A question about IMBRA

[believeinluck 0]

Should this law only affect couples that met through an agency or Internet? We met a regular way on my trip to Russia. Please let me know someone who knows.

[happyimmigrant 0]

Should this law only affect couples that met through an agency or Internet? We met a regular way on my trip to Russia. Please let me know someone who knows.

It affects everyone, regardless of how you met.

[dwar49 0]

Should this law only affect couples that met through an agency or Internet? We met a regular way on my trip to Russia. Please let me know someone who knows.

It affects everyone, regardless of how you met.

I agree the law was created to cut down on the Mail order bride issue. However everyone is effected, no matter how they met or whether the male or female is the USC. We all are going to have to give them permission for background check and answer the questions "Did we use a marriage broker? and Does the USC have a criminal conviction?" If you have to answer yes to either of those questions you are going to have to answer a lot of questions and I expect that your time line will lengthen accordingly.

[Libersolis 0]

Should this law only affect couples that met through an agency or Internet? We met a regular way on my trip to Russia. Please let me know someone who knows.

It affects everyone, regardless of how you met.

I agree the law was created to cut down on the Mail order bride issue. However everyone is effected, no matter how they met or whether the male or female is the USC. We all are going to have to give them permission for background check and answer the questions "Did we use a marriage broker? and Does the USC have a criminal conviction?" If you have to answer yes to either of those questions you are going to have to answer a lot of questions and I expect that your time line will lengthen accordingly.

What exactly is a marriage broker?

[believeinluck 0]

Should this law only affect couples that met through an agency or Internet? We met a regular way on my trip to Russia. Please let me know someone who knows.

It affects everyone, regardless of how you met.

I agree the law was created to cut down on the Mail order bride issue. However everyone is effected, no matter how they met or whether the male or female is the USC. We all are going to have to give them permission for background check and answer the questions "Did we use a marriage broker? and Does the USC have a criminal conviction?" If you have to answer yes to either of those questions you are going to have to answer a lot of questions and I expect that your time line will lengthen accordingly.

Thank you everyone!!!!!!

Should this law only affect couples that met through an agency or Internet? We met a regular way on my trip to Russia. Please let me know someone who knows.

It affects everyone, regardless of how you met.

I agree the law was created to cut down on the Mail order bride issue. However everyone is effected, no matter how they met or whether the male or female is the USC. We all are going to have to give them permission for background check and answer the questions "Did we use a marriage broker? and Does the USC have a criminal conviction?" If you have to answer yes to either of those questions you are going to have to answer a lot of questions and I expect that your time line will lengthen accordingly.

What exactly is a marriage broker?

Marriage broker could be some kind of dating agency.

[joseph22 0]

Should this law only affect couples that met through an agency or Internet? We met a regular way on my trip to Russia. Please let me know someone who knows.

It affects everyone, regardless of how you met.

I agree the law was created to cut down on the Mail order bride issue. However everyone is effected, no matter how they met or whether the male or female is the USC. We all are going to have to give them permission for background check and answer the questions "Did we use a marriage broker? and Does the USC have a criminal conviction?" If you have to answer yes to either of those questions you are going to have to answer a lot of questions and I expect that your time line will lengthen accordingly.

Understandable...but what does this mean??? that they are going to RFE EVERYONE who submitted after March 6th to get this permission/statement? Or only those who submit with the new application when it is released? I dont understand why the application of this law is so vague to all of us...

[dwar49 0]

Should this law only affect couples that met through an agency or Internet? We met a regular way on my trip to Russia. Please let me know someone who knows.

It affects everyone, regardless of how you met.

I agree the law was created to cut down on the Mail order bride issue. However everyone is effected, no matter how they met or whether the male or female is the USC. We all are going to have to give them permission for background check and answer the questions "Did we use a marriage broker? and Does the USC have a criminal conviction?" If you have to answer yes to either of those questions you are going to have to answer a lot of questions and I expect that your time line will lengthen accordingly.

Understandable...but what does this mean??? that they are going to RFE EVERYONE who submitted after March 6th to get this permission/statement? Or only those who submit with the new application when it is released? I dont understand why the application of this law is so vague to all of us...

There are no definite answers yet. However by what everyone has been able to piece together. Sometime in the next month, those that have petitions on file will be required to answer some questions. If you have ever been convicted of a crime, your fiancee can now be told during her interview. Also if you have been convicted of certain crimes, you will have to get a waiver to even have your visa request approved. Also there are now limits on the number of times that you can submit a request for a fiancee visa. Last but not least if you went thru a marriage broker (any agency that you paid money to set up meetings whether on internet, phone or in person) you will probably have a harder time proving an ongoing relationship. This law was enacted to stop TIP (trafficing in persons) under international agreement with the signatories of the Hague convention. The nasty thing is that we are all being punished for it.

[Libersolis 0]

I met my wife on Eharmony.. I wonder if that could be considered a marriage broker...

[ccmkoho 0]

Should this law only affect couples that met through an agency or Internet? We met a regular way on my trip to Russia. Please let me know someone who knows.

It affects everyone, regardless of how you met.

I agree the law was created to cut down on the Mail order bride issue. However everyone is effected, no matter how they met or whether the male or female is the USC. We all are going to have to give them permission for background check and answer the questions "Did we use a marriage broker? and Does the USC have a criminal conviction?" If you have to answer yes to either of those questions you are going to have to answer a lot of questions and I expect that your time line will lengthen accordingly.

Why will answering "yes" subject you to a great level of questioning? I assume USCIS asks this question on the form to track the agencies involved and try to make sure they comply with IMBRA, specifically gathering the customers background information. The "match.coms" and "Yahoo personals" are removed from complying probably because they would fight it and they have a lot more money to spend on lawyers than the smaller sites, although people will argue that they are not an international dating agency. "Match.com" probably has more foreigners listed than all the "international" sites combined.

Should this law only affect couples that met through an agency or Internet? We met a regular way on my trip to Russia. Please let me know someone who knows.

It affects everyone, regardless of how you met.

I agree the law was created to cut down on the Mail order bride issue. However everyone is effected, no matter how they met or whether the male or female is the USC. We all are going to have to give them permission for background check and answer the questions "Did we use a marriage broker? and Does the USC have a criminal conviction?" If you have to answer yes to either of those questions you are going to have to answer a lot of questions and I expect that your time line will lengthen accordingly.

[dwar49 0]

I met my wife on Eharmony.. I wonder if that could be considered a marriage broker...

Did you pay to use the site? If so you used a marriage broker.

[Libersolis 0]

I met my wife on Eharmony.. I wonder if that could be considered a marriage broker...

Did you pay to use the site? If so you used a marriage broker.

Yes I had to pay to use the site, so I guess I used a marriage broker even though dating sites are a FAR CRY from the mail order bride stuff, but I guess it doesn't matter..

[ccmkoho 0]

I met my wife on Eharmony.. I wonder if that could be considered a marriage broker...

Well Eharmony does not have to comply with IMBRA and gather background information on their clients. I guess it's not really relevant from a petitioners point of view due to the fact that no matter how you met the petitioner must go through the criminal background check process.

[jozlee 0]

Marriage broker was worded very vaguely so that it could pull in all internet online dating agencies is my bet. Whether or not match.com or other personals are included won't be decided until court for a while down the line. Basically if you met online, you can either risk a flaw in documentation and go with the first time you met in person, or just say you met through an online dating service and have all the other documentation ready. My bet is that given the intentions behind the act that they will ask the extra information from everybody. The law is created for everyone who met through international marriage brokers or have applied for more than one K1 visa, if so you require the extra checks.

[dwar49 0]

I met my wife on Eharmony.. I wonder if that could be considered a marriage broker...

Did you pay to use the site? If so you used a marriage broker.

They already tried fighting, The marriage broker industry is multi million dollar industry. They lost their first court battles. Places such as yahoo, Aol, and the like arent the ones that the government is really after, try typing in asian brides, europeon brides etc. Those are the ones they would like to see shut down. Not argueing right or wrong here. (although I do have my opinion I will keep it to myself to avoid offending anyone) just telling you what the situation is.

Remember criminal background and marriage broker questions are separate. There is nothing official about how they will handle marriage broker initiated romances. Criminal background and number of times you have submitted fiancee visa request is pretty well set in stone.

[Libersolis 0]

I met my wife on Eharmony.. I wonder if that could be considered a marriage broker...

Did you pay to use the site? If so you used a marriage broker.

They already tried fighting, The marriage broker industry is multi million dollar industry. They lost their first court battles. Places such as yahoo, Aol, and the like arent the ones that the government is really after, try typing in asian brides, europeon brides etc. Those are the ones they would like to see shut down. Not argueing right or wrong here. (although I do have my opinion I will keep it to myself to avoid offending anyone) just telling you what the situation is.

Remember criminal background and marriage broker questions are separate. There is nothing official about how they will handle marriage broker initiated romances. Criminal background and number of times you have submitted fiancee visa request is pretty well set in stone.

I have no criminal record and have never applied for any K1 visa. I just got married in April and didn't know about any of this stuff..