Can an immigration office contact me and demand an urgent fee to process or save my visa application?
No. Immigration authorities communicate through official case portals and written correspondence. Unexpected calls demanding urgent fees to save a visa are always scams.
Last reviewed: 10 June 2026
Explanation
Government immigration agencies publish clear, fixed fee schedules on their official websites. All fees are paid through verified government payment portals, never by phone to an individual officer. If your application has an issue, you receive written notice through your registered case portal or by mail, with defined deadlines and appeal rights.
Immigration fraud preys on the fear of losing a visa or facing deportation. Scammers pose as immigration officers, claim your application is about to be cancelled, and demand an immediate payment to correct the issue. They may know your name, nationality, and visa category — obtained from data breaches or from social media research — which makes the call seem credible.
Legitimate immigration offices never accept payment over the phone, never tell you the situation is so urgent that you cannot take time to verify the call, and never demand untraceable payment methods. An officer who tells you that you will be detained or deported if you do not pay within the hour is not a government official.
If you have a genuine concern about your immigration status, log into your official case portal or contact the agency through verified contact details listed on the official government website.
Common red flags
- Caller claims your visa or residency status is about to be cancelled
- Demands immediate payment by wire, gift card, or cryptocurrency
- Creates extreme urgency and threatens deportation or detention
- Cannot direct you to a verifiable case reference in an official portal
- Instructs you not to contact a lawyer or family member
- Knows personal details but cannot provide official case documentation
What to do now
- Do not pay anything and do not provide personal documents over the phone
- Log in to your official immigration case portal to check your actual status
- Contact the immigration authority using numbers from the official government website
- Consult an accredited immigration lawyer if you have genuine status concerns
- Report the call to the immigration authority's fraud hotline
- Report to your national anti-fraud authority
Frequently asked questions
What if the caller offers to email me official-looking documents?
Fraudulent government documents are easy to fabricate. An emailed document with official logos does not prove legitimacy. Always verify your status through the official government portal independently.
I am on a visa and worried about my status — how can I check safely?
Log in to the official government immigration portal using the URL you bookmarked when you first applied. Do not follow links from emails or calls. A licensed immigration attorney can also verify your status securely.