Chief Immigration Officer Annette Mark has acknowledged that her department is aware that some visitors to the island are using marriages of convenience to bypass the nation’s immigration laws.
This was among several concerns on immigration policies which were raised, Tuesday, by attorney-at-law Leon Chaku Symister.
“One of the popular things in Antigua that people don’t know about is arranged marriages. It happens here regularly. I know of at least two persons that live with their husbands for part of the time and their boyfriends until the immigration papers come through,” Symister charged.
Mark said her department has seen cases of this type of arrangement and will be looking to put policies in place to prevent it.
“It has been brought to the attention of the minister also. We have seen a few cases, from the beginning of the year, and we are very concerned about this development because we suspect that we are going to see more,” Mark said.
The practice of marriages of convenience to secure immigration status is common in many parts of the world.