Sham marriages have been for long a scourge and a means by which people traffickers and other criminals earn illicit fortunes for arranging them. Recent changes in the law have made it necessary to issue a new briefing paper on the subject, superseding the three previous papers, 8.13, 8.38 and 8.49. At the same time a revised version of briefing paper 8.9 – ‘Immigration and marriage – the legal position’ is being issued.
From Control to Dependence: A Review of the Work Visa System
Britain’s work-visa system has been redesigned repeatedly over the past twenty-five years, each time in the name of restoring control. The data tells the opposite story.
September 25, 2026
