Mr. Knabel's company has been in business for eleven years. He says just five percent of the marriages have ended in divorce, a claim that is difficult to confirm.

He points out that the Federal Bureau of Investigation must do a background check on a man before he can bring a woman to America.

DAVID KNABEL: “What protects the lady is when the FBI does their background check, and if this guy’s got a criminal record he’s not going to be allowed to bring a lady here.”

CHRISTOPHER CRUISE: Other requirements involve the agency known as ICE, or Immigration and Customs Enforcement. For example, couples must have met at least once in person sometime in the last two years.

A fiancé visa can let people come to the United States. But once they arrive they must get married within ninety days or return to their home country.

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FAITH LAPIDUS: The Tahirih Justice Center is a nonprofit group in the Washington area. It helps immigrant women who have been abused by American husbands. Heather Heiman is a lawyer there.

HEATHER HEIMAN: “We try not to demonize or vilify the international marriage brokerage industry as a whole. We understand that there are some brokered relationships out there that do end in happy marriages. But what we have unfortunately encountered is many situations where brokered marriages have not ended in happy relationships. And unfortunately when abusive situations do occur, the abuse can be horrific."