Would you consider it Fraud/"Just" for immigration benefit?

[NikLR 13,227]

Canada does allow for common law partners.   My ex and I never married and lived together for 9 years. But Canada, esp Alberta, gives common-law couples the same rights as married couples. 

[Emily975 11]

7 minutes ago, NikLR said:

Canada does allow for common law partners.   My ex and I never married and lived together for 9 years. But Canada, esp Alberta, gives common-law couples the same rights as married couples. 

That is exactly my thought... Me an my (now ex) husband were together for 7 years before marrying (lived together for 2.5) and if we didn't move (immigrate) we would have never gotten married. However, where we lived 'common law marriage' steps into account after living together 'long enough' which in all practicality means that in eyes of our home country we were married before 'tying the knot' for immigration purposes. Would we EVER gotten married if we stayed home? Certainly not. Did we defraud anyone by getting married for me to gain immigration benefits? _I_ don't think so ...

[evapaula 230]

This made me chuckle. I'd been way happier to not have to do any kind of paperwork to be with my husband, but here I am, almost 4 years later and piles and piles of documents and it's not over yet. You do what you need to do to be with the person you love. If the government says marriage papers and immigration papers, I'll jump through all those hoops. Of course it's not fraud. 

[Ontarkie 14,220]

~~Moved to General Immigration, from IR1/CR1 P&P - As the OP's question is not about getting help for the visa process.~~

[hyommysone 16]

My husband and I are the same. We genuinely love each other and will be happy to live together forever without marriage. Given, that we are in separate countries that option is not applicable for us. We chose to be married to be together and we never regretted that decision.

[Ivy. 113]

10 hours ago, dazed'nconfused said:

If a couple gets married - a genuine couple of course - who would otherwise never have wanted to get married (ie - both parties firmly happy with living together without getting the State/Government involved with paperwork) do so in order to apply for Immigration benefits - would you consider it fraud or just doing what's necessary? 

If a genuine couple who does not care about the institution of marriage in itself gets married just because it gives them some kind of a benefit, I see it as practical, not fraudulent.

 

Marriage is a legal contract that provides the parties with particular legal and economic advantages. It makes raising children easier, it makes the financial situation easier (tax cuts, inheritance, etc), it gives the other partner benefits like access to the spouse that is critically injured or perhaps even the ability to decide on medical decision for the spouse. Obviously, here, we utilize it to get immigration benefits.

 

These are all real and valid reasons for someone to marry, even if they do not quite see the marriage as a sacrament. 

[poolemit 25]

11 hours ago, Bill & Katya said:

but if they are a couple from two different countries living together in either one of their countries, the question is raised as to how the foreigner in this relationship gained residency to live together in the first place unless you are talking about one of the couple being living in a country illegally.

hmmm or unless... EB/DV green card, Canadians - TN?  Not everyone who isn't married is in the US illegally.

[Hypnos 6,576]

Immigration considerations can absolutely be part of the decision over where a couple of mixed nationalities wish to live. 

 

It's just that under US immigration law, such considerations cannot form the sole basis upon which you are relying for that decision. 

 

"Hey, marry me so I can get a green card" 

 

vs 

 

"Hey, I love you and want to be with you. And we should also consider getting married so we can live together in the US". 

 

One is legal and the other is not. 

Edited May 1, 2018 by Hypnos

[Amy_and_Victor 159]

18 hours ago, dazed'nconfused said:

Having a conversation with workmates today and this has been rolling around in my head ever since. 

 

If a couple gets married - a genuine couple of course - who would otherwise never have wanted to get married (ie - both parties firmly happy with living together without getting the State/Government involved with paperwork) do so in order to apply for Immigration benefits - would you consider it fraud or just doing what's necessary? 

I do not think it's any kind of fraud. Tbh Amy and I don't feel like this piece of paper that government officials give you to sign is such a big deal, it's laying in our drawer since we signed it and our relationship wouldn't be any different if it would magically disappear from any records. All we wanted is to be together, but living in different countries we had to get married to live together, so we did it. If we would live in the same country when we met, may be we eventually got officially married, may be not, I don't know. I know that married or not, we would want to live together and be in a relationship. Marriage certificate was another piece of paper required for us to be able to live together, no matter in Russia or US, like vaccinations list or police certificate. I don't see how there is any fraud can be called, because obviously nobody has a marriage as a main goal, people want to be together, married or not, but living across the borders they can't be together unless they marry each other.

 

- Victor from Russia

[Nemeseax 36]

We have one part of the forum filled up with sad stories where one of the legally married spouse suddenly change their behaviour after receiving conditional GC. And ( according to what I have read) they usually sucessfully fill for ROC after divorce. That is fraud, I think.

On the other hand, some people truly in love might have problems if they accidentally couldn' t remember the color of the spouse's toothbrush or color shade and type of the floor in the kitchen etc.

So absolutely no fraud at all if real couple getting married just in order to be together.