Washington — On last Friday, the Trump administration has declared new norms for handling the child bride petition cases. This action has been taken after the government realized that thousands of requests from men across the country were made of late to bring the child and adolescent brides. In this regard, it has to be said that the administration has also approved such applications or requests. But, the growing number of such requests is the main concern right now. This is why the new rules are brought into the action.
According to the ministry of US Citizenship and Immigration, it was in the process of updating the norms of giving approval to the marriages involving the minors. The state has always wanted that these marriages happen to abide by the laws. The state is also concerned about the consent of the minors involving in the marriages. Through various levels of scrutiny, the state wants to ensure that marriages happen with the full consent of the minors. They must not be forced by others.
No Minimum age for application for Visa as Spouse and this Provision is being exploited
According to the data, around 5000 petitions were submitted in last month on behalf of minors for permission for the marriage to the state authority. On the other hand, there are around 3000 cases, where minors have applied themselves to become spouses or partners of their chosen men. This approval of petition has been regarded as the first stage of the two stages of the visa application process.
As per the current law, there is no minimum age requirement for applying for a visa when the person is applying for a visa for being the spouse of a US citizen. The immigration center only conducts the investigation to check the validity or legality of the marriage. In many countries, the marriage of minors is legal. This is why they can easily apply for a visa in the USA. Now, the problem is such applications for visas are escalating and thus the authority is trying to bring some strict rules to stop such applications.
Child marriage or forced marriage is already a common concern for the country. In the USA, it is not uncommon to see that minors are involving in marriage. Though there are some restrictions, marrying minor bride is possible in this country. The absence of strict law in this regard is considered as the major concern. In the future, efforts shall be given on limiting child marriage and forced marriage. The first step is to start it with the immigration and citizenship rule of the country.
As per the reports, the changes in US Citizenship and Immigration Services will not change the child marriage policy. It would not try to stop that in case of marriage with consent. However, the age needs to be limited. Administration and Congress will decide this limit. So, in the upcoming time, we may be able to see some strict actions to be taken against visa application from minor as the spouse of the US citizens.
From 2007 to 2017, in this period more than 5000 applications are made to bring minor spouse in the country. On the other hand, there are 3000 applications which seek visas for bringing older spouses in the country. Such immigration loopholes should be stopped with strict measures.