Licensed vs unlicensed visa agents: what you’re really paying for

Ask for the licence number and the district that issued it, then find it on that district’s “List of Registered Travel Agents”. The Govt of Punjab NRI Affairs portal (nri.punjab.gov.in) links every district’s list. Ours is No. 849/DC/PTA/PLA/LC-3/2024, entry 849 on District Patiala’s list dated 04/12/2024.

Yes. Under section 3 of the Punjab Prevention of Human Smuggling Act, 2012 (renamed the Punjab Travel Professionals’ Regulation Act in 2014), no one may work as a travel agent without a licence, and visa processing and visa consultancy count as travel-agent work. Under section 13, as amended in 2014, breaking the Act can mean up to seven years in prison and a fine of up to ₹5 lakh, doubled for a repeat offence.

No. The visa officer of the country you are applying to decides every application. A licensed consultant can prepare an honest, complete and well-documented file, but cannot decide the outcome. A guarantee is one of the clearest warning signs, whoever offers it.

No. Recruiting people for jobs abroad needs a Recruiting Agent registration with the Ministry of External Affairs under the Emigration Act, 1983. We do not hold one, so we do not process work permits or offer jobs. You can check whether any recruiter is registered on the MEA’s eMigrate portal.

You face the consequences, not the agent. The application is your own declaration. In Canada, for example, a finding of misrepresentation makes the applicant inadmissible for five years under section 40 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. Forgery and cheating are also crimes in India under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.

Write down what happened and collect every receipt, chat and bank transfer. Then file a police complaint at your local police station. If the agent is licensed, also write to the District Magistrate who issued the licence, who can suspend or cancel it. If you paid online, report the fraud at once on 1930 or cybercrime.gov.in. For a service dispute, call the National Consumer Helpline on 1915 or file a case on the e-Jagriti portal.

Yes. Pro Lifeset Overseas Pvt Ltd is entry 849 on District Patiala’s “Updated List of Registered Travel Agents” dated 04/12/2024, under the consultancy category, valid until 22 July 2029. The list is published on patiala.nic.in and linked from the Govt of Punjab NRI Affairs portal.

If the visa is refused, our consultancy fee (including GST) is refunded under the published Refund Policy, whoever was at fault — ask within 30 days of the decision. The one exception is a refusal caused by material information kept from us or by documents that were not genuine. Embassy, VFS and other third-party fees are paid to them, not to us, and cannot be refunded by us.

Not necessarily. Some are simply unaware of the law or have let a licence lapse. But working without a licence is itself an offence in Punjab, and if anything goes wrong you have no licensing authority to complain to and no licence that can be cancelled. That missing safeguard is the risk you take on.

No. Send us the agent’s name or the offer on WhatsApp, or visit our office on Nabha Road, Patiala, during Monday to Saturday, 9 AM to 7 PM, and we will tell you what to check. We will not comment on any named business. We will show you how to check it yourself.