Man tells Ontario court he did 'sham marriages' in India to help Indian women immigrate to Canada

An Indian-origin man made a shocking revelation in an Ontario court as the court was hearing a case regarding his marriage. A convoluted plot of deceit unfolded in front of the court and Amratpal Singh Sidhu, the man in question, admitted to the court that he participated in two 'sham' marriages to 'help' Indian women immigrate to Canada, National Post reported. In return, Amratpal received cash and care for his ailing mother.

The case that the Canada court was hearing was between Amratpal Singh Sidhu and his wife Amandeep Kaur. But the court decided they could not be called married after what Sidhu revealed in court.

First marriage to Amandeep Kaur

Sidhu and Amandeep Kaur met while they were both working at Toronto's Pearson International Airport. They decided to get married and they went to India, to participate in a traditional marriage ceremony in 1997. When they returned to Canada, they declared themselves 'single' and there was no formal documentation.

Second marriage to Karamjit Kaur

Shortly after his marriage with Amandeep when they were in India, Sidhu traveled to a town in Inia where he participated in a 'sham' marriage ceremony. The bride was Karamjit Kaur who was to come to Canada. Sidhu and Karamjit Kaur divorced in Ontario in 2001. The court noted that this marriage was formally recognized in Ontario. And this ex-wife will only be recognized in Ontario.

Third marriage to Harjit Kaur

Sidhu went to India again in 2022 to participate in another 'sham marriage' where the bride was Harjit Kaur. But Harjit never immigrated to Canada but there is a marriage certificate.

As all these 'sham marriages' happened, his relationship with his first wife with whom he had three children remained on-and-off. Sidhu claimed his third bride was Amandeep's cousin and Amandeep had been promised $40,000 for assistance in the immigration process and even was present at the wedding. The court said Amandeep denied this.

The court noted that between 2000 and 2017, Sidhu described himself as single while Amandeep's record is dubious, as she described herself as 'married' in some records and 'single' in some. The man claimed ithe court that Amandeep asked him to mention him 'single' in official records for tax benefits.

The judge was stunned by the revelations and said neither party could be believed. “Neither may rely on their own fraud to bolster their own position with respect to the validity of the marriage,” the judge said.