http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marriage_of_convenience
A marriage of convenience (plural marriages of convenience) is a marriage contracted for reasons other than the reasons of relationship, family, or love. Instead, such a marriage is orchestrated for personal gain or some other sort of strategic purpose, such as political marriage. The phrase is a calque of French: mariage de convenance - a marriage of convention, or marriage of suitability. In the cases when it represents a fraud, it is called sham marriage.
Marriages of convenience are often contracted to exploit legal loopholes of various sorts.
A couple may wed for reasons of citizenship or right of abode, for example, as many countries around the world will grant such rights to any wedded resident.
U.S. Immigration (USCIS) can punish this with a $250,000 fine and five-year prison sentence.
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