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The New Marriage Broker Law:Buzz Kill or Blessing?

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.