Is Marriage for a US Green Card Valid Under Islamic Law?

Question: I married a widowed woman in the United States to obtain a green card. After receiving the card, I divorced her. Was this right? Before the marriage, we signed an agreement involving a financial transaction. Is this kind of transaction permissible?

Answer: A marriage that is made conditional and entered into with the intention of ending it later is not valid. Your arranged marriage for the purpose of obtaining a green card cannot be considered an Islamic marriage. Physical intimacy and behaviour as husband and wife are not permissible in such a marriage.

Since the arrangement was made only to fulfil official requirements, it can be described as an act of pretence. The parties would have to continue acting both in public and in private. There is no reason to consider it a genuine marriage.

Since the marriage was not valid in the first place, whether you divorced her or not makes no difference. If any prohibited acts took place, they constituted a major sin. You must continue to repent for the rest of your life.

You must fulfil the terms of the agreement and settle any financial transactions between you. However, since the entire arrangement involved sinful conduct, both parties should distance themselves from it and seek Allah’s (SWT) forgiveness through sincere repentance and istighfar.