What can I do when a TA asks me to marry her so that she can obtain a green card? [closed]

Question

This pertains to an American university graduate program.

A TA recently surprised me with a proposition to marry her (we've neither dated nor hooked up), so that she could obtain a green card to stay in the United States -- she wants to leave the STEM fields and go into the creative / artsy stuff (eg, dreams of having a creative career in Los Angeles), which means she likely won't earn a work visa to stay in the US.

She essentially offered a blank check from her family, so long as the amount is less than the investment green card amount of 500k dollars (something that I did not know even existed).

My question is: putting aside legal, personal and ethical questions, what are the academic implications of this situation? At what point could I get into trouble with the university; from having such discussions with her or later, if I actually did something? Could I be dismissed from the university or have my degree revoked later on? What about implications regarding any funding that I might have from the university or from the government (eg, grants, loans)?

Edit: Thanks to those offering marriage strategies and interpretations of the law, but I had hoped to stay on-topic and focus on the academic implications. Currently, I am reduced to voting for an on-topic answer that I have some qualms about, since, as mentioned in Dan Romik's comments, the answerer focuses on reporting harassment, when I have not been harassed at all. Perhaps the community can vote to reopen the question to allow for more, on-topic answers.

Answer 1

You haven't specified what you role is in this university. If you are a professor/lecturer/instructor, then you are one level of power ahead of her, and any romantic or sexual involvement can be considered as harassment and can lead you to a huge problem and potential job loss. Moreover, it is highly unethical, as there is a power difference between both of you.

If you are a student of her, then she holds the power in your relationship, and so you could contact the Title IX office and claim she is harassing you because of such approximations.

In any case, as it has been already commented, her suggestion is something totally illegal, apart from unethical and irresponsible.

Answer 2

I am a U.S. citizen and happen to have a foreign spouse, so I've had some personal experience with this.

It could conceivably work if the two of you had known each other intimately for some time, even if you had a George Bernard Shaw, separate bedrooms kind of relationship. But if you are just acquaintances, it is unlikely the two of you would get through the interview process successfully. In separate interviews, you would be asked an unpredictable set of questions about your shared personal history. There are sample interview questions posted online, e.g. https://www.usavisanow.com/marriage-green-card/marriage-green-card-faq/marriage-green-card-interview/ and http://www.alllaw.com/articles/nolo/us-immigration/what-happens-green-card-marriage-interview.html.

In addition, USCIS (formerly INS) would need to see documentation that your finances have been shared and inextricably intertwined for some time.

You could enjoy the fantasy together for an evening, with the Dépardieu film Green Card.

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P.S. I have heard about a businessman's visa, which her budget might be enough for, but I don't know much about it.

Answer 3

Since you have posted the question on here already, it means that you actually thought about doing so with her.

I advise not to, as this is clearly illegal ("get married so she can get a green card"). This could result in being fined and put in jail as well (like one comment mentioned about it). See here for more information.

With Trump being the new President, things have gone in a hard way for international students who want to become US citizen to obtain a green card. She clearly does not have confidence in her academic ability to stay here, thus trying to lie to the government by "buying" a green card. You should not deal with liar like this.

P.s: I'm international student.

Answer 4

I'm going to more practical than the rest of the lot, and act as the 'devil's attorney'. In no way am I telling you to do something illegal. I'll be discussing a what if scenario, and maybe a possible book/film plot.

To marry there doesn't need to be love or any kind of other feelings. It'll depend on the amount of time she's willing to wait.

You definitely need to hook up with her, and have some sort of public relationship with her for at least 7-8 months. But by the way the world is heading, the youngsters these days don't even need to be publicly monogamous or faithful, so you'll just post on your face account something crass like as 'open relationship'. Stay with her, go the public events, share several photos on facebook and instagram and all that other crp millennials do. You'll need to know her a lot better, create joint plans for the future(kids, work,etc), even if you do not plan to go ahead with them. You'll need to fake every aspect of a married life. The key is to not over-fantasize. Be truthful in your planning, so as to better sell the idea. Your parents cannot know. In fact, her family should also not know. Do this in a way that she tells her family that she's in fact in love with you, and it's not a matter of a green card. It must look the part in every way. Go to thanks-giving with her, and all that things. You'll need to sell it to your and her family also. Visit her family a few times. If someone tells anything, then it's over.

After 7-8 months together, tie the knot. Afterwards, you'll have to wait for at least a year, year and half, so as not to arouse suspicions. During that period, with some joint account, you start to transfer some small random amounts, in a random time frame, until you get it done. Most divorces happen in two-three years within marriage, in the last months of your arrangement, move out, pretend she was tired of your infidelities. Make it seem like a rough divorce, but not so rough as to make you really mad and spill the beans...

It's never been easier to fake a marriage as in the time we live in.

This would be feasible only for those who would be in it for the long-run, and who knows... you might in fact fall in love with her.

Answer 5

As others have pointed out, you could go to the stripy hole for that.

Her family seem to have enough money, so let’s think about that artsy business she wants. Who would be funding that? Obviously her family are going to have to put in a few $100k for that, if it ever manterializes.

So – for you: run, don’t walk, to the nearest exit. Tell her firmly that the answer so “NO”, and that you won’t discuss the matter again.

That’s all that you need to do – for you. You can stop reading right here.

If you want to help her, try to get it through to her why this is a bad idea. Even if she did find a mug, they could both end up in prison, years later when they had long forgotten their “harmless white lie”; the marriage could be declared illegal & void, she could be deported (after leaving prison) and lose her lovely artsy business.

Perhaps if you explain it in those terms, her family will find that they can afford the full $500k to invest in the business and get her the green card.

(and I would not suggest to her that said business could do business with her family’s business back home, which benefits the family business to the tune of a few $100k ;-)