Wedding ceremonies at a register office in south-west London, were this weekend interrupted by immigration officers, leading to the arrest of the suspected ringleader of a gang behind what they believe was UK's biggest sham marriage racket, The Guardian (UK) reported.

The gang is believed to have arranged up to 300 ceremonies, charging would-be husbands £10,000 to find a bride who could enable them to stay in the UK, but only paid the brides between £1,000 and £2,000 to take part in the marriages. Immigration officials became suspicious after noticing a pattern of women flying on single airline tickets from the Netherlands. They initially believed the women were drugs mules, but further investigations unearthed the marriage scam.

The scam is understood to have involved flying women from the Netherlands - who claimed to be working in the UK - into Britain to marry West African men. Foreign nationals who are married to EU citizens working in the UK are currently entitled to remain here without showing an intention to live together.

The Guardian (UK) also reported that a spokesman said the Asylum and Immigration Act 2004, to be implemented this week, contained new measures designed to combat suspicious marriages. 'The legislation will require non-European economic area foreign nationals who wish to marry to produce a certificate of approval or proof of entry clearance as a spouse or marriage tourist, and give notice of intended marriage at a designated register office,' he said.

Home Office officials are exploring the possibility of giving registrars the power to deny a marriage they suspect is being carried out for the purposes of illegal immigration, or with the use of false documents.

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Expatica News reports that high income, highly skilled expats working in the Netherlands will no longer need work permits.  Instead, so-called "knowledge expats"  earning over 45,000 euro a year will be eligible to obtain residence permits for the period of their work contracts, lasting as long as five years.  Foreign doctoal students as well as postgraduates and university teachers under thirty years of age will not have to meet the income requirement, except that those under thirty must earn at least 32,600 euro.  Knowledge expats will not have to renew the permits unless they decide to stay in the Netherlands permanently, but their family members will have to apply for regular permits.  The migrants will also have to obtain temporary entry visas (MVV), which together with the residence permits will cost 424 euro.  The Dutch government plans to expedite the processing of the knowledge expats' applications, taking no longer than two weeks.  Although the change does not apply to other foreign workers, they, along with the knowledge expats, will benefit from having to deal with only one agency.  This will simplify, if not accelerate, the process.  Students will be eligible for residence permits and MVVs, but will have to renew their permits annually, at the cost of 50 euro.  

The more liberal policy reflects the government's effort to fill voids in the Dutch labor market and develop a more competitive labor force.  In particular, Economic Affairs Minister Jan Laurens Brinkhorst hopes to give the Dutch economy a more competitive edge by easing restrictions on the entry of foreign engineers and software developers.  Under pressure from Parliament, the Netherlands is still restricting the entry of workers from the ten new European Union member states.  Generally, before a citizen of one of one of these states can obtain a work permit, an employer must prove that no Dutch workers can fill the position, except in certain economic sectors with proven labor shortages.  This policy contrasts sharply with that of the U.K., which opened its borders to new E.U. migrants on May 1.  Citing the fact that only 8000 individuals from these new member states entered Britain in July, Brinkhorst assuages fear of a mass influx of foreign workers.