New Wedding Laws

Posted on 2005/02/01 10:07:43 (February 2005) by john.

Yet again the Home Office shows its increasingly right wing tendencies.

Having just read this article (see also here), about how foreign nationals will now need "government approval" to marry in the UK, I am bloody furious. Although I have my suspicions this was one of David Blunkett's schemes, that just happened to come into force after he left office, I don't know that for sure. So I'm going to lay off David Blunkett on this occasion, but I'm still really outraged.

According to the article:

Those affected will be required to give notice of their marriage at one of 76 special register offices, rather than at any council. The "certificate for approval" for a marriage will cost £135.

So let's get this straight. For me to marry Chie, my partner of five years, who has lived almost all of that time in England, and a significant portion of that with me, we now have to jump through hoops to prove it is not a "sham wedding". We also have to pay £135, as though weddings aren't already expensive enough, for the "approval" from the xenophobic morons at the home office for us to get married.

Could this be any more insulting?

Britain used to be able to pride itself on one of the (if not the) highest proportion of mixed race marriages of any country in the world. This was a fantastic testament to how well some of the more open minded members of our society were able to embrace other cultures, cross over boundraries, and get a little closer to a human race that might one day wake up and realise we're all the bloody same. This made me proud to live in this country, and proud to be British. Laws like this, however, a direct discincentive to marry someone from another country, make me actually ashamed of my country, and even more so ashamed of the current government.

Sure, there are sham weddings, and attempts should be made to prevent these because they cheapen the concept of marriage and so on... but using that as an excuse to penalise everybody wanting to marry somebody from another country is simply not fair.

Can you give me one good reason why I personally should have to pay £135 to prove my wedding is not a "sham", just because my future wife happens to be Japanese? Given that, in the blink of an eye, I could marry some demented English tart that I'd never met before tomorrow and nobody would bat an eyelid, and no charge would be levied?

...and aren't there one or two famous examples of high profile members of British society marrying foreigh nationals? Prince Philip - isn't he Greek? Prince Albert, wasn't he German? So should Prince William choose to marry a foreign member of the aristocracy, is he going to have to pay £135 and prove it isn't a sham...?

Well thanks the home office. By introducing laws like this, not only are you discouraging foreign nationals from staying in your increasingly shitty country, but also your own citizens as well.

How exactly does this work? How does turning up at one of 76 approved centres- for- the- recognition- of- non- sham- marriages, and paying the marrying- a- foreigner- fine actually prevent sham marriages?

Posted by Jimmy at 2005/02/01 10:28:57.

An excellent point Jimmy - how will it actually help? I can't help but think this is just going to do more harm than good.

Posted by John at 2005/02/01 10:31:06.

Nice piece John - just the right amount of personal ire to lift the discussion out of the morass of paranoia which is endemic these days. I quite agree with your sentiments (is this a clue to an impending engagement?!?) There will always be "ways around" a system for people to cheat. So why upset decent, innocent people in the process?

Posted by Nigel at 2005/02/01 13:21:06.

According to the IND section of the home office website, you don't have to get this certificate if you get married in an Anglican church.

This opens up an even bigger can of worms about what the home office believes a "sham wedding" consists of.

So, if you're a member of the Anglican church (i.e. Church of England, etc), you're to be trusted, but if you're a muslim, hindu, jew or even a catholic, then you need to be checked thoroughly before being allowed to get married.

Posted by John at 2005/02/02 24:35:14.

... or, indeed, a Methodist.

Posted by Jimmy at 2005/02/02 24:43:42.

Well I guess this also points to the "other" modern trend of not getting married at all! Perhaps the Government are saying that as it is becoming more common-place *not* to get married then suspicion must surely be thrown on anyone with the temerity to suggest such a union! There has to be an alterior motive...

Posted by Nigel at 2005/02/02 21:34:36.

That's right Nigel ... anyone who's married must be a shady charcter. Just don't tell the Mrs!

Posted by Jimmy at 2005/02/03 08:38:57.

This is bloody madness. Although, I'd argue that YOU are a foreigner, being from north of Watford. Also, I am a foreigner because my family mostly hails from either Scotland (which is a different country) or Portsmouth (which should be).

Damn the Home Office, this is ridiculous!

Hang on, we're ALL foreigners!

Posted by Rob Lang at 2005/02/03 14:26:27.

Kate's Posh, which is worse than foreign. Will I have to pay POSH tax?

Posted by Rob Lang at 2005/02/03 14:27:11.

Speaking personally - I'm foreign. My ancestors came over to Blighty with the Anglo-Saxon invasions - me being tall, blue-eyed etc. Married a Scot though... Hope they don't come asking *me* for £135... :\

Posted by Nigel at 2005/02/03 16:48:44.

Rob, I think that should read PLYMOUTH. I know it begins with the same letter, but in Portsmouth they speak ordinarily - in Plymouth well............

Posted by Mad Mumsie at 2005/02/04 15:02:43.

Easy to get confused. Sorry.

Posted by Rob Lang at 2005/02/07 10:04:57.

The laws of Britian concerning religious and cultural freedom is why the American Revolution started in the first place. Many people fled Britian for religious freedom. Britain countered with a tea tax and taxed seemingly everything they could get their hands on. So, we revolted. I agree with you fully that taxing foreign marriage is rediculous. Secondly, giving exception to those who belong to the Church of England discriminates against other fellow Christians. I'd say that if one really wants to stop sham weddings, one should charge £500 to divorce.

Posted by kyteroo at 2005/03/26 16:35:11.

I agree its a load of old bollocks too people. I married a Thai lady in the UK last year. The entire process that we have had to go through to be together here in the UK as two human beings has been heart wrenching and incredibly costly. Why cant people be encouraged to live together, no matter what colour or class. It only results in a stable mixed society of hardworking tax payers.

My wife is now working fulltime caring for the elderley in a hursing home looking after the old war heros of our country and putting more into the system than many benefit claiming lazy scum bags

Posted by Anthony and his Thai Wife Nok at 2005/04/05 20:57:47.

I met my girlfriend just before her asylum claim was refused - how much shit do you think the fascist brown shirts at the IND are going to give us when we humbly beg permission to get married?
Think i'd rather emmigrate to a more civilised country to begin married life than jump through the countless hoops i'd have to over here.
Did you go through the process already John? I've experienced how UK immigration treat asylum seekers like shit, can I expect the same when going through the marriage bureaucracy?
Christ almighty, she's a catholic and I'm an agnostic/atheist, we're fucked!!!

Posted by Rhedize at 2005/05/30 22:59:19.

Actually the fee is now £295. THEN they ask you to answer a bunch of questions in affidavit format (even though they don't tell you WHAT that format is) and have everything sworn by a solicitor - in 14 days.

Posted by Lara at 2007/06/05 12:40:12.

hi i was wondering if possible you could help me i would like to get married in a register office but my fiancce is a asylum seeker but he allow in the uk

Posted by louise at 2007/08/12 13:15:04.

If you want to marry a forgien national then just go to scotland and have your wedding there as the law are much easier also its nicer up there.

Posted by Richard at 2007/08/28 21:04:41.

Louise, you need to check the IND website. My fiance had to apply for a Certificate of Approval. He applide back in June and we are still waiting to hear back

Posted by rachel at 2007/09/26 21:42:09.

I sincerely hope someone can please advise me. I am a Singapore national but currently working in Hongkong. My boyfriend of 2 years who is a South Korean national is currently studying in Manchester. We plan to marry In March 08 but we are clueless if we are able to marry in UK instead of flying back in Singapore or Korea. Can a kind person please advise if we can marry in UK?

Posted by samantha at 2007/12/18 12:28:23.

That's very bad and must knocked out immediately;

Posted by Richieuk at 2008/08/01 21:16:03.

Haha...What a fuckin farse, excuse my french. Next Thing'll be That The Scots Wont Be Allowed To Marry English, Welsh Or Northern Irish People, Respectively...This Just Goes To Show How A Wee Bit Of Paranoia At The Top Can Send A Country Down The Pan...I Intend To Marry My Canadian Girlfriend In The Future, But This Takes The Arthur Bliss, Am I Right?...Being That I Am Only 17, And She 16, And Even WE See Something Wrong With This, Surely Mixed Nationality Couples Wont Stand For This...I See Another 'Fathers For Justice' Type Fiasco Coming In The Near Future...Just Hope My Old Batman Costume Still Fits...

Cheers ;)

Posted by Sean at 2008/08/07 18:21:04.

hi all this law sucks.i have japaneese girlfriend and we wanted to marry in japan but apparently it wont be recognised in uk.so uk wedding it is,now to read this takes the piss.any advice appreciated will look into getting married in scotland now.

Posted by dave at 2008/08/18 19:07:49.

HI all, this is rather disenheartning, as I live in USA, my long time friend of about 6 years, she lives in Birmingham, we have been a 'couple' for most of this year, and I (and her) do want to be togeather allways, to be married, I plan on comming to UK in next few months, but looking through all these hoops and laws, seems to me, the only way we can be togeather is if i 'sneak' and we get *aherm* illeagly married and prey we never get caught,
Is it truly so hard for 2 lost souls, who been through a sht storm in life, to finally find each other only to be told "tough luck, heres way too manny impossable rules and regs, so suffer forever apart"?
B.T.W. I am an adult, and so is she, we are 43 and she's 35, all we want is to be togeather allways, I am not lazy or a horrendous criminal, and ideas or leads anyone can give?
TY all

Posted by Alexander at 2008/10/02 05:18:13.

Dave: if you happen to read this page again - unless the law has changed in the last 18 months to two years, I believe Japanese marriages are recognised here in the UK. My wife and I got married there, and we were then able to get a spouse visa for her to live in the UK based on that.

Friends of ours (another English/Japanese couple) actually did recently get married here in the UK, and I don't think they had a particularly hard time of it, so perhaps these new laws have now been relaxed.

Posted by John at 2008/10/05 10:26:36.

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