§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what arrangements exist for the Registrar General to pass on information about suspected bogus marriages to(a) his Department, (b) the police, (c) the Immigration Service and (d) other relevant authorities; [78598]
(2) what guidance is currently given to registrars as to the circumstances which give rise to suspicion that a marriage will be a sham marriage for the purpose of evading immigration control; and what steps they should take to investigate such circumstances; [78602]
(3) what requirements are currently made of registrars to report marriages which they suspect are being entered into for immigration purposes to the Registrar General. [78599]
§ Ms HewittLong standing informal arrangements exist for the Registrar General to pass information to the Immigration service. No arrangements exist for passing of information to the Home Office, the Treasury, the police or any other relevant authorities.
Where a superintendent registrar suspects that the proposed marriage of a person from abroad has been arranged for the sole purpose of evading statutory immigration controls, he is advised to report the rule facts of the case to the Registrar General.
No specific guidance is issued to registrars defining what might be a sham marriage. They are advised to report the full facts of the case, including their reasons for believing the marriage to be one of convenience, to the Registrar General. The facts and the registrar's supporting 523W comments are then taken into account by the Registrar General in deciding whether or not to pass on details of individual cases to the Immigration Service.