Navigating Degree Verification in the UAE without an ICA Report
When studying, working, or applying for a golden visa in the UAE, you must complete the “Recognition of University Certificates Issued from Outside the UAE” process. The first stage of this process involves undergoing a Degree Verification through the UAE Ministry of Education’s trusted partners, QuadraBay or DataFlow.
During the Degree Verification process, QuadraBay or DataFlow may request an ICA report issued by the ICP (Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs & Port Security) for the period from 2000 to 2024. However, the ICP only provides ICA reports to residents with an Emirates ID, which means foreigners who have never resided in the UAE cannot obtain this report.
How, then, can one complete the Degree Verification without an ICA report? Here’s how I managed my application with QuadraBay as an example:
- Initial Application: I submitted my application to QuadraBay.
- Request for ICA Report: QuadraBay’s customer service emailed me, asking for an ICA report issued by the ICP. Since I could not obtain this document, I attempted to submit two other forms of residence proof, but QuadraBay’s customer service rejected them. I repeatedly explained to customer service that I couldn’t provide an ICA report because I did not have an Emirates ID, but they only replied with unhelpful template emails.
- Direct Email: I contacted QuadraBay directly through their “Contact Us” page at info@QuadraBay.com, complaining about being forced to provide an ICA report that I could not obtain.
- Customer Service Follow-Up: QuadraBay’s customer service called me to discuss the progress of my application.
- Resolution: Eventually, QuadraBay proceeded to finalize the report without the ICA report, and it was approved by the UAE Ministry of Education.
After the approval by the Ministry, I successfully obtained the degree verification report without submitting an ICA report.
