Emigration from South Asia
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Malpractices
Sham weddings for Visas
[ The Times of India][1]December 7, 2014 Lubna Kably
Britain Amends Laws To Check Unscrupulous Indian Migrants
The United Kingdom has amended its laws to crack down on sham marriages. Registrars will now have to refer to the home office all proposed marriages, which involve non-European Economic Area (non-EEA) nationals such as Indian citizens, who have limited or no immigration status in the UK. An extended period of time will also be available to the authorities to investigate the genuineness of a proposed marriage. The tightened norms spell bad news for unscrupulous Indians who hoped to resort to this shortcut to stay on in the UK. Many rackets of sham marriages involving Indians have been busted in the past.
A UK's home office report said sham marriages are typically entered into when a mi grant's visa is about to expire and it is unlikely that the person will be able get it extended, or if a person has overstayed. But on the basis of their marriage to a British citizen or even an EEA national, such people can continue to stay on in the UK.
As the requirements for non-EEA nationals seeking to remain in the UK to work or study have become tougher in recent years, sham marriages proved to be an attractive quick-fix solution.
The marriage notice period for all (including British citizens) has been increased from 15 days to 28 days. Where one of the couple to the marriage is a non-EEA national, the marriage registrar will have to forward the informa tion to the home office. If a sham marriage is suspected, the notice period will be extended to 70 days to enable investigation and action.
See also
Emigration from South Asia
