An alarming investigation found Facebook was being used as a shop window for UK-bound migrants to find a ‘wife’, as sham marriages have be used to blag visas.
Illegal migrants can use Human Rights laws to try to remain in the UK if wed to a British citizen (Image: Getty Images)
The Home Office has vowed to leave “no stone unturned” in stopping sham marriages after a probe found UK-bound migrants were using Facebook ‘lonely hearts’ ads to secure visas. It has been claimed social media sites have become marketplaces for migrants to find British illegal brides and grooms, as having a UK spouse boosts chances of remaining here under Human Rights laws.
Messages posted to matchmaking groups on Facebook include a 20-year-old male “struggling with visa hassle” looking for a “contract or real marriage” – while another said they were “looking for a groom for a UK Illegal Bride [sic]”. Examples were found across eight public Facebook groups aimed at migrants looking for genuine marriages. Meta removed the content after The i Paper flagged it to the tech giant.
Most of those posting shared information about what they were looking for in a partner, but many openly stated their wish to gain legal immigration status.
One message read: “I am looking for [a] bride in UK. I am asylum seeker. I live in Ilford.”
Yet another explained: “I want to be straight up, looking for a UK citizen bride for my brother-in-law who is in the UK on a carer’s visa. No shame in saying it how it is…”
One man offers himself as a husband with “unwavering commitment” in exchange for helping secure a job he claims to have been offered where the salary fell short of UK visa requirements.
Others creepily use their own settled status to attract prospective partners, claiming: “I am seeking a bride who needs to extend her visa.”
A 34-year-old man living in London, whose visa issues are “settled,” posted that he wants to help others “going through these struggles”.
Those who enter into a sham marriage break UK laws. Official data is not routinely collected, though such marriages are thought to be rare.
Freedom of Information requests published by openDemocracy found only 1.2 per cent (1,319) of 107,432 marriages, flagged as suspicious between 2016 and 2022, were in fact fake.
Dr Peter Walsh, senior researcher at Oxford University’s Migration Observatory, said: “Most people using the partner migration routes will be in genuine relationships.
“There have long been reports of people attempting to arrange marriages for immigration advantage, including through informal networks. What social media appears to do is make this activity more visible and easier to organise.”
A smartphone displays a folder of social media applications, including Facebook, (Image: NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Couples who come under suspicion are investigated. They must provide paperwork such as bank statements or tenancy agreements, as well as being questioned about details of their lives, including what side of the bed they sleep on.
Those found to be involved in sham marriages can be deported or refused entry to the UK. While entering a sham marriage is not a specific offence, it breaches other laws, including facilitating unauthorised immigration.
In some circumstances, the fraudsters face prison and a criminal record, with Walsh noting there were 11 convictions between November 2018 and May 2024.
For those helping genuine couples navigate Britain’s immigration system, the revelation of fraudsters being able to operate freely on a major social media platform is frustrating.
A member of the Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association said: “I am disappointed to learn that these practices exist and operate so openly. We work with a lot of genuine couples who meet the rules.
“The impact of these sham marriages on genuine couples just wanting to get on with their lives is concerning and deeply regrettable.”
Meta, who own Facebook, confirmed they removed the content flagged by the investigation “for violating our policies”.
While a Home Office spokesperson said “no stone is left unturned” in their investigations into the practice.
They added: “Early disruption through the referral and investigation scheme plays a vital role in stopping sham marriages, dismantling organised criminal networks, and preventing leave being granted in the UK when it is not deserved.”