Do you take this couple as your lawfully wedded residents?

Sham marriages or marriages for immigration purposes have been a common occurrence in many parts of the Global West for some time now. A highly controversial subject, sham marriages has been shunned by the gatekeepers of the western countries. The very core and understanding of what a ‘marriage’ looks differs from culture to culture, in as such, a lot of genuine couple often find themselves in crossfire with the host country’s immigration laws. There is, however, a significant involvement of many Organized Crime Groups who arrange these kind of marriages for papers. Another phenomenon that is spreading to Canada is the sham marriages between two temporary migrants, one potential international student and another, a job seeking individual, especially from Southeast Asia to jump the loops and gain permanent residency status in few years. This research intends to analyze the presence of sham marriages especially as it relates to the international student groups in the European Union countries with a special focus on Germany. This paper will make policy recommendations to help identify Organized Crime Groups that facilitate the many sham marriages that happen in the western world and to identify the sham marriages in the incoming international student crowd.

Faculty Supervisor:

Mustafa Koc

Student:

Partner:

University of Osnabrück

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Education

University:

Toronto Metropolitan University

Program: