Immigrants using ‘proxy’ marriages to dodge Britain’s visa laws

by UK Immigration Law Firm in India

A very shocking disclosure

Immigrants are using proxy marriage UK. They do not even have to attend to bypass tough UK visa laws, an official watchdog has discovered.

What is Proxy marriage UK?

A proxy marriage UK allows an EU citizen Settled Status to marry another person in a ceremony outside the EU at which neither the bride nor groom are required to be present.

Instead, stand-ins take “vows” on their behalf – and a marriage certificate is issued which can then be used in Britain to win residency rights for a non-European spouse.

Reports found regarding Proxy marriage UK

A report by the independent chief inspector of borders and immigration said the ceremonies are legal in countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, and Brazil – and are becoming increasingly common in UK immigration applications.

The Home Office, which accepts the proxy marriage UK certificate if ceremonies are conducted properly, found in a spot check last year they made up almost 1 in 5 marriage papers submitted.

Borders Inspector, John Vine, looked at 29 proxy marriage UK couples and found that 24 were refused on the basis that the marriages were invalid.

The consequences of proxy marriage UK

A massive backlog meant cases did not all receive proper scrutiny, he said. One case showed immigration officers raised suspicions about a proxy marriage between a Pakistani man and a Lithuanian woman but handed the groom a residence card without a full interview.

Mr. Vine said, “I found significant attempted abuse by non-EEA (European Economic Area) nationals applying on the basis of marriage or civil partnership with a European citizen.

“If the Home Office does not act decisively to identify and tackle these abuses, many of the individuals involved may go on to obtain settlement in the UK.”
He said the findings suggest European citizenship is an “increasingly important way into the UK”.

Source: Express.co.uk

Recommendations to prevent the abuse of the system

The findings suggest that European citizenship is an increasingly important way into the UK. To prevent the abuse of the system, it is crucial that the Home Office acts decisively to identify and tackle these abuses.

Let our expert UK Spouse Visa consultant help you to apply to UK Spouse visa in 2023

Contact The SmartMove2UK

If you want to know anything about the current updates regarding the acceptance of proxy marriage UK or the EU citizen Settled Status then you can call our UK Visa Consultant at below.

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