HC Deb 09 July 1979 vol 970 cc4-5W
Mr. Marlow

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department under what conditions it is permissible for fiances and fiancees to enter the United Kingdom for arranged marriages with intended spouses (a) if they have previously met and (b) if they have never met.

Mr. Raison

The immigration rules contain no specific prohibition on entry for arranged marriages whether or not the intending parties have previously met. The main provisions are as follows.

A man seeking to enter for marriage to a woman settled here, and intending to settle himself, should not be admitted unless he holds a current entry clearance issued for that purpose. An entry clearance will be refused if the officer to whom application is made has reason to believe that the proposed marriage would be one of convenience entered into primarily to obtain admission here with no intention that the parties should live together permanently as man and wife. The holder of an entry clearance should be admitted for three months with normally, a prohibition on employment. Commonwealth citizens with clearances issued upon proof that one of their grandparents was born in the United Kingdom and islands should be admitted for settlement.

A woman seeking to enter to marry a man settled in the United Kingdom should be admitted if the immigration officer is satisfied that the marriage will take place within a reasonable time. She may be admitted for a period of up to three months and it may also be appropriate to impose a prohibition on employment. No entry clearance is required.