Man Used Wedding to Obtain Permanent Residency
"Cannot Be Considered as Genuine Consent"... Marriage Annulled
A woman in Australia, who accepted her boyfriend's proposal to hold a 'fake wedding' for social media (SNS) uploads, later realized that it was actually a 'real wedding' and filed an annulment lawsuit. The man was found to have orchestrated this in order to obtain Australian permanent residency.
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According to foreign media including the UK Guardian on the 6th, Ms. A, who lives in Melbourne, Australia, filed an annulment lawsuit against a man she met on an online dating platform in September 2023.
The two met online, regularly met up and enjoyed dating, and after the man's proposal in December of the same year, they continued a serious relationship. The incident began two days after the proposal. The man suggested to Ms. A that they attend a 'White Party' held in Sydney. He also said that according to the party concept, all attendees had to wear white clothes and told Ms. A to bring a white dress.
However, upon arriving at the party venue, Ms. A realized that aside from the man, a photographer, the photographer's friend, and some guests, there were no other attendees. Seeing that others were not wearing white clothes, Ms. A felt suspicious and asked the man, "What is going on?"
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The man then claimed that he had prepared a 'prank wedding' for his Instagram, where he has over 17,000 followers. He excused himself by saying, "It was fabricated to increase Instagram followers and generate revenue," and Ms. A accepted this explanation. The wedding ceremony, including vows and the kiss, proceeded according to formal procedures.
Two months after the wedding, the man asked Ms. A to add him as a dependent on her Australian permanent residency application. Ms. A replied, "I cannot do that because we are not married." Then the man made the shocking claim that the wedding in Sydney was real.
Ms. A later discovered documents such as a marriage certificate she had not signed and realized she had been deceived by the man. She immediately filed an annulment lawsuit in court, and the judge ruled the marriage null and void, stating that "A did not genuinely consent to participate in the marriage."
Meanwhile, under current domestic law, if a declaration of marriage is made due to fraud or coercion, the marriage registration can be canceled. If the marriage is based on fraud or coercion, a cancellation lawsuit must be filed within three months from the day the fact is discovered, so prompt action is necessary.
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