美国严打假结婚移民诈欺

11人遭联邦起诉　逾千宗假婚姻涉嫌助外籍人士取得绿卡

美国联邦政府近期大力整顿移民诈欺，一宗涉及超过一千宗「假结婚」的大型案件震动移民社区。美国司法部8月12日宣布起诉11人，指控他们在长达十多年的时间内，建立一套有组织的婚姻移民诈欺网络，安排外国人士与美国公民假结婚，以欺骗移民机关取得合法永久居民身分，也就是俗称的「绿卡」。涉案外籍人士主要来自中国。(Department of Justice⁠)

根据联邦起诉书及司法部公布的资料，部分外籍客户為安排一宗假婚姻支付高达10万美元；参与假结婚的美国公民则可能获得最高约3万美元报酬。当局称，整个网络多年来涉及的金额达数千万美元。(AP News⁠)

假婚礼、假照片　把婚姻「演」给移民官看

这些案件并非只是在结婚证书上签名而已。

检方指控，相关人员会替双方安排婚礼、拍摄夫妻合照，甚至安排在餐厅与「家人」聚会拍照，以营造正常夫妻生活的假象。之后再协助準备文件、填写绿卡申请资料，让美国公民及移民服务局（USCIS）相信婚姻是真实的。(AP News⁠)

这种经过精心设计的假婚姻，使原本用来保障真正夫妻团聚的移民制度，成為不法人士牟利的工具。

结婚不等於立即成為美国公民

许多人对美国婚姻移民制度存在误解。

与美国公民结婚，并不代表外籍人士立即成為美国公民。一般情况下，符合条件的外籍配偶首先申请永久居民身分，取得绿卡后，还必须符合相关居住、婚姻及其他法定资格，才可能进一步申请归化入籍。

问题在於，如果最初取得绿卡的基础就是一场假婚姻，日后即使已经取得美国公民身分，也不代表过去的欺诈行為一定就此消失。

USCIS政策明确指出，如果归化公民身分是透过隐瞒重大事实或故意虚假陈述而取得，政府在符合法律条件下可以寻求撤销其归化公民身分。(USCIS⁠)

司法部近年也已实际提出多宗撤销公民身分案件，其中包括政府指控当事人原先透过假婚姻及移民诈欺取得身分、其永久居民资格本身可能并不合法的案例。(Department of Justice⁠)

一场「假婚姻」可能付出一生代价

对一些人而言，支付大笔金钱安排假结婚，或许看似是一条取得美国身分的捷径；然而一旦遭到调查，后果可能非常严重。

除了涉嫌安排假婚姻的仲介者可能面临刑事起诉之外，提供虚假资料、偽造夫妻生活证据或利用婚姻规避移民法的人，也可能面临移民身分重新审查等后果。此次11名被告被控共谋进行婚姻及移民诈欺，相关指控最高可能带来数年监禁。(Axios⁠)

这宗案件传达出一个十分清楚的讯息：

真正的婚姻受到美国法律保障，但以金钱购买婚姻、偽造夫妻关係来换取绿卡甚至公民身分，不是一条安全的捷径，而可能是一颗多年以后仍会爆炸的定时炸弹。

即使一个人已经在美国居住多年，甚至已经完成归化，如果政府日后发现最初取得移民利益涉及重大欺诈，仍可能依法进行调查及採取法律行动。

目前这11名被告面临的内容均属联邦检方指控，在法院作出有罪判决之前，依法仍享有无罪推定。

假婚姻或许可以製造一张结婚证书，却不能保证一个以欺骗取得的身分永远安全。

U.S. Busts Major Sham-Marriage Immigration Fraud Scheme

【Southern News Group — Comprehensive Report】 The U.S. Department of Justice recently announced charges in a major marriage and immigration fraud case involving 11 defendants. Federal prosecutors allege that the criminal network operated for more than a decade and arranged over 1,000 sham marriages to help foreign nationals obtain lawful permanent resident status in the United States. Most of the foreign clients were reportedly Chinese nationals. The Justice Department described the case as one of the largest ma

11 Defendants Federally Charged; More Than 1,000 Marriages Allegedly Used to Obtain Green Cards

rriage-fraud schemes in U.S. history.

According to the federal indictment, brokers and other participants recruited U.S. citizens willing to enter into fraudulent marriages and matched them with foreign nationals seeking legal residency in the United States. Some foreign clients allegedly paid as much as $100,000 for a sham marriage, while participating U.S. citizens could receive up to approximately $30,000.

Fake Weddings, Photos and Documents Created the Appearance of Real Marriages

Federal prosecutors said the marriages went far beyond simply signing a marriage certificate.

To convince immigration officials that the relationships were genuine, participants allegedly arranged wedding ceremonies, took wedding and family photographs, and prepared immigration applications and supporting documents.

Prosecutors further allege that the network used lawyers, tax preparers, wedding officiants and other participants to create evidence suggesting that the couples were actually living together before submitting permanent residency applications to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Some weddings reportedly included friends and relatives, traditional wedding clothing and restaurant gatherings designed specifically to produce photographs that would make the couples appear to be genuine spouses.

Federal investigators say these activities demonstrate that the alleged operation was highly organized rather than a series of isolated sham-marriage cases.

A Sham Marriage for a Green Card Can Carry Serious Consequences

In the United States, marrying a U.S. citizen does not automatically make a foreign spouse an American citizen.

Generally, an eligible foreign spouse first applies for lawful permanent resident status — commonly known as a Green Card. Only later, after meeting residency and other legal requirements, may that person become eligible to apply for naturalization and U.S. citizenship.

However, if a marriage was entered into from the beginning solely to evade U.S. immigration laws, and the couple had no genuine intention of establishing a marital life together, providing false information to immigration authorities may constitute marriage and immigration fraud.

The 11 defendants in this case face federal criminal charges, including conspiracy involving marriage and immigration fraud. Some of the charges could carry prison sentences of up to five years.

Individuals who obtained Green Cards or subsequent immigration benefits through fraudulent information may also face serious immigration consequences, including renewed review or possible loss of their immigration status.

Therefore, the idea of “getting a Green Card through a fake marriage and then waiting to become a U.S. citizen” is far from a risk-free shortcut. If the original immigration application is later determined to have involved fraud, subsequent immigration benefits may also be affected.

U.S. Intensifies Crackdown on Immigration Fraud

The Justice Department said the case reflects federal efforts to combat the misuse of marriage as a means of deceiving immigration authorities.

Large-scale sham-marriage operations not only undermine the integrity of the legal immigration system, but also make it more difficult for immigration officials to determine which applicants genuinely qualify for lawful residency.

The case serves as another warning to those seeking U.S. immigration benefits through marriage:

Genuine marriages are protected under U.S. law, but paying for a fraudulent marriage, fabricating evidence of a shared life, or making false statements to immigration authorities can result in serious criminal and immigration consequences.

The case remains pending. All allegations described above are accusations made by federal prosecutors, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.