CHANDIGARH: The Canadian immigration authority issued a fresh warning against marriage fraud, cautioning foreign nationals and permanent citizens about the legal consequences of entering into relationships solely for immigration purpose.
As the fraudulent practice, locally termed "contract marriages" or "ticket marriages" typically involves a bride (or her family) agreeing to take the groom to Canada on a spouse visa in exchange for the groom's family funding her education, travel, or immigration expenses.
These type of cases keep coming especially from Punjab.
Following this, the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued the advisory through a social media post highlighting concerns over fraudulent marriages and "relationships of convenience" used to obtain Canadian immigration status.
In a post of X, IRCC wrote, "Think carefully before marrying someone and sponsoring them to come to Canada, especially; if you’ve just met, the person wants to get married quickly, the person has been married or in a common-law relationship many times before, the person hasn’t shared much information about their background or family. Avoid scams and learn the rules for sponsoring a spouse."
Terming it as relationships of convenience, it further added that in some cases, sponsors and foreign applicants enter a "relationship of convenience." This is a marriage, or a common-law or conjugal relationship, the sole purpose of which is to let the sponsored spouse or partner immigrate to Canada.
"Our officers are trained to recognize genuine immigration applications. They know how to detect false marriages and false common-law or conjugal relationships. They have many ways to spot marriage fraud, including document checks and interviews with both sponsors and applicants. Canadian citizens or permanent residents who are in a relationship of convenience for immigration reasons may be charged with a crime," it added.
The IRCC also used the advisory to reassure immigrants facing domestic abuse that their immigration status does not depend on remaining in an abusive relationship. "You don’t have to stay in an abusive relationship to keep your status in Canada. You have the right to seek help. If you’re married, in a common-law or conjugal relationship with a Canadian citizen or permanent resident who is abusive, you don’t need to live with them to keep your permanent resident status," it read.
The warning comes as Canadian authorities have intensified oversight of immigration programmes and visa applications. The Canadian government has in the past few months announced measures aimed at strengthening the integrity of the immigration system, including stricter scrutiny of temporary residents and student visa applications.
This advisory comes amid increasing incidents of alleged contract marriages involving cheating brides in Punjab. In several cases, a groom who fails to meet the eligibility requirements for the IELTS examination reportedly finds a prospective bride who performs well in the test and pays for her education, travel and stay, with the expectation that she will later sponsor or facilitate his move to Canada on a spouse visa. After reaching Canada, the woman allegedly cuts ties with the groom and his family, leading in some cases to litigation and police complaints in India.
In February this year, Punjab Police had registered two separate cheating cases against women who allegedly migrated to Canada after marrying men whose families bore the wedding expenses, and later severed ties upon settling abroad.
In a complaint to the police Gagandeep Garh of Bathinda alleged that he married Priya Garg of Baghapurana in Moga district. Her parents sought Rs 17 lakh for onwards marriage expenses and later took another Rs 5 lakh to facilitate her travel to Canada. After reaching Canada, she allegedly refused to sponsor him and cut off all contact with him and his family. The police, upon investigation, registered a case against Priya Garg, her father Vijay Kumar, and her mother Santosh Rani at Bathinda Civil Lines Police Station under sections 318(4) (cheating) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
In another case, Kuljeet Singh of Bibiwala village in Bathinda, complained that he arranged the marriage of his son Jasbir Singh with Gagandeep Kaur of Mehma Sarja village in Bathinda and spent Rs 25 lakh on the marriage for sending their daughter-in-law abroad. However, after reaching Canada, Kaur allegedly refused to take his son with her, further severing all ties with his family. After conducting an inquiry into the matter, a case was registered against Gagandeep Kaur and her father Tota Singh under sections 318(4) and 61(2) of the BNS at Nehiawala Police in Bathinda.
These type of cases follow a pattern seen in several similar complaints in the past. One such case was registered by the Barnala police on August 26, 2025.
Last year Punjab Police exposed a major racket alleged orchestrated by Sukhdarshan Kaur and her 24-year old daughter, Harpreet Kaur, who lived in Surrey, B.C. The duo targeted at least seven young men across Punjab (including Khanna, Bathinda, and Moga) by organizing fake engagements and marriages over video calls. They alleged extracted over rs 1.60 crore ($200,000 USD) under the pretext of wedding expenses, student tuition, and emergency funds before ghosting the victims. Police raided a fake engagement ceremony, arresting the mother, brother, and an accomplice, while an international Look-Out Circular was then initiated for the daughter.
Sukhdarshan Kaur was then arrested along with two others, would allegedly use the photographs and videos of her daughter Harpreet as a prospective bride for those wanting to get married and settle abroad. Harpreet had gone to Canada on student visa and was there on work permit.
Sources in the Punjab Police say that fraudsters place newspaper advertisements or social media posts showcasing a bride who either has a high IELTS score or is already settled in Canada on a student or work visa. The groom’s family agrees to bear all expenses ranging from Rs 15 lakh to upwards of Rs 40 lakh—covering airfare, college tuition fees, and dowry. After the marriage is solemnized and the bride reaches Canada, communication drops. In some extreme cases, brides return to India secretly to marry another suitor to repeat the cycle.