Yemenis seeking American citizenship pay exorbitant dowries in lucrative marriages of convenience
by Nadia Haddash, Yemen Times, March 7, 2013
Getting a visa from the American embassy in Sana’a is not easy for Yemenis hoping to travel to the U.S., and is especially hard for young, single men. So, many seek an alternative route: marrying a Yemeni-American woman.
By doing so, they typically become American, too, but could be in debt for years—they often have to pay huge dowries for their dual citizen brides.
Walid Al-Asimi, 28, met his wife, a Yemeni-American, in an English institute in Sana’a.
“When I knew that she would travel to America I decided to marry her,” he says. “I was surprised when her father asked me to give $30,000 as a dowry.”
The majority of Yemeni youths who marry women with dual citizenship pay very high dowries, ranging between$10,000-50,000, or around YR 2 million- 11 million. By comparison, a typical dowry paid to a bride’s family in Sana’a is around $4,000 or YR 800,000. The dowry paid to brides’ families in rural areas of the country is much less still. (more…)
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