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A TOTAL OF 450 marriages have been halted in Ireland since the introduction of sham marriage legislation.
Gardaí set up a dedicated operation – codenamed Vantage – two years ago to tackle an alleged trafficking ring which was using women who had been trafficked illegally into Ireland to take part in sham marriages.
Since the operation was set up in August 2015, General Registrar Offices can alert gardaí if any doubts arise about the legitimacy of any potential marriages.
The latest figures from An Garda Síochána show that since August 2015, there have been more than 250 objections to marriages raised by registrars.
Gardaí confirmed that over 80 marriages have been cancelled by the General Registrar and An Garda Síochána following enquiries and investigations by Operation Vantage.
When “no shows” on the date of the ceremony are added to the picture, an excess of 450 marriages have not been completed since Operation Vantage was launched.
“Operation Vantage has supported the marriage registrars in compiling a large number of marriage objections,” a garda spokesperson said.
“[It] also supports interview training and investigative techniques to the registrars.
“A number of international investigations are also underway in the EU and are led by Operation Vantage.”
The crackdown has also resulted in a fall in the number of notifications of intention to marry between EU and non-EU citizens.
Figures from gardaí should that 1,468 notifications were received in 2015. Last year a total of 694 notifications were received, this shows a drop of 53%.
Levels have continued to fall in 2017 with notifications recorded in January to September 2017, compared to 580 during the same period of 2016 – a drop of 41%.
Security sources told TheJournal.ie earlier this year that there were ‘hundreds’ of attempted sham marriages in recent years involving the women, who are EU citizens, and men who are predominantly from Asia and seeking to secure residency in Ireland.
The illegal activity mostly comes from countries such as Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. In many cases, the women do not where they are and many have never even seen the men they are marrying.
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Big business for South Americans. They are offering €10,000+ for Irish or Europeans. And the Civil Partnerships/LGBTQ+ weddings have gone completely under the radar for Gardai.
More Brazilians/Venezuelans going for LGBTQ+ weddings than Irish. Sad to see something fought so hard for be abused so badly.
@GizmoIrl: Somewhat true, but a slight misrepresentation at the same time. The South American would be more anxious to marry than their Irish counterparts as they will have no choice but to if they want to remain with their partner.
That’s a separate issue to a sham marriage though – a sham is still a sham and of course there are some out there.
@The Foreigner: Actually, they don’t have “visa free access” as you put it. Yes, there is a streamlined process, but they need do need a visa.
I think the Asians are more targeted as there appears to be an organised element where Asian men are matched with eastern european women with little or no connection to Ireland and are part of a trafficking ring – a blatant sham, which is why the whole operation vantage was launched.
@TP Simms: Believe me the South Americans are very organised. Also, I have it in black and white from Dept Justice that Brazilians do not need a visa and as such none were issued. Like anyone coming for more than 90 days they have to register but there is no Visa required.
Also what did I misrepresent? My group of friends have been offered 10,000 to marry. A disproportionate amount of LGBTQ+ weddings/civil partnerships are involving South Americans.
@The Foreigner: I absolute agree there is something inherently racist in the attack on Asian men for sham marriages when other groups are abusing the system to the same extent if not more.
@GizmoIrl: A lot of uneducated Brazilians continue to get work visas here as they are related to those who came here during Celtic tiger to work menial . They are generally not white and live in towns outside of Dublin unlike the many wealthy, white, educated Brazilians in Dublin who gain citizenship through sham marriages.
@GizmoIrl: I stand corrected, they don’t need a visa, but must register, prove they can support themselves (somewhat) and are limited to a 9 month stay unless they want to study further – in the case of students. People may have thought from The Foreigner’s comments that they have free access as they please.
I think you slightly misrepresent the issue of the disproportionate number of South American marriages is wholly connected to a €10k per person scam – which i don’t doubt is going on.
I’m saying there is obviously a more urgent need for them to marry a (legitimate) Irish partner as otherwise they are more likely to have to leave the country and end the relationship. The Irish/EU people don’t have this issue so marriage is not as big a priority in a (legitimate) relationship.
@Liam O:
I stayed in your country for 3 months and I can say you are wrong: there are plenty poor uneducated Brazilians living in Summerhill, Crumlin and other knackerlands over there, full of those Irish guys wearing Adidas tracksuit and speaking in a broken English. We the educated ones don’t need to stay there …why on Earth would we stay in such a small country with horrible weather, no options of Entertainment (in the unlikely event of international concerts, big artists just play in Dublin on a weekday, when flying from London to Berlin…I’m sorry , but from São Paulo find that ridiculous, only Saturdays and Sundays are acceptable…like U2 played here weeks ago). Also, whoever is white in Brazil is certainly from European descendant or have parents or grandparents from Europe so we are automatically entitled to European passport easily…thus why these would need a sham marriage?
That’s bad on all the shams in Tuam, they just wanna get married
@balockay: Why should the State care WHY anyone marries? It’s already established that anyone can marry (barring immediate family), so why interfere if people wish to marry for financial gains or other “non-loving” reasons?
Oh you mean those gay lads? Yeah they’re really ruining your campaign to return to 1956
@Dr Richard DeWitt: Especially eastern European women trafficked to be sold into marriage to non eu-citizens to help them gain status and rights. Sure let them marry away.
@Dr Richard DeWitt: You cannot possible be that stupid can you? or really a doctor, please tell me you dont deal with medical issues.
They care because the EU citizen marries a non EU citizen in Ireland and the new ‘spouse’ then gets the right to reside (and claim) under EU rules.
Life hack: If you don’t feel like waiting 4 years for a divorce, just tell them it was a sham marriage.
This exploitation is big business and it needs joined up EU thinking to tackle the problem.
Ah no now no one will marry me
@Richard Doherty: I’ll marry you but you wearvthe dress xx
@Richard Doherty: Aww. But still, you just have to ask 251 women to beat the odds.
@Richard Doherty: count your self lucky , .. Think of the heartache cost your saving your self ….
Free irish passport with every crate of Guinness
If shams want to marry let them at it. T’is their culture too.
Varadkar, Martin and Coveney is a sham marriage.
A jaysus, where were these guys when I needed them.
Dosa? Yes I am rather fond of these tasty Indian Pancakes….ssssh!
@The Foreigner:
Also, I do know there are many Brazilians over there in Ireland, especially the non-educated ones, from North and Northeast Brazil, who work their ass out for crap jobs earning that 1.2k euro minimum wage which barely pays a shit hole in SummerHill or Crumlin but for them is a great way of living. People from São Paulo and other South Brazil estates don’t do that. I’m sorry, but that’s all your country authorities incompetence for not being able to check where certain types of Brazilian come from, since we are talking about a Country nearly the size of Europe, in order to separate the serious citizens from the uneducated ones who go there to work in crap jobs. Income per capita from different estates in Brazil can be over 10 times difference (like…we in São Paulo are used to prices higher than Dublin, so for us it would be pointless to work in a shit job to earn like 2k euro over there if we can earn more in Jardim Paulista, for example), but not for a Brazilian from North’/Northeast. It is funny that how can a supposedly developed country cannot take simple proper actions like investigate people trhough social media (LinkedIn, Google, Facebook), just before giving them visas away?
I’m glad I m no longer in Ireland..those were long and cold 3 months paying 5 euro for crap warm beers and probably the closest I’ll be ever getting again will be hitting Heathrow London Airport next year in order to go to Moscow for the world cup, but I for I could give u a hint, it would be: watch out from certain Brazilian comes from, before labeling everyone in a unfair way , and fill a formal complain to your authorities asking a better and more competent Borders.
@Feynman thoughtful: you’re just revealing all that’s wrong with Brazil and it’s society where what’s class of society you’re from makes all the difference. Checking what part of Brazil people are from is called discrimination.
I am surprised it’s only 400 in this gullible country?
Dear “The Foreigner”.
World Health Organizational says U.S has a higher rate of Aids than Brazil. Actually, you are a laying troll as Brazil itself is the biggest successful in History of defeating Aids:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_HIV/AIDS_adult_prevalence_rate
have your say