No one is forcing foreign brides to marry foreigners. Moreover, the modern industry is based on fundamentally different principles—modern mail-order brides can choose grooms and build authentic relationships with them, and the system itself is more like regular, traditional dating.
Still, there are important legal aspects you should be aware of, and we’re going to explain them in this guide.
Reliable mail-order brides sites
Modern mail-order bride platforms are designed to help people find the best people and build romantic, long-distance relationships before they set up a date in real life. We’ve chosen the best sites that meet all the most important quality criteria—take a look and make your choice.
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Key differences between mail-order spouses and human trafficking
The government of the United States defines human trafficking as the activity that involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or sex act.
Mail-order brides, in turn, are women who are voluntarily looking for spouses overseas and have the right to divorce them, as well as the legal right to learn everything about a potential husband’s criminal records before they marry him.
You can see the main differences between mail-order spouses and human trafficking in the table below.
| Mail-order bride industry | Human trafficking |
|---|---|
| A woman makes her own decision to search for a husband overseas and isn’t tricked into cross-cultural dating | A person is tricked into illegal activity by using manipulation, empty promises, romantic relationships, and sometimes force of different kind |
| A victim notifies family and friends about her decision, and if she meets a man, she introduces him to her closest ones | A victim is disconnected from her family and friends |
| A mail-order bride doesn’t receive any financial compensation for being in a romantic relationship and, in particular, physical intimacy | A person is engaged in commercial sexual acts |
| A mail-order bride makes her own decisions and choices before and after getting married | A person is disoriented, submissive, and confused |
| A bride has the right to go anywhere, divorce, move, etc. | A person doesn’t have a freedom of movement |
A mail-order bride is a person who has all the rights and freedoms and isn’t forced into any kind of activity. That’s the main reason why the mail-order bride industry has nothing to do with human trafficking.
Problems of mail-order spouses
Still, it would be wrong to say that mail-order spouses and their partners never face any kind of problems. Potential difficulties and main concerns are as follows:
- Concerns about physical and sexual abuse. On the one hand, the person who arrives in a new country to get married is dependent on their spouse in every sense. That may cause problems if her partner turns out to be a manipulative and violent person. However, there are acts and laws protecting mail-order brides in such cases, and we’ll talk about them in more detail below.
- Language barrier. It not only complicates communication between spouses but makes it harder for a mail-order bride to assimilate into a new society.
- Problems with employment and financial concerns. Problems with employment are not only related to the above-mentioned language barrier but also to education that may not be valid in a new country, employees’ prejudices, and all that results in financial dependence on a husband, especially in the early stages of marriage.
- Difficulties with visa and deportation worries. Mail-order brides can legally enter the country and stay, but the process is time-consuming and complex, and a bride may be deported if she fails to meet the existing requirements even after she gets her visa.
Though these difficulties are real, there are ways to overcome them, especially if both spouses are motivated to build a happy and healthy relationship.
Legal frameworks governing mail-order marriages
As we’ve noted previously, mail-order spouses can legally marry foreign citizens. Of course, there are certain regulations for such marriages, and we’re going to explain how they work below.
Visas for mail-order brides
Here’s the most important thing to consider—a mail-order bride is just a foreign citizen who’s going to marry an American citizen (that goes for most other Western countries, too—the main principles are very similar, so you can rely on them even if you’re from the UK, Canada, Australia or another country).
In the case of the US, a bride can apply for a K-1 visa, enter the country, legally marry her boyfriend, and stay, but the major requirements will be as follows:
- A couple must be able to prove that their relationship is authentic and that they’ve met in person within 2 years.
- All the necessary documents, from divorce certificates to medical exams must be provided, and all the fees must be paid.
- A couple is interviewed, and if everything goes well, a visa is approved, and partners must get married within 90 days of a bride’s arrival.
That’s what a legal procedure really looks like. If a couple wants to get married in another country and then go to the US, a mail-order wife will still need to apply for a foreign relative visa.
IMBRA & VAWA acts
IMBRA and VAWA acts are aimed at protecting foreign brides. Marriage brokers must share information on a man’s criminal records and other information that may prevent a bride from making a decision to marry this person, and women who’ve already married American men and suffer from any kind of abuse have more rights can get legal help, and won’t be deported if they decide to get divorced. Both acts are aimed at protecting human rights and preventing mail-order bride abuse.
Dispelling myths
The main reason why some people believe mail-order brides are related to human trafficking is that some myths are still strong, and we’re going to bust some of them.
- Mail-order brides aren’t motivated by money or migration itself. Their main goal is to find a decent man and start a family.
- Foreign girls for marriage build authentic relationships with men before they agree to marry them.
- You can’t choose a bride from a catalog or marry someone you’ve never met in real life.
- Mail-order brides’ rights are protected; the women aren’t fully dependent on their husbands.
Modern mail-order bride dating is more like regular dating—people meet and build relationships, and they decide to get married only if both realize they’ve met the right person.
Expert opinions and insights
Are mail-order spouse human trafficking? No, they are not. The thing is, the concept of modern mail-order brides is the opposite of the concept of human trafficking. The freedom of will is what makes most mail-order marriages work. Technology lets us build emotional connections and bonds even at a distance, and I’d rather say this is an essential condition for making cross-cultural relationships work.
