) ‘Forced marriage: the risk factors and the effect of raising the minimum age for a sponsor, and of leave to enter the UK as a spouse or fiancé(e)

Abstract

The research was conducted in the context of debates in the UK and elsewhere in the European Union about the consequences of increasing the age for a sponsor, spouse or fiance(e) as a way of preventing at least some cases of forced marriage. In April 2003, the UK raised the age at which a person could sponsor a partner to enter the country for marriage from 16 to 18 years. In April 2003, the Immigration Nationality Directorate (now the Border Agency) raised the age at which a person could sponsor a partner to enter the UK for marriage from 16 to 18 years. In December 2004, the age of spouses or fiance(e)s seeking entry to the UK was also increased to 18 years. The intention behind this policy change was to give extra time for young people to mature, which would help them resist unreasonable family pressure to marry. The research sought to establish whether the new legislation has had this intended outcome, and also to explore what the likely effect would be of increasing the age to 21 or 24.