INTERNATIONAL MARRIAGE BROKER?

[MidnightinMoscow 0]

A fiance visa could be granted or denied on the discretion of the consular office based for instance on how much time the two of you have spent in each other's personal company. So the actual designation of what kind of website you met on becomes even less important to their decision. Since all visa applicants are background checked in the same way anyway, the discretionary power of a particular consular officer regarding how you met (as opposed to how your relationship matured) is such that he or she either has prejudices against particular websites or does not.

I don't think you will want to say that the two of you decided to get married before you met in person regardless of whether you met on an IMB or not. In fact, if you go to the scammer boards, almost all of the American men currently being scammed out of thousands of dollars are on Match.com or Yahoo. Regardless of IMBRA's sole concentration on the idea that the man might be bad, the consular officers are trained to spot whether the woman is on the level or not. These people have saved many a man their house and bank account.

If, on the other hand, you've been to the Ukraine 4 times to see the same woman over the course of 18 months and you have summer winter and spring photographs to prove it...it also will not matter what you put down as where you met. The decision will be made on the viability/credibility of the relationship.

Now I realize that finances might make taking 4 trips impossible...so good luck on those two weeks of being with her in person and, IF you still feel the same after the two weeks, by all means go for your happiness and hers.

Edited January 29, 2007 by MidnightinMoscow

[MidnightinMoscow 0]

Here is a question that I actually do not know the precise answer to: if two people met on Match.com (exempt from IMBRA) and want to get married before they have ever met in person...and then meet each other in Moscow and apply for a visa two days later...

regardless of IMBRA, do or don't they have to tell the consular office how they met and how much time they have spent in person?

Or does the fact that Match.com is exempt mean that neither party to the visa application has to admit that they met online at all?

In any event, an applicant has to say how long they have known each other in person. They have to show photographs and email records to prove a relationship over time, however little that time may have to be.

If it is expected that the applicants would explain in the interview that they met over Match.com or other exempt website, then checking IMB or not will only really serve the "survey" function written at the end of the IMBRA law where the DHS is supposed to track "IMB marriages" for what happens later on.

Edited January 29, 2007 by MidnightinMoscow

[misa 2]

regardless of IMBRA, do or don't they have to tell the consular office how they met and how much time they have spent in person?

That question is usually asked regardless of if someone met online (i.e., they could have met while on holidays somewhere).

[MidnightinMoscow 0]

regardless of IMBRA, do or don't they have to tell the consular office how they met and how much time they have spent in person?

That question is usually asked regardless of if someone met online (i.e., they could have met while on holidays somewhere).

So if the consular officer has a problem that the two of you met at Hot or Not dot com, it won't matter that Hot or Not dot com is exempt from IMBRA because it has mostly Americans on it. If you've shown that you met on a non-serious platform and then rushed into marriage, you are on thin ice.

The IMB question is, QED, there for survey purposes because they are going to be asking you how you met in the interview anyway.

Now another question that I do not know the precise answer to is more important: how much extra time does the background check take and is it true that such background checks were already being done on Americans since 2002?

[TimsDaisy 0]

I *think* they were - but the information was not required to be disclosed to the foreign fiancee. And concern was sparked when a few foreign brides showed up in the US to move into violent households and turned up murdered not long after at the hands of their previously-convicted-for-domestic-violence husbands.

[edsperfect 25]

I want to know how the USCIS defines as a "INTERNATIONAL MARRIAGE BROKER" in I-129F? I met my fiance on a personals website, RussianEuro.com. I do not know if this site is deemed as a "International Marriage Broker" service as defined by the USCIS. I paid for a year-long membership with unlimited membership contact. They do not monitor or censor letters, instant messenging, etc. She contacted me first with a positive message through this website. We immediately moved to using Yahoo Instant Messenging because I can log our chat sessions. But I did not know this would come in handy later on as our relationship had progressed to love and the discussion of marriage.

If anyone has a detailed description from USCIS that defines an "INTERNATIONAL MARRIAGE BROKER", I would greatly appreciate it! Thanks for your time! ;-)

I am not sure and I don't think USCIS is either. If i were youI would say yes and list it. It reallyisn't a big deal unless you have a serious criminal record.At first it slowed everone down because immgrations wasconfused but i think it moves quickly now

[G&A 1]

So I am in a similar situation. Met her on arablounge.ocm. I paid for the service and she did not. She could have and she chose to be a free member where she can flirt and just reply to messages very similar to match.com and the like. arablounge members are mixed from the US and abroad. It does not cater specifically for Americans meeting people outside the country. I am struggling with the IMBRA question but do feel like i fall under exception B above.

I call USCIS and they advised me to as an IO via infopass...

any thoughts?

also, what are the disadvantages of checking the imbra box?

thanks

[garya505 2]

So I am in a similar situation. Met her on arablounge.ocm. I paid for the service and she did not. She could have and she chose to be a free member where she can flirt and just reply to messages very similar to match.com and the like. arablounge members are mixed from the US and abroad. It does not cater specifically for Americans meeting people outside the country. I am struggling with the IMBRA question but do feel like i fall under exception B above.

I call USCIS and they advised me to as an IO via infopass...

any thoughts?

also, what are the disadvantages of checking the imbra box?

thanks

There really is no disadvantage of checking the box and providing the website information. On the other hand, if you say you didn't meet via an IMB and they think you did, well there is a potential for a problem.

[bradyvicky 0]

You're reading things into then definition that are not there. The IMBRA definition says nothing about intentions.

Sheesh...excuse me for not quoting exactly, however if the INTENTION of the company is to facilitate these types of services between the two, then it is one (refer to the scanned defenition after your last post).

By the way, I chose to be honest and not try to skimp by hoping to get a bye because of the complicated definition. I claimed an International Marriage broker and it never was an issue throughout the entire process! Visa received this week!

[garya505 2]

You're reading things into then definition that are not there. The IMBRA definition says nothing about intentions.

Sheesh...excuse me for not quoting exactly, however if the INTENTION of the company is to facilitate these types of services between the two, then it is one (refer to the scanned defenition after your last post).

By the way, I chose to be honest and not try to skimp by hoping to get a bye because of the complicated definition. I claimed an International Marriage broker and it never was an issue throughout the entire process! Visa received this week!

No mention of intention there. This is a legal definition, and in legal definitions exact words matter.

[mchina34 0]

I was recently told by the US consulate in Guangzhou that whether or not the place you met is a marriage broker or not is determined by USCIS, not the consular officer at the interview. Which means that no matter how you met you furnish the same proof of a real relationship at the time of interview. Whether or not it was an IMBRA institute only matters for getting the I130/I129f approved in the first place.

[pushbrk 12,569]

I can say for sure and it is. If you paid for addresess or the ability to contact people and it is not a religious based organization then it is considered to be an International Marriage Broker. If you contact her from a free site it is not or if it is one primarily operated for US citizens it is not. If you look around this section you will find the legal definion but it really boils down to if you paid for anything, it is an IMB

Religious based organizations are not the only exception. I'm amazed at how often this little section gets overlooked.

"The Non-Primary Business with Comparable Rates": a domestic dating service or other primary service whose principal business is NOT international dating and which charges comparable rates for comparable services to all individuals, men and women, domestic and foreign."

My read is that websites where one posts their own profile and pays a single or monthly membership fee whether they meet somebody next door, nobody or a foreign national, are not IMB's. Anecdotally, it doesn't seem to make much difference how you answer the question. If you have a criminal record, and the website doesn't obtain it and supply it to your fiance, (That's their part of the law.) then the result is the same. Either the record or non record will be disclosed at interview or not. All indications so far point to NOT. You just follow the procedures the same whether you check yes or no.

There really are true IMB's out there who do a lot more than post profiles and allow contact for a single fee. They are "marriage brokers" not internet dating websites.

Edited March 21, 2007 by pushbrk

[NYGirl 0]

How about ICQ?

[pushbrk 12,569]

How about ICQ?

Without joining the site, I can't tell for certain but it certainly doesn't look like any IMB to me.

[1HappyGuy 45]

ICQ is just a free site for people to chat. If you meet someone on ICQ, it would not be considered an International Marriage Broker. The IMB is an organization that charges for people to meet, use translation services and arrange other things for a fee. ICQ is a lot like AOL except it's free.

I don't think anyone would consider meeting on ICQ as a marriage broker arrangement.