Sham marriages have been for long a scourge and a means by which people traffickers and other criminals earn illicit fortunes for arranging them. Recent changes in the law have made it necessary to issue a new briefing paper on the subject, superseding the three previous papers, 8.13, 8.38 and 8.49. At the same time a revised version of briefing paper 8.9 – 'Immigration and marriage – the legal position' is being issued.