IN the last two years and in the first four months of the current year, marriages performed by the Saipan Mayor’s Office were mostly between U.S. and non-U.S. citizens.
Though Saipan Mayor Juan B. Tudela said this may “not be a scientific finding” to conclude that sham marriages are rampant on the island, he nevertheless said that his office’s finding which he described as “startling,” “can be understood by the grassroots community” that “personally know individuals or neighbors that have been involved either willingly or unwillingly in such…marriages.”
Data compiled by the marriage section of the Mayor’s Office showed that out of 192 marriages in 2000, 94 or 49 percent were marriages between U.S. citizens and non-U.S. citizens, who were mostly Asians and Europeans.
The number of marriages between non-U.S. citizens was 83 or 43 percent of the total while marriages between non-U.S. citizens and those from the freely associated states of Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and Palau was 15 or 8 percent.
In 2001, marriages between U.S. and non-U.S. citizens were 124, or 51.2 percent of 242 marriages. Marriages between non-U.S. citizens were 102 or 42.2 percent of the total number of marriages. Marriages between non-U.S. citizens and FAS citizens were 16 or 6.6 percent of the total.
From January to April 2002, the total number of marriages on Saipan was 49. Out of this, 26 or 53.1 percent were marriages between U.S. and non-U.S. citizens, 18 or 36.7 percent were between non-U.S. citizens and 5 or 10.2 percent were between non-U.S. citizens and FAS citizens.
Tudela did not hastily make a general conclusion based on the figures. He, however, pointed out that it has been well-known for many years that substantial fees and other considerations have been paid in exchange for entering into marriages “that are in reality immigration fraud.”
He explained that in most of such cases, shortly after a legal marriage certificate has been obtained, a lengthy application for permanent residency status in the U.S. will be submitted to the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service on Guam.
Tudela said that if the alien applicant and the U.S. citizen spouse “are successful in convincing the INS interviewers that the marriage is real, a so-called green card will be issued which will enable the recipient to live and work freely in any part of the U.S.”
He added: “It is at this point, that it becomes obvious whether the marriage was a sham or not. The green card holder will depart to greener pastures in Hawaii or on the U.S. mainland, where jobs are plentiful and wages are higher.”
