by Adrian Gibson
THIS weekend, I was chatting with a few immigration officers who told me that I would be surprised at the numbers of sham marriages of convenience happening in this country. According to them, marriages of convenience are becoming prevalent and seen on a regular basis. What’s more, they noted that manpower is limited and often the Immigration Department is unable to conduct extensive background checks and follow-ups with some people to determine if a marriage is fake or subsisting, even if their suspicions sometimes lead them to think that money was exchanged.
Sadly, this is due to the fact that some Bahamians are willing to sell anything for 30 pieces of silver, without considering the implications and fallout. It is, perhaps, the same reason why we have problems with the illicit trafficking of firearms and the smuggling of immigrants.
Based on my discussions with immigration officials and other interested parties, we see a number of instances where, for example, Dominican air conditioning mechanics on fishing boats and pseudo tradesmen (of all nationalities), are able to exploit our natural resources, all because someone got $5,000 to $10,000 out of a deal. I’ve heard of instances where Jamaicans, Haitians, Americans and other nationalities have persuaded Bahamians to marry them in hope of eventually attaining citizenship, for spousal permits and, generally, for economic reasons.
I’m told by a former Minister of Immigration that often these marriages are never consummated; that for those who don’t simply walk away with their papers once married, there are incidences of domestic abuse; that in circumstances where there is a cessation of payments or some other issue, Bahamian spouses spitefully seek to revoke spousal permits or, he said, even admit to immigration authorities that it was arranged or that they loved the person but that person loved another. Of course, we have not seen many charged with engaging in such shams.
Don’t get me wrong. Many Bahamians marry foreigners for the right reasons and therefore this does not serve to question those often loving relationships. However, there are those unscrupulous persons among us who have no issue with breaking the law as long as it advances their me-first agenda.
So, does the immigration department take adequate information from people who have, or seek, to marry a foreigner and subsequently seek status for that person? Do they speak to friends and family about the relationship or at least have an interview session, asking questions of the couple, as is done by immigration authorities in the US? Do they ever follow-up? Why does the Department of Immigration allow disgruntled persons to influence them to make a person’s life difficult – without proper investigation – particularly after the breakdown of what may have been a legitimate marriage? Why don’t we hear of anyone being charged and made an example of relative to sham marriages?
Yes, I can see how such marriages may be difficult to police. Sometimes, I smile when I hear my countrymen and women rail against illegal immigration when we, by our own actions, contribute in large part to much of the illegality.
Relative to marriages of convenience, Bahamian men are marrying women for a certain set of reasons and vice versa. And, in all of these instances, it fundamentally is a financial transaction.
_________________________________________________________
First published in the The Tribune under the byline, Young Man's View, here…
