Recently, Indian groom and Polish bride have been arrested just before they were to get married for they are alleged with entering into ‘sham’ wedlock. When the couple with two of their witnesses was going to perform their wedding formalities at the Oxfordshire Register Office, Oxford, the officials informed the UK Border Agency of possible intentions of assisting illegal immigration.

Along with the couple, both the witnesses have also been arrested. The registration wedding service was operated by the Oxfordshire County Council that considers matters like fake marriages as a serious offense. Whenever they encounter such cases, they report to the country’s respective agency responsible for immigration services. Following the raid at the Oxford Registration Office, the UKBA officials performed seizure at two more addresses in Oxford as part of the investigation into false marriages.

As per reports, false marriages have been growing in number in the UK. The previous year, a total of 529 cases were reported by various registrars in England and Wales. Compared to the figures of 2008, last year’s figure was up fifty-four percent. Regarding the increasing instances of sham marriages, the UK Border Agency considers a few factors accountable. The factors include the tougher immigration regulations in terms of illegal work and entry. The agency is committed to take actions whenever it feels that a marriage is not genuine or is reported of any such case by any entity. In most cases, the UKBA is informed of suspected fake marriages by registrars.

The UK Home Office has cleared that they hold the rights to act against people, who try to abuse the immigration rules with any of their actions, be it false marriages. If they find a marriage is not genuine, the people are sure to face challenges.