Inside the Green Card Marriage Phenomenon

From:The Center for Immigration Studies

Hello, I Love You, Won’t You Tell Me Your Name: Inside the Green Card Marriage Phenomenon

WASHINGTON (December 2, 2008) -- Each year, tens of thousands of United States citizens and Legal Permanent Residents (LPR), at both home and abroad, meet and marry foreign nationals. Spouses of American citizens have priority over most other immigration categories, making marriage the quickest way to receive a green card. As the new Obama administration prepares to take office, the long dormant debate over levels of legal immigration is sure to resurface, but that debate is unlikely to include discussion of fraud amongst the most common path to American residency. The prevalence of such fraud contributes to illegal immigration, poses potential national security vulnerability, and clogs the system for legitimate applicants.

The Center for Immigration Studies, a non-profit research organization, has released a new Backgrounder detailing the ways the marriage-based green card categories are exploited and offers recommendations to protect the system from fraud. “Hello, I Love You, Won’t You Tell Me Your Name: Inside the Green Card Marriage Phenomenon,â€

My brother in law married a girl back in August so she could get citizenship. She is originally from India, then went to Canada, and her father who works with my brother in law paid him $5000 plus a laptop to marry his daughter for citizenship. They aren't very careful either becuase they don't have an address together, nor a bank account etc. I told him that WHEN he gets caught it's his own damn fault!

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Originally Posted by jshhmr

My brother in law married a girl back in August so she could get citizenship. She is originally from India, then went to Canada, and her father who works with my brother in law paid him $5000 plus a laptop to marry his daughter for citizenship. They aren't very careful either becuase they don't have an address together, nor a bank account etc. I told him that WHEN he gets caught it's his own damn fault!

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Why don't you report them both?

I think people who break this law and use fraud to get manipulate our immigration laws need to be locked up for a long time. As we are a much more mobile society, many of us, like myself are fortunate enough to meet people outside of our own country. There is no reason why there should be boundaries when it comes to finding the right mate.

My wife and I had to jump through so many loops to do it the right way, I can't see how anyone could do this fraudulently. Between the money, the time and all the trips to USCIS it would certainly take a lot of effort to fool them. Not that people aren't doing it. But I personally thing that USCIS has done a pretty good job making it hard to be done. My wife had 3 FBI background checks just to get the Permanent residents Card. Then one more for US Citizenship. Pretty extensive.

Our biggest issue is not marriage fraud but people over staying visas and just coming over the borders with no visa at all.

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Originally Posted by jshhmr

My brother in law married a girl back in August so she could get citizenship. She is originally from India, then went to Canada, and her father who works with my brother in law paid him $5000 plus a laptop to marry his daughter for citizenship. They aren't very careful either becuase they don't have an address together, nor a bank account etc. I told him that WHEN he gets caught it's his own damn fault!

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This might work to get the woman here on a finance visa but it is not going to work when it comes time to get Permanent Residence. USCIS is pretty through at that point. If you don't have the minimum evidence like an common residence, bank account, etc, you will get caught. They even ask personal questions to each person, separately. Just to try to catch you in a lie. I know this is your brother, but people like this are making it hard on legitimate marriages and putting this country's security at risk.

These marriages are money-makers. The illegal pays a lot for the easy route to a broker, who passes on a few grand to the American citizen sucker. I was offered $10,000 to marry an illegal kid from Romania that did not speak English. That was by my insurance agent at the time, who has since been arrested. Apparently the kid being 25 years younger than myself made no difference, as long as he got his money and the kid got a path to citizenship. After I was falling off the chair laughing, refusing the easy money offer, the agent offered a good friend of mine, 30 years older than the kid, only $5,000 for marriage. :lol:

Terrorists, criminal aliens exchange vows with Americans
Marriage most common path to U.S. citizenship, residency for foreign nationals

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Posted: December 02, 2008
11:25 pm Eastern


By Chelsea Schilling
© 2008 WorldNetDaily


A new report reveals previously deported criminals and terrorists who want to enter or remain in the U.S. sometimes do so by finding an American to marry.

The Center for Immigration Studies reported the most common path to U.S. citizenship or residency for foreign nationals is by marrying an American. More than 2.3 million people entered the U.S. between 1998 and 2007 this way.

According to the report by former consular officer David Seminara, foreigners who wed U.S. citizens receive "immediate" preference status for immigrant visas. A full 27 percent of all green cards issued in 2007 were to spouses of Americans – nearly twice as many as those issued for employment-related purposes.

"Most relationships between Americans and foreign nationals are legitimate," Seminara writes, "but because of the prevalence of sham marriages, legitimate international couples can face longer wait times due to the huge number of bogus marriage petitions that bog down an already slow and cumbersome visa bureaucracy."


The problem is evident when one takes into consideration frequent arrests for marriage fraud schemes and the thousands of websites that arrange scam marriages, he said.

He listed the following common types of marriage fraud:

Mail order bride arrangements
Phony "arranged" marriages in cultures where arranged marriage is still common.
Cash-for-vows weddings, where Americans are paid to wed.
Friends-and-family plans, where someone pitches in to help get someone else's spouse to the United States.
"I do, I don't, I do" marriages where foreign nationals divorce their spouses in their home countries, marry Americans, and get green cards two years later; then divorce the Americans, remarry their original spouses, and petition to bring them to the United States.
Pop-up marriages for visa lottery winners. Green card winners can bring their spouses to the United States, so many suddenly find financial incentive to marry shortly after winning the lottery.
Exploitative relationships where Americans petition for persons they intend to traffic or exploit in some way.
Heartbreakers, where foreigners dupe Americans into believing their intentions are true, when they actually just want a green card.
While visa applicants are required to submit to FBI criminal background checks, Seminara said FBI investigations rarely turn up crimes committed overseas.

"Also, if an applicant has a criminal history, but hasn't been convicted of a crime of moral turpitude," he wrote, "he or she is still eligible to immigrate to the United States. This means that consular officers can't screen out obvious gang members, petty criminals, or thugs with numerous arrests, but no convictions."

According to Seminara, United States Citizenship and Immigration Service officials are often "flying blind" when they review marriage petitions because they only have paperwork such as petitions, marriage and birth certificates, passports, photos and other documents to determine legitimacy of relationships.

Once couples receive conditional status on a foreigner's green card, they are required to stay married for only two years. After that period, they may divorce without consequence.

The report states that the immigrant spouse becomes eligible for U.S. citizenship three years after the conditional status is removed. When this happens, they are allowed to petition to bring immediate family members into the U.S. without a waiting period.

Seminara reveals criminals and terrorists have caught on to marriage fraud schemes. He referenced Janice Kephart's 2005 report titled "Immigration and Terrorism" where she outlined how terrorists, including members of al-Qaida, have participated in marriage schemes to remain in the U.S.

"Once in the United States, 16 of 23 terrorists became legal permanent residents, often by marrying an American," Kephart wrote. "Marrying a U.S. citizen is one of the easiest ways to stay in the United States once within the country's borders."

Kephart revealed in a recorded conversation in 2000 between radical Islamists Abdulsalam Ali Ali Abdulrahman and Es Sayed talked about marrying American women while discussing jihad:

S: God is great and Mohammed is his prophet. They are dogs' sons.
A: They are. Let me go to Germany and we'll see: there are beautiful and brave women there, we have Jamal Fekri Jamal Sami. We marry the Americans, so that they study the faith and the Quran.

S: I know many brothers who want to get married, the American woman must learn the Quran.

A: They think they are lions but they are traitors, they perceive themselves as the world power but we'll deal with them. I know brothers who entered the US with the scam of the wedding publications, claiming they were Egyptians and not revealing their true identity and they were already married.

S: You must be an actor, if they catch you it's serious.

Also, Spanish authorities taped a second conversation on May 26, 2004, in which Rabei Osman described the theory "by which the 'end justifies the means' for the cause of jihad":

Everything is permitted including marrying with Christian women, because we need [immigration] papers. We have to be everywhere, in Germany, in Holland, in London. We are dominating Europe with our presence. The women serve to obtain documents, because we are in favor of the cause of God.

Kephart's report provides an extensive list of foreign terrorists who fraudulently married Americans to remain in the U.S.

Seminara said previously deported illegal aliens with criminal records often obtain green cards by marrying U.S. citizens as well.

"Deportees also are more likely to speak some English, making them more plausible partners for Americans who speak no other language," he wrote. "For illegal immigrants, finding an American spouse is not just an aspiration, it's a mission, and it is the most common way of returning to the United States for those who have been deported."

Seminara claims the subject of fraudulent relationships is rarely examined in depth because it is difficult to study without "offending legitimate international spouses." However, he wrote, "[M]arriage fraud is a serious problem that needs to be addressed if we are to implement any kind of meaningful immigration reform in the United States."


http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=82584

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Yep, I once had a crazy Chinese woman offer me $30,000 to marry her, even though I was already married! I feel sorry for any American who may have accepted her offer.

I'd take the money and turn them in. :D

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Originally Posted by mkfarnam

I'd take the money and turn them in. :D

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It doesn't work like that, if you took the money you would be guilty also.

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"Most relationships between Americans and foreign nationals are legitimate,"

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So why the worry? Keep doing what you are doing and keep the process as tight as possible. This seems to be the way USCIS and Homeland Security does it's job. Make it as hard as possible on the people that are doing the right thing. That way everyone complains and it seems obvious they are doing all they can. Yet, who is watching our borders? Why is it so easy to just walk across and stay as long as you want? why is it so easy to get a job, legal documentation and government benefits? Why do we keep insisting on giving these law breakers a pathway to citizneship and a place in line ahead of those who have done the right thing?

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The report states that the immigrant spouse becomes eligible for U.S. citizenship three years after the conditional status is removed. When this happens, they are allowed to petition to bring immediate family members into the U.S. without a waiting period.

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As already stated, "Most relationships between Americans and foreign nationals are legitimate,â€

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Originally Posted by Captainron

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Originally Posted by jshhmr

My brother in law married a girl back in August so she could get citizenship. She is originally from India, then went to Canada, and her father who works with my brother in law paid him $5000 plus a laptop to marry his daughter for citizenship. They aren't very careful either becuase they don't have an address together, nor a bank account etc. I told him that WHEN he gets caught it's his own damn fault!

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Why don't you report them both?

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I am not sure how to do it. I would absolutely have to remain anonymous becuase if my wife found out I reported her brother, I would be sleeping on the couch for a year. Does anyone know how I can report this without them knowing who did it?

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Originally Posted by bigtex

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"Most relationships between Americans and foreign nationals are legitimate,"

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So why the worry? Keep doing what you are doing and keep the process as tight as possible. This seems to be the way USCIS and Homeland Security does it's job. Make it as hard as possible on the people that are doing the right thing. That way everyone complains and it seems obvious they are doing all they can. Yet, who is watching our borders? Why is it so easy to just walk across and stay as long as you want? why is it so easy to get a job, legal documentation and government benefits? Why do we keep insisting on giving these law breakers a pathway to citizneship and a place in line ahead of those who have done the right thing?

[quote:2hsdga7n]The report states that the immigrant spouse becomes eligible for U.S. citizenship three years after the conditional status is removed. When this happens, they are allowed to petition to bring immediate family members into the U.S. without a waiting period.

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[/quote:2hsdga7n]

As already stated, "Most relationships between Americans and foreign nationals are legitimate,â€

Inside Today's Bulletin
Marriage Fraud: Big Problem
By Bradley Vasoli, The Bulletin
12/03/2008

A report by former U.S. consular officer David Seminara indicates marriage fraud remains an unresolved facet of recent efforts to strengthen enforcement of immigration laws.

Foreigners who get legal residency by marrying American citizens increased in number by more than 100 percent since 1985, reaching 274,358 in 2007. More than 2.3 million have done so since 1998. In 2006 and 2007, almost twice as many foreigners became legal residents via marriage to U.S. citizens as had gained green cards for employment purposes.

Mr. Seminara said his professional experience indicates many of these new immigrants include mail-order brides, participants in arranged marriages, money-motivated "cash-for-vows" spouses and other fraudulent marriage partners. He said, however, he finds the issue a challenge to parse because the vast majority of immigrants' marriage partners are legitimate.

"My experience as a consular officer and the experience of other officers ... the numerous arrests of those involved in marriage fraud schemes; and the hundreds, if not thousands, of Web sites that exist solely for the purpose of arranging scam marriages all indicate that marriage fraud is a serious problem that needs to be addressed if we are to implement any kind of meaningful immigration reform in the United States," the former foreign-service official wrote in a backgrounder for the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Immigration Studies (CIS).

He said the consular officers he interviewed for the report estimated that anywhere from 5 to 30 percent of those who get green cards based on their marriages to legal U.S. residents have sham relationships with their spouses. And the record indicates some of those so exposed have been terrorists. An earlier CIS report examining the activities of 94 terrorists who resided in the U.S. between the early 1990s and the mid 2000s stated at least nine of those participated in spurious marriages.

"The use of fraudulent marriage petitions is prevalent among international terrorists, including members of al-Qaida," Mr. Seminara wrote.

His report said foreign men, some of them radical Islamists, sometimes coerce American women into marrying them to gain a path to legal residency in America. He witnessed firsthand this kind of scheme working in Macedonia, where a Kosovar man intimidated an Albanian-American woman into marrying him so he could come to the U.S. When asked to process the husband's visa request, he ordered authorities to remove the man from the office and facilitated the wife's return home.

Mr. Seminara recommends a number of reforms to minimize the marriage-fraud problem, including ending fiancée visas, abolishing waivers for those seeking admission on the basis of marriage if they have committed crimes and creating a national marriage-registration database. He said these reforms are long shots for enactment given that restrictionists currently have scant power in the federal government.

"Unfortunately, I'm not very optimistic about the prospects for the kind of immigration reform that I'm hoping for here," he said. "I think that politicians make the calculation that the vast majority of American voters aren't going to vote on the immigration issue."

He said his favored policy will only come to fruition if low-immigration advocates successfully articulate their position as at once pro-enforcement and pro-immigrant.

Bradley Vasoli can be reached at bvasoli@thebulletin.us

http://www.thebulletin.us/site/index.cf ... 6361&rfi=8

Added to Homepage:
http://www.alipac.us/article-3788--0-0.html

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Originally Posted by jshhmr

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Originally Posted by Captainron

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Originally Posted by jshhmr

My brother in law married a girl back in August so she could get citizenship. She is originally from India, then went to Canada, and her father who works with my brother in law paid him $5000 plus a laptop to marry his daughter for citizenship. They aren't very careful either becuase they don't have an address together, nor a bank account etc. I told him that WHEN he gets caught it's his own damn fault!

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Why don't you report them both?

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I am not sure how to do it. I would absolutely have to remain anonymous becuase if my wife found out I reported her brother, I would be sleeping on the couch for a year. Does anyone know how I can report this without them knowing who did it?

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That kind of information is almost always confidential. Many of us have complained to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and believe me, they really don't care to divulge your name to anyone.
Call: 1-866-DHS-2-ICE; that's the national tipline