying in full upfront, especially cash, with no written agreement is one of the most reliable warning signs of a scam.
- The information agents use to process your application is publicly available. If you have time, you can do most of it yourself.
Question 1: Are You Registered With the Official Regulatory Body for Your Country?
This is not a courtesy question. It is a screening question.
Every country that takes immigration seriously has a regulatory framework for who is allowed to give immigration advice for a fee. In the UK, that is the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC). In Canada, it is the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC). In Australia, it is the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA).
A legitimate consultant operating in any of these jurisdictions must be registered. You can verify registration yourself on each body’s public online database without needing to ask anyone’s permission.
How to verify:
- UK: Search the OISC register at gov.uk
- Canada: Search the CICC register at college-ic.ca
- Australia: Search the OMARA register at mara.gov.au
If the agent is based in Nigeria and working on UK, Canada, or Australian applications, they should either be registered in the relevant country or be working under the supervision of someone who is. If they cannot name a registration number and the body it belongs to, stop the conversation there.
Question 2: Can You Show Me Your Registration Certificate or Licence Number Right Now?
Not “I’ll send it later.” Now.
A legitimate consultant keeps their credentials accessible. Asking to see a registration certificate or licence number is a normal, professional request. Any hesitation, deflection, or promise to send it later is a red flag.
When they give you the number, do not just look at it. Go to the relevant regulatory body’s website and search for it yourself. Confirm that:
- The name on the registration matches the person or company you are dealing with
- The registration is current and not expired or suspended
- The registration covers the type of advice and service they are offering
This takes 5 minutes. Do it before any money changes hands.
Question 3: Have You Successfully Processed Applications Like Mine Before?
Ask for specifics, not testimonials.
“I have helped hundreds of clients japa” means nothing without verifiable detail. Ask specifically: Have you processed applications for someone with my profession, my qualification level, and my target country? How recently?
A consultant who has genuinely done this work will be able to describe the process in specific detail, the route, the documents required, the processing timeline, the fee structure. Someone who has not will give you general, vague answers that sound plausible but do not hold up to follow-up questions.
You can also ask for a reference from a previous client you can contact directly. Legitimate consultants, especially ones with real track records, are usually comfortable with this. Someone running a scam operation will make excuses.
Question 4: Can You Explain the Exact Process for My Application, Step by Step?
Listen for specificity. Vagueness is a warning sign.
Ask the agent to walk you through exactly what happens from the moment you pay to the moment your visa is approved or your application is submitted. What documents will they gather? What forms will they complete? Which official portal will they submit through? What is the expected timeline?
A knowledgeable consultant will be able to answer this in detail because the process for most major visa routes is documented publicly on official government websites. They should be describing the same process you could find yourself on gov.uk, ircc.canada.ca, or the relevant immigration authority’s portal.
If their explanation contradicts what is on the official website, or if they are vague about steps that are clearly documented publicly, that tells you something important about their actual knowledge.
Question 5: What Exactly Am I Paying For and Can I See That in Writing?
A verbal agreement is worth nothing.
Before you pay anything, you should have a written service agreement that specifies:
- Exactly what services the consultant will provide
- The total fee and payment schedule
- What happens if your application is refused
- Whether any portion of the fee is refundable and under what conditions
- The timeline for each stage of the work
If a consultant refuses to provide a written agreement, that is not a minor administrative issue. It is a fundamental problem. Without a written contract, you have no recourse if they take your money and disappear.
Read every line of the agreement before signing. If something is not in the agreement, it does not exist as a commitment.
Question 6: Do You Have “Connections” Inside the Embassy or Immigration Office?
The correct answer is no. Any other answer is a scam.
This question is a trap, intentionally. If an agent claims to have special connections inside an embassy, a high commission, or an immigration office that will help your application get approved, they are either lying or describing something illegal.
Visa decisions are made by trained officers following published criteria. There are no back channels for legitimate consultants. No reputable registered immigration adviser would make this claim because making it would risk their registration and their practice.
Agents who sell “connections” are selling fiction. The money goes to them. The application either never gets submitted or gets submitted without any special treatment and fails on its own merits. Either way, you lose.
Question 7: Can You Guarantee My Visa Will Be Approved?
The correct answer is also no. Firmly and clearly no.
No licensed immigration consultant in any country is permitted to guarantee a visa outcome. Visa decisions rest with the immigration authority of the destination country, not with any consultant, however experienced.
What a good consultant can do is assess your eligibility honestly, identify weaknesses in your application, help you prepare the strongest possible submission, and set realistic expectations about your chances.
If an agent guarantees your visa approval, they are violating the code of conduct of every legitimate regulatory body in existence. That alone should end the conversation.
Question 8: What Happens to My Money If My Application Is Refused?
Ask this before you pay, not after.
Different consultants have different refund policies, and legitimate ones are transparent about this. Some charge a flat fee for services rendered regardless of outcome, which is standard. Some offer partial refunds in specific circumstances. Some do not offer refunds at all, which can be legitimate if the work was actually done.
What is not legitimate: taking full payment upfront with a promise of a refund “if things don’t work out” and then becoming unreachable after a refusal.
Get the refund policy in your written agreement. Understand it before you sign. If the agent cannot articulate a clear policy, that is information.
Question 9: Will You Give Me Copies of Everything You Submit on My Behalf?
You should always have a complete record of your own application.
Every document, every form, every submission confirmation should be copied and kept by you. You should know what was submitted, when it was submitted, and what the reference numbers are.
This matters for two reasons. First, if the agent disappears or fails to follow through, you have the documentation to understand where things stand and potentially take over the process yourself. Second, if you are ever asked in a future application about your previous applications, you need accurate records.
An agent who is reluctant to give you copies of your own application documents is not working in your interest.
Question 10: Is This Route Actually Right for My Profile, or Are You Just Recommending What You Know How to Process?
This is the question that separates advisers from salespeople.
Some agents push every client toward the same route, whether it is Express Entry, UK Skilled Worker, or a particular study pathway, because that is the one they are most comfortable processing, not because it is the right fit for the client’s specific qualifications and goals.
A good consultant will ask you about your education, your work experience, your finances, your family situation, and your target timeline before recommending a route. They should be able to explain why the route they are recommending suits your specific profile, and why alternative routes are not as suitable for you.
If you get a recommendation before they have asked you anything substantive about your background, that is a bad sign.
A Case That Brings This Together
Ngozi is a 29-year-old pharmacist from Edo State who paid 600,000 naira to an agent promising to process her UK Skilled Worker visa. The agent had over 10,000 Instagram followers and dozens of five-star Google reviews.
She did not ask for a registration number. She did not get a written contract. She paid in full because the agent said the “slot” would go to someone else if she delayed.
Four months later, she had received no confirmation of application submission, no UKVCAS appointment, and no coherent update. The agent’s phone still connected but the responses became increasingly evasive.
If Ngozi had asked question one, she would have discovered the agent was not registered with the OISC. If she had asked question five, she would have had a contract that created legal recourse. If she had asked question six and heard about “connections,” she would have walked away before paying anything.
The agent’s Instagram page meant nothing. The reviews could not be verified. The questions she did not ask were the only protection that would have worked.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if an immigration agent in Nigeria is legitimate? Start with their regulatory registration. Ask for the name and registration number of the body they are registered with, then verify it yourself on that body’s official website. For UK immigration advice, check the OISC register. For Canadian immigration, check the CICC register. If they cannot provide a verifiable registration, they are not operating legitimately regardless of what else they show you.
Is it illegal to use an unregistered immigration agent? In many countries, it is illegal for an unregistered person to provide paid immigration advice. In the UK, providing paid immigration advice without OISC authorisation is a criminal offence. The person giving the advice breaks the law, but you as the client also risk having your application compromised by someone who does not know what they are doing and has no accountability.
Can I do my visa application without an agent? Yes. The vast majority of visa applications can be done directly through official government portals without any agent. The UK Student visa, Canadian Express Entry, and Australian skills visas all have official online application systems with published instructions. DeyWithMe has tools and guides that walk you through the process for the most common routes. You may want a regulated adviser for complex cases, but for standard applications, informed self-preparation is a real option.
What should I do if I have already been scammed by an agent? Report the incident to the Nigerian Police Force and file a complaint with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). If the agent claimed to be registered with a foreign body, report them to that body as well. Document everything: payment receipts, messages, promises made, and any documents you received. If you paid by bank transfer, speak to your bank about the transaction. Recovery is not guaranteed but reporting matters, both for your case and to protect other people from the same person.
Before You Pay Anyone Anything
Print these 10 questions or save this page on your phone. Every time someone approaches you about helping you japa, or every time you approach someone for that help, go through this list before any money moves.
The questions are not aggressive. They are professional. Any legitimate consultant will answer them without hesitation. The ones who are not legitimate will reveal themselves through their reactions.
DeyWithMe has free, verified guides for the most common japa routes including UK Skilled Worker, Canada Express Entry, and Australia skilled migration. If you want to understand exactly what a genuine application involves before you speak to anyone, start there. Knowledge is the only reliable protection against being scammed.
