Mail-order bride

Mail-order bride is a label applied to a woman who lists herself in a catalog or marriage agency that publishes her intent to marry a foreign man. Although the label is widely used, it has derogatory connotations and may be offensive. The term implies that the woman expects an improvement in her quality of life by marrying a foreign man and relocating to a country with more favorable economic and/or societal conditions. Generally, courtship between a mail-order bride and her foreign partner is brief or absent. Mail-order brides hail from dozens of developing countries and a few from developed ones. Ukraine, Russia, Colombia and the Philippines have particularly large numbers of mail-order brides [1].

Men who list themselves in such publications may be referred to as mail-order husbands. This term is less common and generally implies a man who seeks a mail-order bride. However, a small percentage of mail-order husbands have intentions similar to mail-order brides, i.e. to marry and move to a more favorable environment.

Comparison with other matchmaking forms

Classified and online matchmaking services

Classified listings were a common matchmaking practice for many years. With the advent of the internet, online matchmaking websites have prolifrated and largely replaced traditional paper-based classifieds. In contrast to mail-order brides, individuals using these services tend to seek partners with a common culture and language. There is no implied expectation of relocating to a more favorable environment. These services are widely used as an aid to traditional dating with no implied expectation of marriage.

Arranged marriage

An arranged marriage is one in which the marital partners are chosen by others, usually parents, based on considerations other than the pre-existing mutual attraction of the partners, while a mail-order bride is selected by a man from a catalog of such women, sometimes with the assistance of a marriage agency.

Concerns

Concerns that have been frequently reported regarding the practice are:

• Adaptation difficulties - brides face cultural, and linguistic barriers in their new countries and with their husbands. Some husbands are unfamiliar with their wives' culture, language, food preferences or religious practices.
• Misrepresentation (female) - brides enter a marriage solely to obtain a work permit, permanent residence or citizenship in a another country.
• Misrepresentation (male) - men seek mail-order brides solely as a diversion or for sex with no intent of marriage, or no intent of forging a committed relationship.
• Sham marriage - a couple marries with knowledge that the marriage is solely for the purpose of obtaining legal status for the woman in the destination country. This is frequently arranged as a business transaction.
• Stereotyping - Asian mail-order brides are frequently portrayed as submissive, obedient, loyal, soft-spoken, meek, devoted, cooperative, family-oriented, etc. Women from other regions are also frequently stereotyped.
• Fraud - Some marriage agencies operate entirely as a scheme to defraud male clients. [2]
• Abuse and people trafficking - As in any marriage, women risk involvement with abusive partners or domestic slavery. This concern is heightened in a mail-order bride relationship because of language barriers, the relocation to an unfamiliar country and marrying someone who is not well known. However, no statistics are available that show mail-order brides are more likely than the general population to be abused.

Marriage success statistics

Despite the above concerns, statistics report a high rate of success for these marriages. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reports that "...marriages arranged through these services would appear to have a lower divorce rate than the nation as a whole, fully 80 percent of these marriages having lasted over the years for which reports are available." [3]

Immigration issues by country

United States

The United States issues a K-1 "fiancé(e)" visa that is valid for 90-days. The USCIS reports that approximately 17,263 such visas were issued in fiscal 2001, about 7988 coming from Asia and about 4714 coming from Europe (including all of the former Soviet Union states). This type of visa application specifies the applicant's fiancé. If the visa holder does not marry the specified fiancé within the validity of the visa, she is required to return to her country of origin. However, if she marries her fiancé, she obtains permanent resident status. This status is conditional for a period of two years, after which the couple is expected to apply to have the condition removed. Removal requires the couple prove that they are married to each other in good faith. Supporting evidence is reviewed during an interview and often consists wedding photos, love letters, and other articles indicating a genuine marital relationship. This process is intended to prevent would-be immigrants from abandoning their sponsors immediately after obtaining residency and fraudulent marriages solely for the purpose of immigration. There are exceptions. For example, a woman who is determined to have been a battered wife is exempt. Exemptions are also granted if a woman shows that the marriage was bonafide or if her spouse dies. Additional information on this topic can be found at Immigration Letter Weekly.

Canada

Canadian immigration laws have traditionally been similar to but slightly less restrictive than their US counterparts.

Until recently Canada's immigration policy regarding mail-order brides used the "family class" to refer to spouses and dependents and "fiancé(e)" for those intending to marry, with only limited recognition of opposite-sex "common law" relationships; same-sex partners were processed as independent immigrants or under a discretionary provision for "humane and compassionate" considerations.

In 2002, the Canada immigration law was completely revised. One of the major changes was conjugal partner sponsorship, which is available between any two people (including same sex couples) that have had conjugal relations together for at least one year.

Taiwan

In Taiwan (Republic of China), mail-order brides come primarily from Mainland China and Southeast Asia, especially Vietnam. Those who come from Mainland China are colloquially known as dalu mei (大陸妹, pinyin: dàlù mèi, literally: little sisters from the mainland).

The marriage and immigration are arranged by licensed marriage brokers. In some cases, the selection of foreign brides could be considered by some as resembling a cattle market or slave trade as depicted in Chien-Chi Chang’s photo book Double Happiness (ISBN 1931788561).

This form of marriage is significant as it is the only legal form of immigration from Mainland China to Taiwan. Although from Mainland China, dalu mei are not normally considered members of the Mainlander minority on Taiwan. There are also mail-order grooms from Mainland China who immigrate to Taiwan, although this is much less common.

Many commentators have pointed out that the immigration of foreign brides from Mainland China and Southeast Asia is already changing the ethnic composition of Taiwan, in that mail-order brides and their children already outnumber Taiwanese aborigines. Some now consider foreign brides to be Taiwan’s fledging fifth ethnic group and are interested in observing how Taiwan’s demographics will gradually change by this group. In recent years, there has been a proliferation of Vietnamese stores and restaurants in Taiwan that are operated by Vietnamese brides.

Some pro-Taiwan independence parties such as the Taiwan Solidarity Union have expressed concerns that brides from Mainland China and their children will adversely influence the ROC’s political landscape as they acquire ROC citizenship. However, these attitudes are not universal even among pro-independence supporters, and President Chen Shuibian of the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party made a particular point of welcoming these brides at his campaign activities in 2004. Also, there was a poll that suggested that Mainland Chinese brides tend to vote for the same political party that their husbands vote.

Other legal issues

Marriage agencies and mail-order bride publications are legal in almost all countries. Certain notable legal issues are:

• The Philippines prohibits organizing or facilitating marriages between Filipinas and foreign men. The Philippine congress enacted Republic Act 6955 or the Anti-Mail-Order Bride Law in 1990 as a result of stories that appeared in the local press and media about Filipinas being abused by their foreign husbands. Because of this, Filipinas use "reverse publications" to contact foreign men for marriage.

• On January 6, 2006, Gerorge W. Bush signed the "International Marriage Broker's Act" (IMBRA) as part of the reenactment of H.R. 3402: Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005 [4]. This law requires certain actions prior to selling a foreign woman's address to a US citizen or resident, including:

1. The man must complete a questionaire on his criminal and marital background.
2. The seller must obtain the man's record from the National Sex Offenders Public Registry database [5].
3. The questionaire and record must be translated to the woman's native language and provided to her.
4. The woman must certifiy that she agrees to permit communication.
5. The requirements do not apply to the woman.

• On Feb 4, 2006, The District Court of Northern Georgia placed a restraining order preventing the enforcemnet of IMBRA. A trial will be held to dertermine its Constitutionality.

Representation in the Arts

The feature-length 1991 BBC TV movie Filipina Dreamgirls was a fictionalised account of the stories of a number of couples.

The 2001 movie Birthday Girl is about a Russian mail-order bride who goes to live with a banker in the UK.

The 2003 movie A Foreign Affair starring David Arquette and Emily Mortimer is about two brothers seeking a bride using the internet. The movie "A Foreign Affair" was re-released as "Two Brothers and a Bride" and received good reviews.

The 2003 movie Mail Order Bride tries to find humor in a story about the Russian and Italian Mafia involved in the business of human smuggling.

The 2004 film Mail Order Wife portrays a documentarian's attempt to film the marriage between a Queens-dwelling doorman and his Burmese bride.

An episode of Aqua Teen Hunger Force titled "Mail-Order Bride" involves the characters Master Shake and Carl "splitting" a mail-order bride. Shake wants her to cook and clean; Carl wants her for sexual reasons.

External links

Australia

• Migrating as a Spouse, Partner or Fiancé(e)

Canada

• Citizenship & Immigration

Taiwan

• The Taipei Times, (search for "foreign brides" in its full archive search; free registration required)

USA

• The "Mail-order Bride" Industry and Its Impact on U.S. Immigration

• Information on the "International Marriage Broker's Regulation Act"
• Mail Order Husbands?, an article that explores the lack of foreign men available for American women