Why haven't offshore marriages taken off?

[Braunwyn]

Originally Posted by 2mares

Yep. Thats the thing. The majority of men, even if they wanted to, can't afford the process or afford to support a wife. The majority of men are able to find a mate in their own country, actually in their own general area. Perhaps the reason "offshore marriages" havent taken off. There is not a big market for them.

That's what's funny about the net. All men are rich George Clooneys.

[Dane_in_LA]

Is that a trick question?

Looking disinterestedly at the situation, there's a whole load of additional hurdles to clear:

• The basic logistics of importing a spouse. It's not cheap to move internationally. Immigration paperwork is easily a few thousand dollars on top of that. (That's if you do it yourself. Throw a lawyer in the mix, and you're easily looking at 5 digits.)
• Then the spouse faces the challenge of finding employment in a foreign country. Sure, if you bring talent, training and energy, you are likely to eventually get your foot in the door, but it ain't easy.
• Culture chock. It will happen. It strikes later than most think, and it strikes hard.
• And of course, one party to the marriage has pretty much abandoned his/her day-to-day support system.

It can be done - I've done it - but let's not pretend it's easy. If one or the other party comes into the marriage with an ulterior motive - as in, "I just want to get the h.ll out of the place I live" or "I can leverage life in America to bang a more attractive woman than I otherwise could have" - chances for a successful (i.e., lasting) marriage drop further.


Love strikes across country borders, and it can be a glorious thing. But let's not pretend that going overseas for a spouse makes it easier.