International Matchmaking Organizations: A Report to Congress [pdf]

This report is in response to the Congressional request under Section 652 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (IIRIRA) that the Attorney General, in consultation with the Commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and the Director of the Violence Against Women Office at the Department of Justice, conduct a study of mail-order marriages. The report includes a review of INS records for quantitative data as to the number of marriages facilitated by international matchmaking businesses as well as evidence of domestic violence or marriage fraud in the petitionable relationships which result between U.S. citizens (USCs) or lawful permanent residents (LPRs) and the foreign-born women recruited by these companies. The report also contains a literature review of related topics.