Documenting courtship eases Vietnamese bride's entry to Canada

Harry Yung wasn't looking for love when he posted an ad online for a tour guide in Vietnam, where he was heading on holiday. But when he felt a romantic connection with the woman who replied, the Canadian of Chinese-Vietnamese descent knew one thing: everything about their relationship had to be recorded.

A training document for Citizenship and Immigration department officers in Canada, which became public last month following a freedom of information request, confirmed that Yung's instinct had been right: officials had been instructed to watch out for bogus marriages involving Chinese people.

There are, according to the document, some red flags to be aware of when looking for a fake union: a graduate from China marrying an uneducated Canadian on welfare is deemed suspicious, as are wedding pictures that do not include many family members and in which couples do not kiss on the lips. The bride's lack of a diamond ring in a wedding picture is also considered to be dubious.

The manual has been accused by some of being racist, for targeting Chinese.

But Nancy Caron, spokeswoman for Citizenship and Immigration Canada, tells Post Magazine that the Canadian government does not discriminate against applicants based on their country of origin or ethnicity: "We will continue to protect the integrity of our immigration system against abuses such as marriage fraud."

Allan Nicholls, president of the Canadian Expat Association, says, for most people, documenting a relationship isn't a common habit when they start dating.