Inside the Green Card Marriage Phenomenon: An Overview of Completed Study

• In Event: Qualitative Work at the Intersection of Immigration and Crime

Abstract

Complicated immigration system regulates the composition and size of immigrant flow into the U.S. Therefore, legal migration is not an option available for everyone. In 2013 69% of all immigrants who were able to obtain a Green Card did so through family members, and within this category 56% Green Cards were issued to spouses of American. Large portion of these marriages is considered fraud. There are many ways to arrange a Green Card marriage but presented research focuses on one type called “cash for vows”. The purpose of this study is to explore the experiences of people participating in Green Card marriages and to generate a theoretical model grounded in the data that might explain why and how immigrants engage in marriage fraud. It focuses on identifying broad patterns of Green Card marriage type ‘cash-for-vows’ and on the role of Marriage Brokers in the process. The theoretical framework of this study is derived from Neutralization Theory, Rational Choice Theory, and Membership Theory and Crimmigration concept. Data is collected through qualitative interviews with those who participated in Green Card marriage (immigrants, U.S. citizens-spouses, and Marriage Brokers who helped to facilitate fraud marriage). Participants are recruited by using snowball sampling.

Author

• Malgorzata Justyna Zuber, University of Massachusetts Lowell