Re: Sham Marriages

After watching most of a Hollywood film called 'The Proposal', I decided to do some research on fake marriages. I remember meeting a cis woman my age when we were both in our late twenties, and her being open about being potentially willing to enter such a situation. There was no specific person in sight, but she professed an in-principle desire to help a personable and virtuous being attain Australian citizenship. At the time, I thought this was a nice thing to have in mind. I also knew that I could never do it myself, wanting to be free to pursue relationships that are heartfelt and soul-enriching. 

The woman's sole and ongoing marriage happened with an Australian citizen, and is based on love. Maybe she was "young and idealistic" in her late twenties. Some other women are not so privileged - they are financially struggling and/or otherwise vulnerable. (Sham marriages include payments of thousands of dollars.) Women are socialised to put their own needs second, and are celebrated for being 'of service' to men and the community. I imagine a certain kind of woman(, non-binary person or man) who suffers from low self-esteem would feel like they are helping out a desperate soul secure a better life for themselves. A combination of suppressed self-concept, financial hardship and that socialisation to be of service might fit the typical profile of an Australian willing to participate in a sham marriage. 

It is sad that many people who want to immigrate to Australia are not provided with the ability to do so. Resorting to fraud can, in a certain light, be seen as a last resort on behalf of possibly well-intentioned people who just lack the resources to immigrate through the legal pathways. On the other hand, if you want to participate in Australian culture with goodwill, to start off lying to the community about your relationship/s is the wrong way to go about it. The law is there for a good reason, probably helping individuals avoid exploitation and abuse. 

I think that an Open Borders policy would dramatically reduce the amount of people obtaining scam marriages. Would-be immigrants who have enough initiative and resources to catapult themselves into Australia and start integrating into its society should be able to stay as long as they wish. I realise the tendency is to make citizenship by naturalisation more difficult and not less, but if it were up to me I would remove as many legal obstacles as possible. I recognise the value of immigrants from multiple perspectives: social, cultural, economic... 

It's not too late to reverse the trend and increase Australia's legal immigrant intake. Let those who want to move do so. Down with sham marriages, long live Open Borders!