Risking being repatriated and "loving" strangers for two years, would you rather fake marriage than stay in Australia? It sounds like a fantasy, but there is a group of Chinese who are taking risks. They lurk in Chinese forums to post blind dates, spend hundreds of thousands of yuan, night and night guard against immigration to check, just to ask for an Australian green card.
"my man, who has been holding a green card for more than five years, is fully confident that a woman in guarantee has been granted Australian status through commercial marriage and charges 70,000 Australian dollars (about three hundred and thirty eight thousand six hundred and ninety nine yuan) for non-payment. If you intend to send me an email, please send me an e-mail."
In the marriage section of a Chinese forum in Australia, this kind of special "commercial marriage stickers" abound. Unlike regular couriers, they are looking for "customers" who can bring them Australian dollar income or Australian green cards instead of their partner.
Commercial marriage is a popular form of immigration in Australia in recent years, commonly known as "fake marriage", refers to by pretending to marry or live together with Australian citizen or green card holders, thereby deceiving the right of permanent abode in Australia.
It may be because of a lack of learning capacity to stay in Australia through independent skilled migrants, or because individuals have limited funds and cannot afford the huge cash flows needed to invest in migrants; In order to realize their dreams of staying abroad, more and more Chinese are looking at the shortcut of commercial marriage and placing their hopes of settling in Australia on a marriage certificate.
If there`s a demand, there`s a deal.
Australia has been one of the preferred destinations for Chinese immigrants in recent years due to good climate and natural conditions, a free and open social atmosphere, and a superior standard of living and insufficient labor force for basic work.
According to last year`s census by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, immigration to Australia has increased by 1.3 million over the past five years, one hundred and ninety one thousand of them from China, and Chinese have become a major immigrant group in Australia.
The channels of migration for commercial marriages are officially called spousal immigrants. Because Western countries generally attach importance to human rights, husband and wife separation is contrary to Australia`s humanistic values, spousal immigration emerges as the times require. Spouse immigrants now account for about 1/4 of Australia`s annual immigration applications, mainly from India, China, the UK and Vietnam.
Any Australian citizen, or Australian green card holder, can apply for an Australian green card for their partner. But unlike China, Australia`s definition of "married relationship" is more open, not just to registered marriages, but also to de facto marriages. As long as they have a partnership for more than one year, they can apply for a spouse visa, or same-sexcouples.
"I`m 28 years old and I can`t stay here without my status. Almost all Australian companies require Australian citizen status or permanent residency." Zheng Yuan (alias) studied for a master`s degree in urban planning at the University of Melbourne.
Australia`s government adjusts the type and quota of skilled immigrants each year according to the needs of the community. Zheng Yuan`s major has been removed from the immigration list since last year. "I chose this major to emigrate, and now I have no choice but to ask for commercial marriage."
There are plenty of Chinese students, like Zheng Yuan, who have neither the top minds nor the Australian identity, and only one diploma that makes it difficult for them to move through the Australian labour market. But they are not willing to return to the country to fight again, so decided to gamble on commercial marriage.
In addition to Chinese students eager to stay, commercial marriage has become a choice for many middle-aged immigrants.
"I`m old enough to think that this is the most cost-effective way to come to Australia," said Amy, 41, who has been in Australia for five years and now works at a Chinese purchasing agency in Sydney. Listening to her friend talk about Australia`s well-off life, she also moved the mind of immigrants.
"if I want to leave my employer, guarantee, I don`t know anyone who runs a factory, I want to leave skilled immigrants. I`m old and I can`t read, so it`s better to look for a fake marry. Amy found a person willing to "sell oneself" at the Chinese Australian forum and passed the spouse immigration review in 2014. She immediately separated from the Chinese "ex-husband" as soon as she got the green card.
Love is a deal.
The huge demand for immigration has gradually spawned the form of commercial marriage, with Australian green cards moving from seller to buyer like fitness club membership. But according to the Australian Immigration Service, the practice occupies a large amount of valuable immigration quotas and is a form of marital fraud, so few regular immigration agencies are involved in the introduction.
At present, Australian commercial marriage is still in the stage of personal self-contact. Both buyers and sellers advertise in Chinese forums or community Chinese newspapers, seeking further development.
The price of commercial marriage in the Chinese community ranges from 7 to one hundred and fifty thousand Australian dollars (about 33.87- seven hundred and twenty five thousand seven hundred and ninety nine yuan). Because the amount involved is huge, the seller usually lets the customer pay step by step. For example, pay 1-3 before your license, 1-3 when you submit your application, and then pay the balance after you get an immigration visa.
Kevin, a 30-year-old unmarried Chinese, is giving guarantee for the first time. "she wants to come to Australia and I can earn a lot of money and get what I need. It`s a good deal." Asked how much he was prepared to charge, Kevin said, "the Immigration Service is now very strict and requires two people to really live together in order to identify themselves, so the fees I charge are not cheap."
Commercial marriages tend to be paid in cash, because this leaves the least traces of transactions, and so does Kevin. "I want one hundred and twenty thousand Australian dollars, cash only, because the bank has a transfer record, and it`s easy to find out by the Immigration Service."
Kevin thinks his offer is fair because not only can he have no other personal feelings for two years, but he is also at great risk. "in fact, the risk of fake marriage is our locals! They haven`t come to Australia yet, they won`t lose anything, at best the money will float in the water. But if we are found out by immigration, we will be immediately revoked and repatriated. "
Kevin also has a girlfriend who has been in love for a year, but says he will consider breaking up with his current girlfriend if he does find a client.
"as long as the buyer and seller cooperate with each other, there is generally nothing wrong with commercial marriage; the problem is often due to the reports of the closest people around. Now that I`ve decided to make this money, I have to be the same as I really am in order to be safe. "
In front of immigration, we`re all actors.
"the first time he met, he handed me a long list of personal interests, habits, and other questions that the Immigration Board might ask. We made up a love life like memorizing the answer, "Amy sighed as he recalled his experience of business marriage." -.
The success rate of spousal immigrants is usually low, with 70,000 applications for spouses in Australia between 2016 and 17, according to official figures, but the final pass rate is less than 70 percent. Because "fake marriage" is rampant, the Australian Immigration Service has been more rigorous in recent years on spousal relations, ranging from interpersonal relationships, bank bills, large housing to housing, social security, and censors.
"you also need to provide several contacts when submitting your application. Many of my friends around me have received calls from immigration about my relationship, "Amy recalls.
It will now take at least two years to get a spouse`s green card. Applicants are usually granted a temporary residence visa six months after submission, and the Immigration Service will need an additional 1 to 2 years to verify the applicant`s marital status.
Therefore, in the commercial marriage process, the buyer and seller really need to live under the same roof for a long time. But in addition to making a show in front of immigration, both sides can live their own lives, just share rent, utilities and other living costs.
"We go out once a month and post group photos on Facebook," Amy said. The interaction is awkward, but it`s all about acting. "to be real, to convince the Immigration Service, we need to do this."
"earn a little money reasonably."
Kevin doesn`t think it`s wrong to "sell oneself out". Instead, he feels he`s just taking advantage of his advantage and doing what he`s supposed to do. "there is so much demand in the market right now that I just make a reasonable hole and make a little money."
In fact, for every Australian citizen or green card holder, he can only earn such "small money" twice in his life. Australian immigration laws require Australian residents to apply for visas only for two spouses, guarantee, with a five-year interval for each nomination. This partly curbs the profit of some people through repeated commercial marriages and prevents the excessive proliferation of spouse immigration visas.
Despite the growing crackdown on "fake marriage" by Australia`s government, there are still many Chinese desperate to take the illegal and embarrassing path. For those who desperately need to stay but have no alternative, commercial marriage may be their last straw to live in Australia.
Zheng Yuan will still visit the forum once a day, he hopes to find both cheap and sincere sellers.
"who cares whether it is illegal for him to enter into a business marriage. I just want to get an ID and get a job. "
