July 10, 2025 | Dubai, UAE – In the past few days, the UAE faced a lot of confusion over the lifetime golden visa rumors. The news of the UAE offering the golden visa for lifetime residency at a small fees of Dh100,000 had spread like a wildfire since July 7. Following this, the other parties involved in the consultancy or support for the provision of the coveted visa came forward to clear the confusion and inform people amid the widespread lifetime golden visa rumors, while Rayad Group issued an apology for the uncertainty and announced the discontinuation of their services regarding the advisory of the golden visa. 

Apology Issued by The Rayad Group

The official statement issued by The Rayad Group acknowledged the lifetime golden visa rumors about acquiring a ‘lifetime’ visa by nomination via payment of a fixed Dh100,000 fee. They further clarified that “the initiative was part of an exploratory partnership with licensed immigration service providers.” They said that the step was aimed to assess the possibility of offering advisory support for the applicants who check the UAE’s strategic priorities.

The Dubai-based Rayad Group stated, “All visa decisions remain solely under the jurisdiction of the relevant UAE government authorities. Our role has been limited to providing private advisory support to individuals, at their own discretion, seeking to apply through existing legal pathways. We have always maintained that application facilitation does not imply entitlement, nor does it bypass official procedures. We concur with the statement all Golden Visa applications must be processed through official, government-approved channels.”

The agency also gave its sincere apologies for the public confusion due to the recent reports surrounding the lifetime golden visa rumors. They deem themselves responsible for ensuring clear, accurate and consistent conversations with the UAE’s stringent regulatory framework.

Rayad Group stated that some public comments made by the Managing Director were misplaced and caused confusion about the company’s role and nature of the initiative. Those remarks were a wrong portrayal of the group’s intentions, services, or authority related to the UAE Golden Visa programme. It cleared the doubts about the services and announced to halt the private advisory service for the Golden visa. 

VFS And ICP Step Up To Resolve The Rumors 

VFS ETM Services-FZCO (unit of VFS Global), another visa support compan,y said its role was strictly limited to informing interested individuals about the services. The company explained that it had a non-exclusive referral agreement with Rayad Group, which allowed VFS ETM to receive enquiries from interested candidates and then directed them to Rayad Group, which was solely responsible for forwarding profiles to the relevant authorities for visa eligibility decisions. VFS ETM added that it continues to fully comply with all applicable UAE laws and regulations.

Similarly, on Tuesday, the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Ports Security (ICP), rebuffs lifetime golden visa rumors circulating in local and global media. It said the UAE’s golden visa would grant lifetime residency at Dh 100,000. 

Actions for Supporting Lifetime Golden Visa Rumors

The ICP cleared that all Golden Visa applications are overseen only by official government platforms in the UAE, and no other advisory body is authorised to process it, where the eligibility categories, requirements, and procedures are defined by UAE laws and official ministerial decisions.

While the ICP did not discuss the source of the lifetime golden visa rumors, it confirmed legal action would be taken against those spreading the claims and exploiting people’s hopes of a better life in the UAE. The authority urged the public to rely solely on official sources like ICP’s website or the smart application, or else contact the call center at 600522222 for verified procedures.

Read More: UAE Golden Visa Rumours Debunked: The Truth About The ‘Lifetime Golden Visa’ Myth