Sham marriages, also known as marriages of convenience, are normally undertaken to allow one party to gain a right of entry into England and British citizenship. Although the parties to such a marriage do not plan to live together but, to divorce at the earliest opportunity, the marriage is nonetheless valid, (Mary Welstead, Family Law, 2013). It is illegal for anyone to get married solely for the purpose of getting, or helping someone to get, permanent residence in the United Kingdom. There are stiff fines and possible jail terms for people who are convicted of this crime. However, we would be foolish not to address the fact that many people attempt to fake a marriage to obtain a British citizenship.
The UK government is right to take measures against sham or bogus marriages. According to an Immigration Control report (2005-06), The Bogus Marriage Task Force should be reconvened urgently to produce proposals, which are non-discriminatory. Meanwhile specialist teams of caseworkers should assess all marriage applications, (House of Commons, 2005-06).
Conferring …show more content…
The Home Office approximations that 4,000 to 10,000 applications a year to stay in the UK are prepared on the foundation of a sham or civil partnership. Registration officials by now have an obligation to story a suspected sham marriage and civil partnership to the Home Office. Since the abolition of the Certificate of Approval scheme1, the number of reports suspected sham cases received has continued to increase, with 1,891 reports in 2012. At the moment the Home Office have a ridiculous situation where a registrar cannot stop a marriage or civil partnership they believe to be a sham, but the current 15 day notice period provides very little time for the Home Office to act before the ceremony takes place, (Office,
The UK government is right to take measures against sham or bogus marriages. According to an Immigration Control report (2005-06), The Bogus Marriage Task Force should be reconvened urgently to produce proposals, which are non-discriminatory. Meanwhile specialist teams of caseworkers should assess all marriage applications, (House of Commons, 2005-06).
Conferring …show more content…
The Home Office approximations that 4,000 to 10,000 applications a year to stay in the UK are prepared on the foundation of a sham or civil partnership. Registration officials by now have an obligation to story a suspected sham marriage and civil partnership to the Home Office. Since the abolition of the Certificate of Approval scheme1, the number of reports suspected sham cases received has continued to increase, with 1,891 reports in 2012. At the moment the Home Office have a ridiculous situation where a registrar cannot stop a marriage or civil partnership they believe to be a sham, but the current 15 day notice period provides very little time for the Home Office to act before the ceremony takes place, (Office,