Tories want marriage visa curbs

source
The Tories have pledged to raise the minimum age at which non-EU nationals can come to Britain to marry, to 21.
Shadow minister Damien Green said they should also pass an English test, to cut the number of young spouses unable to integrate into British society.

The government said the Tory plans mirrored its own proposals and they were just "catching up with our ideas".

A Tory spokesman said their plan was a firm policy and there was "no sign" of anything as concrete from Labour.

Under the Tory plans, prospective spouses, and their sponsors, would be interviewed separately by immigration officials.

The Tories want to change the laws in which people who marry others abroad can bring in their spouses.

On some parts I agree with them since it is being abused by a lot of people who get married and then bring over someone and then divorce and then that person marries again to bring in their long term spouse.

This can either do for money or by tricking one into it.

I agree that they should put a limit, the 5-10 years before they can even think of marrying anyone abroad and bringing them over.

This would stop those men and women who get married for money to bring in people.

The aim is to stop young girls being taken abroad under false pretences and forced into marriage.

(From source)

If they can stop this with the new laws it will be a great achievement as it will stop families from forcing young kids against their will to marry someone abroad.

I don’t see how this is racial discrimination as its stopping the abuse of the system that is in place to help people.


[edit on 25-5-2007 by bodrul]

I'd love to see some sort of figures on this one, it seems to me this kind of story is founded more on hearsay than reality.

I wonder just how many people we are really talking about to be making such a fuss about?

In my own experience I've only ever known this genuinely happen to one person who was offered this kind of thing
(a bloke I know was asked to go in for a 'marriage of convenience' to get an American girl residence in the UK).

I know anecdote is no proof but then again it's often true that neither is a vague 'everyone knows' type allegation.

[edit on 25-5-2007 by sminkeypinkey]