LONDON, ENGLAND, April 10, 2006: Britain’s tough new rules to end and expose the notorious back-door immigration practice of “sham marriages” have been judged discriminatory to non-European and non-Christian immigrants and incompatible with the European Convention of Human Rights. The extraordinary decision by the London High Court strikes down the British government’s 14-month-old crackdown on a practice said to involve thousands of non-European Union (EU) immigrants. In an ironic coincidence, the court ruling came within hours of a separate decision on a notorious British Indian couple who have already been jailed for running a “marriage factory”. The so-called “marriage factory” run by Jaswinder and Darshan Gill, “sold” British passport-holding spouses to illegal immigrants from India in a scam that lasted many years. The British judge ruled it discriminatory to prevent a non-EU immigrant from marrying at will whilst in the UK. From February, 2005, people born outside the EU and who hold a mere six-month British visa, must seek special permission from the Home Office to marry. This rule applies only to non-EU visitors belonging to the Hindu, Sikh, Muslim or any faith other than Church of England. The rule does not apply to non-EU visitors who worship in the Church of England. It is not yet clear if the British government will appeal against the court ruling.
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