Fake marriages

[stinkynuts]

What are the risks of marrying a woman for money? I have heard that the standard going rate is $20-30 thousand if you sponsor a woman.

I have a friend who is considering doing this. What would be the worst case scenario if the authorities found out? Does anyone know of someone who did this? How long would my friend have to live with his "wife"? In general, do these things go smoothly?

 

[a 1 player]

Worst case senario....

She gets pregnant, leaves you and takes half. Lose half of everything, possible vaginamony payments, and child support for 20 some odd years. Don't get much worst than that.

 

[Robio]

I guess you could loss in a divorce settlement if it was believed to be a real marriage and if this is just for immigration reasons they have made it very difficult for even legitimate marriages to immigrate that way. 30k is not allot of money why chance it?

What are the risks of marrying a woman for money? Nothing if you are talking about real I am now retired and can travel for the rest of my life money. Not $30k

 

[LordLoki]

Worst case senario....

She gets pregnant, leaves you and takes half. Lose half of everything, possible vaginamony payments, and child support for 20 some odd years. Don't get much worst than that.

possible ..... nahhhh sponsoring spouse WILL have them. If he says it was arranged to get her in he faces jail time.

 

[Aardvark154]

Worst case senario....

She gets pregnant, leaves you and takes half. Lose half of everything, possible vaginamony payments, and child support for 20 some odd years. Don't get much worst than that.

Oh yes it could. Add to the above: responsible by law for her support for a good many years should she decide to stay here (this is on top of any divorce settlement agreement - I could look up the time period on both sides of the border, it's a fair number of years, but I'm lazy tonight), if she uses government aid - even if you’re unaware of it - you will be responsible for reimbursing the government for the same, and on the criminal side you could be indicted, convicted, fined and imprisoned for immigration fraud. - and this is the type case the Crown/U.S. Attorney's Office LOVE!

And, if the folks at the immigration interview even suspect that it is an illegitimate marriage look for questions that make a Solzhenitsyn novel seem like Dick and Jane.

For legal, moral and just about every other reason possible unless your friend wants to marry her for her, and perhaps even more importantly she wants to marry him as him, not for a Landed Immigrant/Permanent Resident Alien card *tell him DO NOT DO IT!


* This is not to say that this may not be in the back of the mind of everyone who marries and emigrates or immigrates and marries. It probably will be - HOWEVER, it should be a MINOR part of the decision not the major consideration.

 

[Jimmy C]

I recently was proposed with this opportunity and have been contemplating the same thing. A Korean MPA I often visit in Georgia asked if I would get her sister into Canada via marriage.

At least I know of a few places I could put my new wife to work!

 

[spatial_k]

Add to the above: responsible by law for her support for a good many years should she decide to stay here (this is on top of any divorce settlement agreement - I could look up the time period on both sides of the border, it's a fair number of years, but I'm lazy tonight),

Absolutely. Up to three years, and if she accesses any social assistance the government will hold you responsible for those costs.

 

[fuji]

As others noted the big risk is not the authorities, it's the $$$ he is on the hook for under law. Could add up to $20k or more if she abuses the system. Without airtight prenup could be much more. If you later admit that the marriage was a sham the court won't care--they will still hold you liable for everything including alimony just as if it were a real marriage, because, legally, it is.

 

[skypilot]

Unless she is very beautiful and madly in love with you (and you her) its nothing but a time bomb.

 

[LordLoki]

As others noted the big risk is not the authorities, it's the $$$ he is on the hook for under law. Could add up to $20k .

20k ??? Add a few "0". Yes a few. Easily $ 200k, could hit a lot higher.

Pre-nups do not apply to a lot of the costs.

 

[Aardvark154]

As others noted the big risk is not the authorities, it's the $$$ he is on the hook for under law. Could add up to $20k or more if she abuses the system. Without airtight prenup could be much more. If you later admit that the marriage was a sham the court won't care--they will still hold you liable for everything including alimony just as if it were a real marriage, because, legally, it is.

A prenuptial or antenuptial agreement may affect alimony etc. . . It will not have any effect at all on your obligations under law to prevent an alien spouse from requiring support of any kind from the Government.

Further, if your spouses first language is not English (or French) and the document was not translated into her native language and she did not have the benefit of her own lawyer who speaks her native language - you are going to have a very difficult time enforcing the prenuptial or antenuptial agreement.

I should also add that after all this if is she is really marrying you for you, and you put her through a prenuptial or antenuptial agreement, you are starting out the marriage with "two and a half strikes" against you before you even start the first at bat. It may well end up being a self-fulfilling prophecy.

 

[2SOON JR]

i thought u weren't allowed to nail the girl for this ?

oh well, am sure its hard to resist if they both sleep in the same room

 

[fuji]

I agree 100% that a prenup does not limit your obligations under law, that's why I said $20k range with an airtight prenup, for welfare repayment and so on, it is potentially much more without. You are not going to be in for $200k for basic costs of living, which is your legal hit from sponsorship, etc., you'll only hit the $200k mark if she breaks out of the prenup and makes a successful run at your house, main income, etc., which as someone said is possible--esp. if English is not her first language. Courts might think that she has been victimized into signing something she did not understand. The fact that you "bought" her is only going to make the judge thing she is even more the victim.

Anyway, it's a bad idea.

Only go in for these fake marriages if you are judgement proof, ie, you have no assets anyway. In that case there is nothing for her to get, so why not.

 

[Aardvark154]

I agree 100% that a prenup does not limit your obligations under law . . . Anyway, it's a bad idea.

Only go in for these fake marriages if you are judgement proof, ie, you have no assets anyway. In that case there is nothing for her to get, so why not.

We agree Fuji In a legitimate marriage there may be other ways to shield premarital assets. But you will never be able to escape the sponsorship requirements. A great many lawyers for the Immigration Authorities have spent a huge number of hours, making sure that the regulations are worded such that there is no wiggle-room.

Anyway legitimate marriages to Aliens are problematic enough (not that all marriages don't have hidden traps along the way) although they can be filled with great joy. A phoney marriage is just a disaster awaiting the word to start.

 

[Don]

Anyway, it's a bad idea.

Only go in for these fake marriages if you are judgement proof, ie, you have no assets anyway. In that case there is nothing for her to get, so why not.

fuji is bang on. Your "friend" should stay away unless "he" really has nothing to lose (no assets, could really use the money, etc...). Because you or he or whoever the person is is on the hook for the "wife" for as long as she is here. That is one heck of a responsibility for just 20-30K.

 

[alexmst]

Someone I knew through a friend of a friend apparantly did this a couple of years ago. He was Canadian born ethnic Chinese, 19, and had no money and 20k in debts. She was early 20's from a well-off family in small city in China -she wanted to live in Toronto for a better life and more opportunities. His relatives over there arranged the deal. He went over to marry her, civil ceremony, then he came back to Canada, got her into Canada, she had her own condo bought already through friends here. No wedding night for these two - he picked her up at the airport. She handed him a bank draft for 60k from her parents, he drove her to her condo, he never saw her again apparantly. I heard about this as apparantly the guy was treating his friends to gambling nights at the casino with his new found money. Now, she wasn't out to scam him or live on social assistance, so he was lucky I guess. A lot could go wrong with this kind of arrangement as already mentioned - I wouldn't recommend it.

 

[Aardvark154]

His relatives over there arranged the deal. He went over to marry her, civil ceremony, then he came back to Canada, got her into Canada, she had her own condo bought already through friends here. No wedding night for these two - he picked her up at the airport. She handed him a bank draft for 60k from her parents, he drove her to her condo, he never saw her again apparantly.

I can't imagine that Citizenship and Immigration Canada doesn't require at least one interview and possibly two during the course of the spousal visa Landed Immigrant Process. If you give them reason to suspect fraud be prepared for the kind of questions designed to elicit the fact that you aren't living together in the manner of "normal" husbands and wives.

 

[LordLoki]

I agree 100% that a prenup does not limit your obligations under law, that's why I said $20k range with an airtight prenup, for welfare repayment and so on, it is potentially much more without. You are not going to be in for $200k for basic costs of living, which is your legal hit from sponsorship, etc., you'll only hit the $200k mark if she breaks out of the prenup and makes a successful run at your house, main income, etc., which as someone said is possible--esp. if English is not her first language. Courts might think that she has been victimized into signing something she did not understand. The fact that you "bought" her is only going to make the judge thing she is even more the victim.

Anyway, it's a bad idea.

Only go in for these fake marriages if you are judgement proof, ie, you have no assets anyway. In that case there is nothing for her to get, so why not.

Fugi...... that $20k includes several years that can be extremely expensive. Lady is hit by a car / gets an infection, requires hospital care and extremely expensive drugs. Some infections cost about $200 a day to treat.... above the stuff covered b the system.

Even basic Welfare is well over $40k a year.

All yours to pay!

 

[Don]

I can't imagine that Citizenship and Immigration Canada doesn't require at least one interview and possibly two during the course of the spousal visa Landed Immigrant Process. If you give them reason to suspect fraud be prepared for the kind of questions designed to elicit the fact that you aren't living together in the manner of "normal" husbands and wives.

Aardvark is correct. It is highly unlikely that CIC would let this pass under their noses. They are actually pretty strict and conduct multiple interviews and will separate the two and ask very specific and intimate questions to see how well the couple really knows each other. Sounds like that story is a bit fabricated.

 

[Aardvark154]

Aardvark is correct. It is highly unlikely that CIC would let this pass under their noses. They are actually pretty strict and conduct multiple interviews and will separate the two and ask very specific and intimate questions to see how well the couple really knows each other. Sounds like that story is a bit fabricated.

USCIS is exactly the same.