Law to prevent ’sham-marriage immigration’ struck down on grounds of discrimination
Britain’s tough new law to prevent immigration via ’sham-marriages’ was struck down by the London High Court earlier this month, on the grounds that it discriminated against individuals on grounds of nationality and religion.
‘Sham marriages’ are a renowned method of bypassing immigration control for young men wanting to move to Britain to live and work. The law, enacted in February 2005, was created to combat sham marriages by requiring non-EU immigrants who were in the UK for limited stay to gain special permission from the Home Office if they wished to marry. These rules did not apply to individuals undergoing a Church of England marriage ceremony or who were European Union citizens…