IELTS route to marriage, immigration in Punjab
FARIDKOT: Women in Punjab have turned the tables on men, and how. Matrimonial sections in vernacular dailies are full of advertisements looking for brides who have cleared the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) with a good score, called band.
So sought after are girls with a band of 6.5 or more, which makes them eligible for entrance to a university abroad, that the grooms not only promise to foot their fees but airfare and other expenses as well. All this in the hope of a permanent residence abroad.
IELTS is accepted as evidence of English language proficiency for study, work and migration in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the UK, as well as for study and work in the US. The minimum IELTS band required for studying in Canada is 6.5.
An advertisement in a Punjabi newspaper reads, “25-year-old Jat Sikh boy looking for a graduate girl with 6.5 bands in IELTS. He is ready to bear all the expenses of marriage and foreign studies of the girl in Canada.” Similarly, an advertisement in the grooms wanted section reads, “A girl with 6.5 bands (in IELTS) looking for a boy ready to bear the expense of her study in Australia. The marriage will be contractual till the boy gets permanent residency.”
ALL EXPENSES PAID
The groom’s family is expected to undertake the expenses of the marriage and the girl’s travel to the foreign country. Experts say this entails a minimum expenditure of Rs 20 lakh on part of the boy’s family. While in some cases, the marriage is entered into as a contract, in others, it is unconditional. Amanjot Singh, who runs an advertising agency in Bathinda, says such advertisements have become commonplace in the past couple of years. “Sometimes, people ask us whether we know girls who have cleared IELTS,” says Amanjot.
Varinder Singh, 28, a resident of Ludhiana, recently married a girl who cleared the IELTS. He says he took this decision after he failed to clear the exam. “It’s not a deal but mutual understanding as my wife’s family is poor. She is aware that her parents will not be able to fund her education,” says Varinder, adding that the roots of this trend lie in the increased awareness about the perils of taking an illegal route to foreign shores. Maninder Singh, who runs a visa consultancy, agrees. “It’s good that youngsters have stopped looking for illegal routes to migrate, and would rather study hard.”
CASTE NO BAR
Harbhajan Singh, who runs a marriage bureau in Moga, says in most of these cases, the families even overlook caste considerations. “This trend is a boon for girls whose parents don’t have to spend a rupee on the wedding, what to talk of dowry. It’s reverse social engineering,” he says.
While there have been many happy endings with the couple settled abroad, there have been isolated cases with a bitter end. In January 12, 2018, Sukhjeet Singh, 25, of Hariya village in Baghapurana, Moga, shot himself after his wife allegedly refused to facilitate his migration to Canada. Satnam Singh, 28, of Chhiniwal Kalan, also committed suicide for similar reasons. Gurbhajan Singh, a writer, laments that materialism has reduced marriage to a transaction. “Daughters have become a marketable product, which spells doom for this relationship. Social, educational and religious bodies must campaign against this mindset,” he says.