The INTERNATIONAL MARRIAGE BROKER REGULATION ACT OF 2005 (IMBRA) will soon go into effect. Do to domestic abuses, the new law attempts to protect foreign or “mail order brides.” For the complete text of the statute you can go to this site
Here are some of the stipulations established by the new law–It requires all U.S. gentlemen who petition for a fiancee or spousal visa to provide more personal background information to Immigration Service and the State Department than ever before….
The law also requires a U.S. gentleman who wishes to meet his future fiancee or spouse through an “International Marriage Broker” to first submit extensive personal background information to the broker agency. The broker must then share that information with a future lady fiancee or spouse who must consent before the couple can start a communication and relationship…
Homeland Security will develop and make available on USCIS, State Department and Embassy websites a domestic violence pamphlet brochure in 14 languages and revised every 2 years which discusses the visa process, adjustment of status, conditional residency, marriage and visa fraud, domestic violence abuse rights, where and how to get help and other warnings and notifications…
International Marriage Brokers are required to check the National Sex Offender public registry and state public registry for each specific U.S. client, and to gather mandatory background information and documents on that particular U.S. client’s past criminal history, including prostitution offenses, past domestic violence history, past marital and divorce history, past visa petition history, ages of any children under age 18, and all states and countries where the U.S. client lived since age 18.
Seems to us that this is yet one more law that is well intentioned but resented by more than a few. Since Corra Group is a pre-employment and online and singles dating background service, we see the merits of conducting background checks. Perhaps in this case, where the decision to conduct background screenings is left up to either a naive foreign future bride or an International Matchmaker it is best that in this instance background checks are mandated by federal law. Surely one can argue that this invades the privacy of a prospective suitor. But then when all a foreign woman has to go on is her own instincts and the reputation of the International Marriage Broker, perhaps this helps even the playing field. It is not like a mail order bride can spend a lot of time with a guy, before she makes up her mind.
We can see where the new law can serve as the romantic “buzz kill” to what amounts to the mail order bride industry. All that paperwork and personal revelation. What were they providing before, name and phone number? No matter, whether the law adds extra steps to the holy union or not, we have to wonder how romantic could the usual mail order process possibly be? It is not like the new law is taking the romance out of the courtship. It may remove some of the anxiety, but it’s doubtful the process of the arrangement is reduced any further by the paperwork and bureacracy. If it is not an act of desperation, than one who seeks a mail order bride has settled for a calculated attempt at a workable partnership. This is not to say this system doesn’t have its merits. People need each other, and anytime you can put two people together it is a success on at least a moderate level. Still, it lacks the ingredients of even the duller of Hollywood movies.
Some may argue there is no need for this new law. They may argue domestic abuse is infrequent in these situations and the Federal Government is overcompensating for a non-issue. And they may be right, although many statistics about domestic abuse in general reveal it is quite prevalent. Toss in the fact that someone has a record of such abuse or has developed behavioral patterns that lend themselves to abusive practices then this information should be available to the mail order bride.
New laws are often unwieldy and difficult to enforce. This new law adds even more bureacracy and detracts from whatever lyricism exists when ordering a mail order bride. But at a time when slavery is prevalent and domestic abuse is at a record level, perhaps we can justify a statute that helps relieve doubt and anxiety. If they check your background when you buy a gun, then maybe they should develop a little scrutiny when you order up a bride.
2 replies on “The New Marriage Broker Law:Buzz Kill or Blessing?”
The problem with this law are many, but I will only touch on a few points.
First, the law sends a message to the rest of the world that American men are more dangerous and need regulated. Is this a fair message? Is this the message we want to send?
Second, the law requires an American man to turn over an incredible amount of personal information about himself before he can even say “hi” to a woman. Not even so much as an email, telephone call, or even a postal letter can be exchanged before the man gives up his life history.
So do foreign national women now have more rights that American women? Who is going to protect the American when his potential date decides to use his personal information against him? I can see the scam artists now having a field day with this one. The U.S. government is now controlling free speech and putting men at risk in the process. Shame on our government.
Third, the law is redundant. The law already requires the man to turn over his background during the visa petition process. It is also required by the lady. So if there are major problems the visa will be denied. This is where the background checks belong, under the control of embassy. The checks do not belong in the “hello” stage.
Finally, this law was sponsored by Senator Cantwell out of Washington State in response to two “mail order bride” murders in her State. According to CNN there have been 3 “mail order bride” murders in the passed 12 years. This is out of the estimated 125,000 marriages that resulted from this “industry”. The fact is that there are 1300 American women murdered by their spouse each year, and domestic violence is an unfortunate fact of life in any society. This law will not do anything to address domestic violence.
Unfortunately, statistics and common sense do not mean much in our society anymore. When you label penpal websites as “marriage brokers” and international women seeking love as “mail order brides” it is because you do not have decency to look beyond the stereotypes and see people as people.
I was involved in a beautiful penpal relationship with a lady for 2 years before we ever met. I met her on an international penpal dating website. If I would have been required to turn over all of this information to a stranger I would have never sent my first letter.
While the law is suppose to be about protecting women, I truly believe there is another agenda here. If the law makers really cared about immigrant women they would have required all dating sites to comply. Yahoo, Eharmony, Match.com and the rest are all exempt. Why? The law makers gave them a free pass because “international listings” are not their primary business. How Convenient! Even though they post thousands and thousands if international personals they were left untouched. So the law makers and special interest groups sold out to the big sites. Why did they do that? It is all about money and power.
So here we have another law, which further restricts an American’s right to free speech and serves no legitimate purpose. Bravo
Steve,
You make some good points. Often there is no rhyme or reason to the passage of certain laws. We think it becomes plain we don’t need more laws protecting ourselves from ourselves. However, while there are only a few murders, there are certainly instances of slave trading and other abuse that does warrant some type of monitoring. While most stories are purely romantic, there are far too many people who entertain different agendas, and that is on both sides of the issue.
We have had fair experience with romantic correspondence. Perhaps we can suggest that the reason for violence between committed spouses is their proximity. Mere correspondence does not create the disappointments many feel for whatever reason in domestic relatioships. In fact it fans the flames of the more ideal and the hopeful romantics. Conversely, it is “togetherness” that brings on the despair and violence, all the regrets, etc. Or more succinctly, no one was ever killed with a love letter.