American Citizen Services
Consular Section
Consul General: James Pettit
Phone: 38-044-490-4422/Fax: 38-044-236-4892
6 Mykoly Pymonenka St.
Kyiv 01901 Ukraine
Civil Marriage Process
Marriage Brokers
Information Concerning the Use of Marriage Brokers, Dating Services
and Catalogues
If you have met, or are contemplating meeting, a Ukrainian through
the use of the services of international marriage brokers,
correspondence or Internet contact agencies or catalogues, you should
be aware of certain legal realities that generally preclude issuing
nonimmigrant visas to these persons.
Section 214(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA)
stipulates that Consular Officers cannot issue nonimmigrant (visitor,
tourist, business, or student) visas to individuals whom the Consular
Officer suspects of intending to immigrate to the United States.
Although you may contend that this visit is just to get acquainted in
person to establish the feasibility of a continuing relationship,
these people have, in fact, indicated a desire, willingness and
readiness to emigrate from Ukraine by their decision to participate
in mail/internet contact services.
Furthermore, even in regards to general applications for nonimmigrant
visas, Section 214(b) of the INA places on nonimmigrant visa
applicants the burden of overcoming a statutory presumption of
intending immigration. Visa applicants overcome this presumption by
proving that they have a permanent residence abroad which they have
no intention of abandoning. Proof of an applicant's intention to
return to a permanent residence abroad is generally established by
the demonstration of family, social, economic or other ties and
commitments in another country which will oblige the individual to
return there after a temporary stay in the United States.
As people who participate in mail/internet contact services are by
definition rarely married, they lack compelling family ties to
Ukraine. As they have, through this participation, expressed a desire
to leave Ukraine, any economic and social ties they may have cannot
be interpreted to be strong enough to compel them to return to
Ukraine after visiting the United States.
Because of these legal stipulations, the chances of a person you have
met through Internet or correspondence marriage agencies qualifying
for an American nonimmigrant visa is very remote, and it will most
likely not be possible for them to come to the United States to meet
you.
Finally, you should be aware that Ukrainians generally sign up with
contact agencies because they are looking for a way to immigrate to
Western countries with a much higher standard of living than usually
obtainable in Ukraine. When they agree to participate in these
services, they do not know what type of people they will meet, but
they are willing to take that chance because of the possibility it
affords them of leaving Ukraine. Although we are aware of many happy
relationships which have begun through the use of contact agencies,
we are also aware of many cases in which the Ukrainian partner,
having obtained their true objective (immigration to the U.S.),
abandons or otherwise misuses the trust of the American partner. You
may wish to consider this when deciding to use such a service. The
decision, of course, is entirely yours, and neither this Embassy nor
the United States Government takes an official position on this issue.
