I have written on here recently suggesting that there are changes coming across the mail-order-bride industry. They are now on the horizon and looming rapidly into view. Some of you will have read the topic here: The Mail Order Bride Industry and IMBRA is Changing! (At least for Americans) where I discussed some of these changes in the pipeline.
In case you missed some of it, many states in the USA are going beyond the International Marriage Broker Act (IMBRA) and introducing their own state laws. We have some topics right here about individual states as an example; you can click the links below to go to the state topic:
- Texas International Marriage Broker Act
- Hawaii International Marriage Broker Act
- Washington International Marriage Broker Act
- Maryland International Marriage Broker Act
This in addition to a ramping up of the US governments stance against the mail-order bride industry. Here are three of our recent entries on that subject:
- Immigrant Victims of Domestic Violence in the United States
- The Mail Order Bride Industry and IMBRA is Changing! (At least for Americans).
- Information for prosecutors & attorneys: Federal and state regulation of international marriage brokers
Some of you will know of Andrew Wilson (known on some sites as “Andrewfi” or “Andrewfin”). He is a British guy who lives in the ex-Soviet state of Estonia. In recent months, he has been quietly studying the change of direction across the pond in the US as it happens, and contemplating what they denote for the future of both marriage agency owners and their clients. This month he has written a hard-hitting report detailing his findings. You can download a copy completely FREE of charge by clicking this link: Death of the Russian Bride or by clicking on the ghoulish looking red banner you will see to your right hand side. If you are American, and especially if you are in the Russian bride industry operating from the US or catering to US clients, you want to read this.
On the site you land on, you will find a video by the man himself. When you have downloaded the document and digested the contents, you can use this topic for discussion about it by using the comments box below.
Up to now, a handful of US states have tweaked or renewed their rules on international marriage agencies. Do you imagine that the rest of the states will not follow like a pack of cards and jump on this vote-winning bandwagon?
Feminist groups like the Tahirih Justice Centre are the driving force behind these changes. Their message to the public is that men who eschew their local overweight women and seek exotic, sexier and slimmer women abroad must be effectively criminalized. They want men to have to give fingerprints at the local Police Department before they are even allowed to use an international marriage broker or agency to contact a foreign woman. Sound preposterous? Its already here. If you are a resident of Maryland, Washington, Hawaii or Texas, you must do some of this stuff already.
The reasoning behind this is all about “protecting women” and “stopping people traffickers”. They cite a couple of murders that happened to female immigrants by their whack-job husbands as justification or all this. They neglect to mention the 4000 former Soviet Union women given immigration visas that are approved every year; many of whom go on to live a happy family life with their new husbands.
This logic is akin to saying, “Hey, some people died in auto accidents in recent years — lets ban cars and put a stop to it!”
However, what US politician is going to oppose these moves? Do you imagine going against feminist groups is a vote winner? Is enabling “people trafficking” and all the other stuff they would be accused of a vote winner? Of course not. The US politicians will see these moves as a vote winner. They can afford to lose the votes of some guys who seek foreign wives in order to gain many more from the feminists and their supporters. Its a vote winner folks; as unconstitutional as the underpinnings may be.
There will be light at the end of the tunnel. Some big businesses are already making moves to not fall foul of the pending laws but the business models are not ready yet, as the forthcoming laws are not totally written yet.
Watch this space. We’ll bring you the news as it develops!
Do you value your freedoms to choose a partner from any country you want? If you have a comment, please feel free to use the comment box below.
“Does IMBRA apply to agencies outside the US?” I was asked today.
No it doesn’t. US laws are applicable only in the US generally. However, it isn’t as simple as being offshore. The majority of the English speaking market is in the US. That means wherever in the world one is, in this industry, one will deal mostly with Americans. That means US financial institutions and trading in dollars. In some circumstances the US can claim jurisdiction in overseas dollar transactions I recall reading.
The US enacted IMBRA and didn’t bother to enforce it. Many states enacted their own versions and similarly ignored it. Now the wind of change is blowing. We have discussed that on other topics. The industry is unpopular with sectors of society (Tahirih Justice Group for example) that sway votes; all politicians care about. The US government can and probably will effectively make the Russian Bride industry illegal virtually overnight at the moment they see fit (when it is politically convenient). With worldwide effect. How will they do that? Easy. Here are a few possibilities:
*No immigration K-1/3/CR1 visas for foreign women without IMBRA and all state regulations being adhered to, to the letter
*Enforcing current regulations and making any new regulations very difficult for the industry.
*Forcing men to be fingerprinted, etc. as some states have on the books already. Many wont bother even starting this endeavour.
*Doubling or tripling all and any government fees (visa fees for example). The UK already did this. That’s the poor people gone.
*Lean on US corporations to boycott the industry. Pay “Russian Bride” ads on Yahoo have gone already. Google will be next.
*Hit the money source. No US credit cards or Paypal to fund the industry.
*Raise the taxes on domestic agencies; any excuse will do, maybe to help “fund” women’s abuse groups? Payback. There’s a vote winner!
The US government could do this in a matter of weeks. Will they? Informed sources I have spoke to say yes. Its only a matter of when.
In one swoop the above would stop the client flow by restricting the advertising, stop the money flow by taxation, over-regulation and lack of payment processing providers. Oh, and put most men off even trying it with extra checks, fingerprints and other onerous stuff.
I wrote that above in five minutes. Imagine what a team of legislators could write and dream up in a year or two. They have had a year or two already since IMBRA was introduced.
The industry in its current form will die.
From the ashes, a new industry will evolve. As always, you read it here first. Anyone who hasn’t done already should read the report “Death of a Russian Bride”. Stay tuned.