Fall in number of sham marriages

There has been a dramatic fall in so-called sham marriages due to a crackdown incorporating gardaí and civic registrars.

New figures from An Garda Síochána show 450 marriages of convenience were halted over the past two years.

However, one renowned solicitor claimed some registrars were being “over-zealous” in applying existing regulations, while some couples intending to marry are being put off from doing so by a mistaken belief that the right to marry depends on their migration status.