Reality TV to help immigrants find a wife – and a US visa

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http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article3218054.ece

California's latest addition to the reality television opus is set to focus on the hopes, dreams and heartbreak of would-be immigrants into the United States and it promises to cross some borders of its own – those of decency and good taste.

Who Wants to Marry a US Citizen? has yet to land a network deal, admit executives from Morusa Media in Los Angeles, but they have already selected a first pool of contestants and are in talks with at least one cable distributor.

Each episode would feature a panel of three foreign-born men already in the US on temporary visas – or illegally – submitting to questions from an American bachelorette. Only one would finally be chosen to join her in matrimony. The more important prize, however, would be the chance to circumvent the visa-application process and secure permanent residency.

Just how heartwarming an immigration incarnation of the dating show formula would be is open to some doubt, however. Its creators clearly mean to exploit the rise of illegal immigration as a hot-button issue in the presidential election season as well as the desperation of millions of foreign-born nationals struggling to stay in a country that is increasingly hostile to them. If the show is picked up, its creators may also be accused of fomenting unethical, if not illegal, activity. Marrying a US citizen for the sole purpose of obtaining a Green Card, which extends residency rights, rather than for love is considered fraudulent by immigration authorities.