Marriage Fraud And Visa Abuse

There are several types of visa fraud that occur. I will discuss each in depth below. I would also like to note that studies have shown that the actual rates of marriage fraud are relatively low. However, internal documentation about workloads from the USCIS was used by Congress when revamping the immigration code. Those statistics greatly inflated the percentage of fraudulent marriages and have affected the way that visas are processed and granted by both the USCIS and the foreign embassies.

Unilateral Marriages

One of the concerns of USCIS is unilateral marriage. Basically, only one person in the marriage intends on having a lasting relationship. In other words, you are being used o provide someone with a green card. This is one of the reasons that rushed engagements and relationships are looked at in an unfavorable light. You may have legitimate feelings, while the other person is just desperatly looking for a way out of his/her country. This is just another reason to take your time and really get to know your foreign fiance.

UMarriage Scams

Occassionally, people are taken advantage of by unscrupulous people who marry only for money. These people will take money in exchange for a marriage to you. Once you enter the country, you may find out that they actually have been married and filed for several other spouses and may even be married to multiple people at one time.

USpousal Abuse

Another major concern when marrying anyone and I think especially someone from a long distance relationship, is spousal abuse. There are hundreds of woman and children, and even some men who fall victim to this each year. I am going to add additional information about spousal abuse on another page.