Internet Marriages on the Rise

The New York Times reports more immigrant couples living in separate countries are now utilizing online video chat services to marry despite the distance. These internet marriages are a modern form of proxy marriages that date back centuries and allow a couple to wed even without the presence of one or both spouses. The article states that while the procedure is used infrequently in the United States, it is increasingly being used in immigrant countries "where people are seeking to marry partners from their homelands without the expense of matchmaking trips abroad." However, this modern form of proxy marriage can raise concerns of marriage fraud and make it easier to trap women in trafficking networks.

Cindy Pham is a third year law student at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law and contributes to IAALS Online. Please direct inquiries about this post to iaals@du.edu.