Mail Order Bride Industry As A Legal Way To Find A Wife

Are mail order spouses illegal? Is it safe? Can relationships like that end up in happy marriages? What`s the statistics? And what are the legal matters and visa regulations? The short but informative guide is below for you to learn.

Who are mail order brides?

A mail order bride is usually a young and single girl looking for a husband from abroad. They customarily come from developing countries of Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Asia. However, this is just an approximate portrait of a typical mail order bride. She might also be divorced or widowed, have or not have children. The age varies too. In a word, any girl older than 18 can search for a foreign partner. A lady of any nationality, ethnicity, skin color, profession, parental status, etc.

How do they do it? By registering on dating platforms and mail order bride sites. Today, there are plenty of them.

Why do they do it? Firstly, because they can`t find a decent and reliable man in their country to create a strong marriage with. Secondly, some of them are dissatisfied with the quality of life in their homeland and want to make changes.

Are mail order brides legal?

Because of a variety of reasons, myths, and rumors people tend to misinterpret the “mail order bride” notion. Even the name itself may disorient a person. But let`s alleviate all your concerns. No one “buys” or “orders” women in any way. No one pays for them. There are expenditures on dating platforms, trips, documents, visas, translators or interpreters, presents, or any courtship items. The expenditures you have when dating. And this is totally legal.

However, the modern world dictates several rules international couples should follow if they want to legally marry and create families. Here are a few examples by countries.

The USA

If you`re a man coming from America and want to bring your foreign bride to your country, you`ll have to stick to special federal laws to tie the knot constitutionally and legitimately. Over a decade ago the International Marriage Broker Regulation Act (IMBRA) was passed. It was done to prevent domestic violence and abuse. In such a way, mail order brides are protected by the government.

IMBRA obligates strict obedience to certain rules through a spousal broker. What are they? A potential “husband`s” prior marital, financial, and criminal histories should be submitted. After that, the documents are passed to the potential “wife”. Only after this procedure, marriage permission can be awarded.

Another required element of a juridical union between a US citizen and a girl of a different nationality is a visa. She can enter America legally only in case she has received a so-called fiancée visa or K-1.

Canada

Are mail order brides legal in Canada? Yes, they are. The regulations about mail order bride immigration have always been pretty similar to the ones they have in America. Another requirement for Canadian citizens (or so-called sponsors) is submitting an income tax document from an organization they work for which serves as evidence of earnings.

As for visa matters, the Canadian government requires the partners to marry first, and only after that they can receive a visa. Only in case they can give evidence or a significant cause why they`re not married yet, the officials may pass a visa to a mail order bride.

Colombia

According to several Colombia Decrees, people from other countries are allowed to marry Colombian citizens. All they have to do is to submit some documents like a birth license and confirmation that neither a man nor a woman was wedded previously. However, the terms and demands may change. They should be specified at the notary.

Columbia is one of the top counties with the most prominent amount of mail order brides. The number of local women that received fiancé visas and migrated to America is the biggest in the world.

These are just a few examples to prove that mail order brides are legal. Yes, there are certain laws and regulations couples have to keep in mind and follow when creating a family if they want to make it right. There were some cases in several countries like Belarus or the Philippines when local authorities were trying to control marriage agencies or ban them at all. The initiative reached a deadlock as there were no ways to regulate it.

It means if you have made up your mind on a mail order bride search, there`s nothing that can stop you, even law, as it`s legal and safe.