Chinese nationals who marry non-Chinese Canadians may be among those likely to be flagged by Citizenship and Immigration Canada as being involved in bogus marriages, documents released under Access to Information reveal.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada spokeswoman Nancy Caron said in an emailed statement that the instructions were: "issued to (immigration) officers nearly five years ago in response to an observed, temporary spike in cases of marriages of convenience. The instruction has not been active for more than three years, as the conditions that led to the instruction being issued subsequently changed."

Canadians who apply to sponsor a spouse or common-law partner must submit several documents, including a marriage certificate, a questionnaire, proof of divorce if either partner was previously married and evidence the applicant lives with the sponsor. Couples may also submit wedding invitations or photos.

AMONG THE RED FLAGS LISTED:

Chinese nationals, often university students, marrying non-Chinese;

Photos that don’t include parents or family members, but rather small groups of six to 10 friends;

An “uneducated” sponsor, with a low-paying job or on welfare;

In wedding photos, the couple doesn’t kiss on the lips;

Couples who don’t honeymoon, even for a weekend, “usually because of university and/or no money”

There are usually no “diamond” rings;

A small number of professionally taken wedding photos;

Photos of the couple wearing the same clothes in various locations;

Photos of activities together are often taken in the Niagara Falls area, Niagara-on-the-Lake and Toronto.

OTHER FACTORS IMMIGRATION OFFICERS WERE ADVISED TO LOOK AT:

Previous relationships of the sponsor and the applicant and the length of time between a divorce and a new relationship

Whether Chinese surnames are unusual or common ones such as Wang, Huang, Li or Chen;

How much the sponsored spouse has to gain from permanent residence and whether they have taken previous steps to obtain it — a failed refugee claim, for example;

The length of time the couple has known one another, and whether they met, cohabited and married within six months

Whether there is an age gap of 10 years or more between the partners;

Whether there are significant differences in the education levels or ethnic backgrounds of the partners.

Vancouver immigration lawyer Steven Meurrens said he was surprised by some of the instructions. Meurrens obtained the document from Citizenship and Immigration Canada, which had previously released it under Access to Information.

“Why Chinese people are singled out I have no idea, and then that they’re training officers to be suspicious of people of lower income and lower education when they get married, I thought that was pretty offensive.”

Meurrens added that he has not seen evidence in his immigration practice that C.I.C. officers are applying any extra scrutiny to those specific groups of people.

tcarman@vancouversun.com

Twitter.com/tarajcarman