Marriage registrars in Ireland who suspect that a couple is entering into a sham marriage for immigration purposes will not now be permitted to question the couple to ascertain the validity of their relationship, the Irish Attorney General, Paul Gallagher, has announced.
Until recently, if a registrar was suspicious of a couple, they could quiz them on their relationship and, if the answers did not satisfy them, they could refuse to grant the marriage certificate.
In recent years, marriage scams have been organized by men from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and parts of Africa. Sham marriages are arranged with women from the EU, mainly eastern Europe, with the Irish Independent reporting that the women are offered up to €3,000.
Up until recently, a suspicious marriage registrar could write a letter of objection opposing the marriage, but the AG has now said that this is not supported by law.
While new guidelines have been issued to marriage registrars to try and deal with fake marriages, staff say they are “effectively … powerless.”
2 Comments
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.WoundedKnee | Oct 20, 2010, 02:39 AM EDT
What a failed state Ireland has become under the Fianna Fail regime! Can't even defend its immigration laws or institution of marriage. Ireland is the wide open back door to Europe, and other EU countries watch this failed entity with exasperation and growing fury.
GeorgeDillon | Oct 19, 2010, 02:55 PM EDT
I have repeatedly posted here that I think the Irish are, in the main, fools and idiots. I was attacked for expressing that opinion. But what other word than fools and idiots describes a country which pronounces itself incapable of defending its immigration laws and institution of marriage? A country which allows itself to be screwed by two-bit gangsters from Nigeria and Pakistan? Irish people--you deserve all you get, I have no sympathy for you. Why don't you all do the decent thing, and just jump in the Atlantic?