samedi 16 octobre 2010
Recently read an article in the daily free newspaper about a new idea from your favorite and mine, l'Etat Français. "Mariage blanc" is a "green-card wedding" wherein both parties are fully aware that the marriage is so that one can get residency papers.
The new no-no is "mariage gris" wherein the French person thinks that it is for real, and the foreigner is doing it just to get residency. The new law has been voted and would punish the foreign by up to 7 years in prison and 30,000€ fine. Good grief! They don't even give those sorts of prison terms for murder!
For "mariage blanc" the current penalty seems to be 5 years in prison and 15,000€ fine. (for one or both parties, not specified in the article)
The government says that it is "en faveur des victimes d'escroquerie sentimentale" (victims of emotional fraud.)
Example questions that a mixed couple will have to answer:
Date and circumstances of meeting
Whose idea it was to get married
Amount of knowledge of the language and culture of the partner
Dates and places of vacations spent together
Future plans as a couple
Familiarity of the partner (address, telephone number, etc.)
Yeah. Good luck asking Alain all that.
When and where did you meet? Um, awhile ago in the US.
Whose idea was it to get married? Definitely hers.
Dates and places of vacations spent together? Um, we went to the US a few times, I'm not really sure when.
Future plans? Um, not get divorced?
Her birthday and middle name? I forget my own middle name and birthday, how do you expect me to remember hers? (Seriously, he has asked me "Is my middle name Francis Jean-Louis or Jean-Louis Francis?" "Francis Jean-Louis dear." "What day was I born?" "(month) (day) (year) dear.")
Good god, I have no hope. I'm gonna be deported or thrown into a French prison!
There are some voices against it, mainly saying that it is unconstitutional because it targets a certain sector of the population, that it is difficult if not impossible to prove someone's feelings, that the French half of the couple would have much more power over their spouse (Do this or I will denounce you to the Prefecture), and that it is not an obligation in the Code Civil that a couple must be in love to get married.
The proposed law still has to be voted by the Senate, and then approved by the Constitutional Commission.
The new no-no is "mariage gris" wherein the French person thinks that it is for real, and the foreigner is doing it just to get residency. The new law has been voted and would punish the foreign by up to 7 years in prison and 30,000€ fine. Good grief! They don't even give those sorts of prison terms for murder!
For "mariage blanc" the current penalty seems to be 5 years in prison and 15,000€ fine. (for one or both parties, not specified in the article)
The government says that it is "en faveur des victimes d'escroquerie sentimentale" (victims of emotional fraud.)
Example questions that a mixed couple will have to answer:
Date and circumstances of meeting
Whose idea it was to get married
Amount of knowledge of the language and culture of the partner
Dates and places of vacations spent together
Future plans as a couple
Familiarity of the partner (address, telephone number, etc.)
Yeah. Good luck asking Alain all that.
When and where did you meet? Um, awhile ago in the US.
Whose idea was it to get married? Definitely hers.
Dates and places of vacations spent together? Um, we went to the US a few times, I'm not really sure when.
Future plans? Um, not get divorced?
Her birthday and middle name? I forget my own middle name and birthday, how do you expect me to remember hers? (Seriously, he has asked me "Is my middle name Francis Jean-Louis or Jean-Louis Francis?" "Francis Jean-Louis dear." "What day was I born?" "(month) (day) (year) dear.")
Good god, I have no hope. I'm gonna be deported or thrown into a French prison!
There are some voices against it, mainly saying that it is unconstitutional because it targets a certain sector of the population, that it is difficult if not impossible to prove someone's feelings, that the French half of the couple would have much more power over their spouse (Do this or I will denounce you to the Prefecture), and that it is not an obligation in the Code Civil that a couple must be in love to get married.
The proposed law still has to be voted by the Senate, and then approved by the Constitutional Commission.
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6 commentaires:
Ha, yeah David would forget all of that stuff too! He has such a bad memory.
That mariage-gris thing sounds awful. There is no way to prove what people think when they get married. It does give a lot of powers to the French person and I can see it becoming a sad weapon against the foreigner if things turn out badly in the relationship.
It pisses me off enough that two non-foreigners can get married just to get tax breaks from the government, but as soon as we're talking about a Frenchie and non-foreigner who get married for a residency card, that's highly illegal. Yet neither marriage has anything to do with love and both are just ways to trick the government into giving them something.
bloody hell...yet another anti foreigner type law. along with us getting our french nationality revoked if we kill a policeman.
obviously I dont plan to, but it does make me think that if only immigrants can get their nationality revoked, then no immigrant can ever be truly French?
nice. remind me why I work, pay taxes, buy a house, start a family, contribute to french society, because there are moments when you do have to wonder ...
we met a couple in Los Angeles who did this...but in the states. Strange, but I guess it works for both of them. The live together, but sleep in different bedrooms and she wants to go back to France and he wants to stay in Los Angeles.
I think our husbands need to start studying pronto!
That would indeed be impossible to prove. And I suppose it would be really sad for the duped party, but then it would be if the marriage was only for money or another reason as well. It seems to be a national sport these days in France - find another way to deport some foreigners.
That's hilarious ad so typically French.