A Ukraine visa scam earns by selling steps that official channels price openly or charge to someone else: an invitation letter, the employer's permit fee, a visa “guarantee”. On the real route, the employer pays the permit fee, the D-04 consular fee of USD 404 is paid at a designated bank against a receipt, and nobody sells the embassy's decision.
In a visa scam aimed at Pakistani jobseekers, each payment looks reasonable on its own. The money is asked for in parts, and each new instalment comes with a new step, a new document and a new reason. This page takes the scheme apart payment by payment and sets each one against what the official route actually charges, and to whom. The fees come from the tariff of the Embassy of Ukraine in Pakistan, Law of Ukraine No. 5067-VI and the Pakistani offices that attest documents, as in force on 30 October 2026.
- 01“File opening”A first fee to “start the process”
- 02Letter or offerA fee for an invitation or job letter
- 03Permit feeThe employer’s fee, billed to you
- 04“Embassy setting”A payment for a visa that cannot be bought
- 05Last paymentTicket, “protector”, release of documents
What the scheme charges, and what the official route charges
| What the agent sells | Official route | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Invitation or job letter | No fee to anyone for the letter. Study: the 3,100 UAH application fee on studyinukraine.gov.ua. Work: the visa rests on the employer’s permit. | Portal; Res. 118, para. 8 |
| Work permit | The Ukrainian employer pays the state fee for the permit. | Law No. 5067-VI, Art. 42-4 |
| Type D visa | USD 404 for the D-04 work visa, USD 70 for study and other grounds, under the embassy tariff, plus the VFS charge, against a receipt. | Embassy of Ukraine in Pakistan |
| Visa “guarantee” | No such payment: the visa is a decision of the Embassy of Ukraine, within up to 10 working days or up to 30 with checks. | Res. 118, para. 19 |
| HEC and MoFA | PKR 3,000 per document to HEC; PKR 3,000 to MoFA for the apostille of a personal or educational document. | hec.gov.pk; mofa.gov.pk |
| Recruitment abroad | Only an Overseas Employment Promoter licensed by BE&OE may recruit for jobs abroad; its licence is on the bureau’s list. | Emigration Ordinance 1979; BE&OE |
The full fee list for each visa type is in Ukraine visa fees from Pakistan. Anything outside that list, paid to a person instead of an office, is the scheme's revenue.
Why instalments work
Each payment buys a promise of the next step, and stopping means losing everything already paid. Reported FIA cases follow this shape. In one, suspects took Rs 4 million through banking channels for a Luxembourg work visa that never came (FIA Anti-Human Trafficking Circle Islamabad, enquiry No. 544/2025). In another, a man received Rs 1.07 million in several bank transfers to different accounts for a Russian work visa, never obtained it, and ignored FIA summonses until a case was registered; the money was returned to the complainant through legal process (Anti-Human Trafficking Circle Rawalpindi, FIR No. 438/2025). Both were reported by the Associated Press of Pakistan.
Why the applicant carries the risk
When the scheme supplies paper, the person who files it carries the liability. Knowingly using a forged document is an offence under Article 358, part 4 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, and the migration service or border guard can ban entry for 3 years (Law No. 3773-VI, Art. 13). In Pakistan, section 471 of the Pakistan Penal Code treats using a forged document as genuine like forging it. Our page on forged documents for a Ukraine visa explains how to check your own file.
Checks that make the scheme unprofitable
- Licence. For any job abroad, ask for the BE&OE licence number and find it on the list of Overseas Employment Promoters.
- Employer. Find the Ukrainian company by its 8-digit EDRPOU code in the Unified State Register: status, address, director.
- Permit. Ask for the date of the work permit decision; it is published on the State Employment Service site within 2 working days (Law No. 5067-VI, Art. 42-7).
- Receiver. Pay official fees only to the office that charges them, against a receipt: designated Faysal Bank branches for the consular fee, VFS for its own charge, HEC and MoFA for attestation.
- Paper. Before you file any letter or contract, have it read by someone who answers for the result in writing.
Checks 1 to 3 take less time than the next instalment. The warning signs of a fake agent are listed in fake visa agents for Ukraine, and the signs of a fake offer in fake job offers.
If you have already paid
Stop further payments, whatever reason is given. Keep every chat, receipt and bank record, and file a complaint with the FIA. Do not use any document the agent sent before it has been checked. A 60-minute consultation with a Ukrainian advocate ($249) covers what you hold, the risk of using it, and the next lawful step.
Questions about visa scams
How do Ukraine visa scams work in Pakistan?
How much does a real Ukraine work visa cost a Pakistani?
Can an agent guarantee a Ukrainian visa for money?
Where do I report a visa fraud agent in Pakistan?
How do I check an agent before I pay?
Agent visa ki guarantee de raha hai aur paise personal account mein maang raha hai — kya karein?
Read next
- Fake visa agents for UkraineSix warning signs and the BE&OE licence check
- The “freelance work permit” offerA product the law does not provide
- Employer checklistRegister, signatory and permit, step by step
- Employer verification, $199Register, tax, signatory and court checks on the company
Sources
Check the Ukrainian employer before the next payment.
Employer verification, $199: register, tax, signatory and court checks on the Ukrainian company, with a written GO / CAUTION / STOP report in 2–3 working days. Not sure which route is real for you? Eligibility assessment, $99.
Last reviewed: 30 October 2026. General information, not legal advice for your case. Case details are as reported by APP; we have no connection to those cases.