Mail order brides became a part of American history during the mid 1800's. Many pioneering men came to the West alone. Once they had land, they needed a wife. They spoke of their needs in letters and wrote to the newspapers and churches in the East. Their letters were answered by women who wanted to find a husband. By the twentieth century, mail order brides were located in developing countries. They were interested in husbands from financially secure countries such as America.
The Agencies
Numerous agencies make it easy for a men to find a bride. There are two main types of international agencies. The first sells male clients information regarding potential brides. The men and women correspond prior to meeting in person. The second offers tours where the man visits a foreign country and meets women at social events. A high percentage of mail order brides currently come from Southeast Asia. Many of the men live in Eastern Europe. The Russian mail order bride is ideal because there are ten women for every eight men in the country.
The Legality
Mail order nuptials are legal. Although this area of law is usually unregulated, the practice has been addressed by federal law. The IMBRA defines the disclosures and rules of the marriage brokers. In 2005, the IMBRA was passed. This demanded full disclosure of the criminal, marital and financial history of the potential groom to the prospective bride prior to consent. Mail order brides are also provided with information regarding their resources and rights concerning spousal and child support, domestic violence and immigration.
The Safety Factor
Many women including the Russian mail order bride find themselves in desperate situations. The good news is that there have been protections established for these women by the VAWA or Violence Against Women Act. There are provisions for women who come to live in the United States. If an immigrant bride is victimized by domestic violence, she does not need her abusers' assistance to apply for a green card. In the past, a Baltimore federal jury awarded $433,500 to a woman in a suit against her international marriage broker. The owner of the agency arranged a marriage to a man with a proven past of violence against females. The broker was found guilty of unauthorized appropriation of the woman's name and likeness, wanton and willful negligence, deceptive and unfair trade practices and fraud. This type of situation is what the current laws were created to protect against.
The Marriage
According to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services or the USCIS, the divorce rate for arranged marriages is lower than the national average. An astounding eighty percent of these marriages have lasted through the years. The USCIS has determined email correspondence and brides through mail order account for four to six thousand marriages between foreign brides and American men every year. Online services for Russian mail order brides are promising, but it is important to make certain the international marriage broker selected is legitimate. This may be the beginning of happily ever after.