Singapore legislation

Clause 6

of Women’s Charter (Amendment) Bill

Clause 6

New section 11A

The Women’s Charter is amended by inserting, immediately after section 11, the following section:“Avoidance of marriages of convenience11A.—

(1)

A marriage solemnized on or after the date of commencement of section 6 of the Women’s Charter (Amendment) Act 2016, whether in Singapore or elsewhere, is void if —

(a)

a party to the marriage contracts or otherwise enters into the marriage knowing or having reason to believe that the purpose of the marriage is to assist the party or the other party to the marriage to obtain an immigration advantage; and

(b)

any gratification, whether from a party to the marriage or another person, is offered, given or received as an inducement or reward to any party to the marriage for entering into the marriage.(2) However, a marriage is not void under subsection (1) if it is proved that both parties to the marriage believed on reasonable grounds, when contracting or entering into the marriage, that the marriage would result in a genuine marital relationship.(3) A marriage solemnized on or after the date of commencement of section 6 of the Women’s Charter (Amendment) Act 2016 is deemed to be void under subsection (1) if either party to the marriage is convicted of an offence under section 57C(1) of the Immigration Act (Cap. 133) in respect of the marriage.(4) In this section, “gratification” and “immigration advantage” have the same meanings as in section 57C(6) of the Immigration Act.”.