Unscrupulous sponsor - salutary tale

[sreedhar85in]

Dear senior members,

I need advise from you desparatley. Manci/other seniors guide me if possible. I am a java developer with 8 years of experience. Last September one agency approached me saying they have got A+ rated sponsor. Believing that I paid 5000 pounds to them. Then while getting the COS understood that they gave the rcos for my wife and not me. When we asked they said in UK it is easy to get job as Tier 2 dependant. Believing that we applied for visa using that COS and came to UK. After coming here my wife(Primary) realized that there is no clients with this company and it is just an umbrella company which gives only sponsorship. So she was trying to get a contract job from Tier 2 visa which she found very hard since she has just 2 years experience. She left a very good Government job back in India believing this UK company. But meanwhile since I was on Tier 2 Dependant I got a job. So they will put the salary and immeditely will transfer the money to the accounts they tell us to run the payroll. And they asked us to pay the employer tax as well. But after three months they started to ask more money from us as a dependant fee. When we resisted and did not give the additional huge amount they simply without any notice terminated my wife and cancelled the sponsorship on Feb 2016. Now we are awaiting curtailment letter from UKVI.

In short due to this company my wife lost her well settled government job in india and I lost my reputed job as well. After coming here we did not save any money also. We transferred all the salary and the taxes to them. After three months they cancelled the sponsrship in the name of poor performance.
So our financial situation - 11 thosuand pounds debt. Career situation: No visa here to stay and no job back in India. Family Situation: One small kid with 2 years. Really hard to digest the reality and finding it difficult what to do.

My questions:
1)Can we take any action against this employer in UK who terminated the sponsorship when we refused to give huge amount of additional money every month. Example: Going to Tribunal for unfair dismissal
2)Can we get the salary and the tax which we transferred to unknown accounts given by the employer.?
Example: Through small claims court ?
Only if we get some money back we can do something. Thanks very much for your supporting words and reply to me.

[Wanderer]

My questions:
1)Can we take any action against this employer in UK who terminated the sponsorship when we refused to give huge amount of additional money every month. Example: Going to Tribunal for unfair dismissal
2)Can we get the salary and the tax which we transferred to unknown accounts given by the employer.?
Example: Through small claims court ?
Only if we get some money back we can do something. Thanks very much for your supporting words and reply to me.

1. You can try, but you are party to it so it might not be in your best interests, this activity is illegal.

2. Again, as above, but not much of a chance, it my well open a bigger can of worms for yourself, this they know, they have you over a barrel.

Name and shame, post on ukcontractor forum, they are bit vicious over there but are sympathetic to those who know they've been duped and get too uppity when questioned. You seem to be that kind of guy.

They are keen to get these operation closed down as it generally dilutes the UK contracting industry which they seek to protect.

[noajthan]

To avoid confusion & jumbled responses, I have moved your post/question to its own thread (this one).

[Frontier Mole]

I would love to talk directly to you but you can't pick up PRivate Messages as you are too new to this board.....
I have a particular interest in this type of activity and deal with it very regularly.

You like many others have fallen victim to this promise of good employment prospects in the UK presented as something that it is not.

You have been scammed in a all too common manner. What options do you have.... Not many unfortunately.
You should report the matter to UKVI and given the blackmail scenario also to the police.
Will you get your money back.... Overseas payment of fees, no chance. Salary due to you from work activity in the UK, minimal chance. Chasing through small claims court will achieve nothing as the company will disappear as soon as you start action.
Right to employment tribunal, you have no rights being employed for a few months.
Will UKVI help you if you help them very unlikely, so if you do report it the benefits will only be to prevent others being scammed.