I-129f Question 19 - International Marriage Broker

[HappyInHawaii 6]

Aloha VJers

Did you met your fiancée or spouse through the services of and international marriage broker?

I have searched (VJ, gov and other sites) for the answer to this but have not found a definitive answer yet

Please feel free to ask me more detailed questions if the information below is not clear. TY

We did initially meet through

www.cherryblossoms.com based in the USA

I believe it is a dating website

I believe it is international

It is a for pay website (but I never paid - just a free trial - maybe as a gift but no one paid money)

It was not an arranged meeting - I just looked at pictures and profiles, then sent a message, then we video chat

My guess is no, so far I checked No and added this in the empty box below

We met each other searching on the internet. It was not an arranged meeting, neither of us paid any money. We had a few initial e-mails and a video chat at www.cherryblossoms.com. We then proceeded and still do communicate via daily e-mails and video chats on Yahoo Messenger.

Please Advsie

Mahalo - TY very Much

[YuAndDan 153]

Back in my day I asked them about this, no they are NOT an IMB they are a dating service that is based out of Hawaii.

Here is what Blossoms had to say:

While we do not consider our company a marriage agency because we do not charge the women nor do we charge couples that end up marrying that meet on our web site. But our government has written a very broad definition of Marriage Broker so we will leave it up to you what to fill in.

Not sure if it hinders your petition to state that you used a marriage broker or not.

Sorry for the ambiguity but this law is an odd item. If you say you did not use a marriage broker you should let your Fiancée know so that at her interview she does not mention Cherry Blossoms.

Would suggest you call the USCIS and ask for clarification: 800-375-5283, at the voice prompts push, 1, 3, 4, & 9 to get to the correct department.

Over 200 of our clients called the USCIS and spoken to agents (it can be a long hold on the phone – hour or more) and all but two have reported that they were told Cherry Blossoms is not a Marriage Broker. You may want to call to confirm.

[marlyn24 2]

we answer No. we meet also in cherryblossoms

[HappyInHawaii 6]

Ty for the response, I think Im going to put NO, but not sure if I should put the explanation or not?

We met each other searching on the internet. It was not an arranged meeting, neither of us paid any money. We had a few initial e-mails and a video chat at www.cherryblossoms.com. We then proceeded and still do communicate via daily e-mails and video chats on Yahoo Messenger.

[YuAndDan 153]

I beleived I simply stated met on a dating site "cherry blossoms" and checked no.

In our case we exchanged email address then got off that site.

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

Back in my day I asked them about this, no they are NOT an IMB they are a dating service that is based out of Hawaii.

Here is what Blossoms had to say:

That answer from Cherry Blossoms borders on ludicrous. The law imposes strict information collection requirements on IMB's. Any business operating in the US must know if they are an IMB, and whether they are required to comply with the IMBRA's information collection requirements. For them to say "We leave it up to you what to fill in" is like saying "We leave it up to you whether or not to accuse us of breaking the law". In their own defense, their answer should have been a loud and definitive "NO".

The definition of an IMB is not ambiguous. If the folks at Cherry Blossoms couldn't figure it out for themselves then a five minute consultation with an attorney should have been enough to sort it out:

IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘international marriage broker’’ means a corporation, partnership, business, individual, or other legal entity, whether or not organized under any law of the United States, that charges fees for providing dating, matrimonial, matchmaking services, or social referrals between United States citizens or nationals or aliens lawfully admitted to the United States as permanent residents and foreign national clients by providing personal contact information or otherwise facilitating communication between individuals.

(B) EXCEPTIONS.—Such term does not include—

(i) a traditional matchmaking organization of a cultural or religious nature that operates on a nonprofit basis and otherwise operates in compliance with the laws of the countries in which it operates, including the laws of the United States; or

(ii) an entity that provides dating services if its principal business is not to provide international dating services between United States citizens or United States residents and foreign nationals and it charges comparable rates and offers comparable services to all individuals it serves regardless of the individual’s gender or country of citizenship.

The overwhelming majority of online introduction and dating sites are excluded by (B)(ii).