1,200 residency applications linked to ‘bogus’ marriages

IMMIGRATION officials believe nearly 1,200 applications for residency in Ireland last year were linked to suspected ‘bogus’ marriages.

A growing number of marriages of convenience are now posing a serious challenge to immigrant services, Justice Minister Brian Lenihan has claimed.

The Department of Justice has also uncovered a system of cash payments where citizens from other EU states are being offered inducements to enter into bogus marriages.