MONTREAL - When Donald met his wife, he didn't know that it would end up costing him thousands of dollars.

The 54-year-old, whose name has been changed, met the then-24-year-old, a Mexican immigrant living in a women's shelter, online. They married soon after in 2010, and within six months, she was pregnant.

After two years of sorting through sponsorship and immigration paperwork, she left him.

Donald admitted he was naive.

"My situation is appalling," he said. "As soon as she had a bit of security, she started partying. It was two years of marriage in bad faith. She thought she had a free ticket. I called it Loto-Canada."

Now, Donald wants to warn other lonely people who may be tempted by a quick marriage to non-citizens.

"Men are easily tempted by beautiful women," he said. "We are ready to roll out the red carpet, ready to pay, ready to welcome their children like our own."

Despite a brief attempt at reconciliation in July, Donald, who has three other children, has thrown in the towel.

"I woke up too late," he said. "I withdrew my sponsorship, and she sued me for divorce, custody of our three-year-old and alimony of $3,500 a month. More than 50% of my net salary is taken by the government. It will ruin me."

Because they share a child, Donald does not want his ex to be extradited.

And he isn't alone.

"I have male clients who come to my office with a divorce or separation," said Reynaldo Marquez, an immigration lawyer in Montreal. "These are all men who sponsored a foreigner from outside of Canada."

Reynaldo pointed to strategies he often sees used, such as alleging abuse against the sponsor.

"This tells me that many brides know the tricks in the system," he said. "By marrying a Quebecer, it looks like they wanted to a plane ticket to Canada."

An investigation by QMI's sister newspaper the Journal de Montreal found numerous examples of women coming from foreign countries under the pretense of marriage, who then left their sponsor soon after arriving here. In one case, a 62-year-old spent $90,000 to marry a Cuban national. She arrived in Canada pregnant with another man's child, and left her new husband after six days.

A lawyer is currently working on annulling the marriage.

A follow-up showed that the woman is now living with a man who left his wife for her.

"She is now in a relationship with my ex-husband, who left me for her on Nov. 4 and lives with her in my house," said the wife, who asked to remain anonymous. "This girl ruined my life."