Obsession & Love with Foreign Ladies

This debut guide outlines potential pitfalls for Americans engaging in foreign mail-order–bride visa arrangements.

Eden, who writes that he spent “several years visiting foreign countries in search of a soul mate,” says that “Americans who are looking for love in foreign countries and wish to get married on fiancée visa” should “be aware of risks, burden and betrayal and future pitfalls” of the process. In topical, one-page chapters, most only a few paragraphs long, he discusses what foreign women may expect when agreeing to a marriage, particularly regarding financial recompense for themselves and their families. The entire text of the chapter “Buying Gold & Diomonds [sic],” for example, is as follows: “Fiancée might insist and expect petitioner to buy gifts like, gold and diamonds for family members. There will be ongoing demands and expectation to involve petitioner to spend enormous amount of money for the love.” Other topics include “Credit Problem of Fiancée,” with Eden noting that “the petitioner has [an] option to escape from this kind of situation,” and “Scammers and Con Artists,” which says that after two years of marriage, a woman may “move out from their husband on their own if they wish to do so where the petitioners have no control.” Debut author Eden clearly has passion regarding this subject. This slim guide might have been strengthened by providing more detail about the real-life experiences that prompted the author to proceed with such care in these matters. However, his commentary, which consists of simple but often stilted prose (as some of the above quotes attest), offers little that’s hopeful or positive. Instead, it’s more focused on how American men may make a “great escape from the unforeseen circumstances, if ever encountered,” and spends a lot of time foreseeing those circumstances.

A sad glimpse into the titular fixation, but one with useful, cautionary warnings.