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Tens of thousands of couples across the United States are racing to get married by April 30．This is the result of a new law that makes illegal(不合法的)immigrants(移民) legal(合法的)if they marry by then．
The law has sent marriages rising by 50 percent to 300 percent this year in immigrant-rich Los Angeles, Houston and New York．The new law, passed in the last days of the Clinton administration(任期)，contains a large number of measures to help immigrants and their loved ones become legal．
Critics(批评家)say it also brings many marriage frauds(诈骗)．A key aspect allows immigrants to look for houses while remaining in the USA－if they are married to a citizen or legal resident and hand in applications by April 30．After the date, applicants will have to return to their native countries to deal with their paperwork－a requirement that could take as long as 10 years．
Demand for marriage licenses in Manhattan this year jumped from 100 a day to more than 300．The Los Angeles County registrar(户籍员)recorder's office supplied 12 997 marriage licences during January and February, and 59 percent increase over last year．
Critics say the new law encourages false marriage．There are a lot of frauds as people rush to make use of this window．In the past cases citizens or legal residents were paid US ＄10 000 or more to marry illegal immigrants in which immigration is concluded may be investigated for as long as the years after the vows．
“It's not worth the risk to attempt an illegal marriage, ”says INS spokesman Bill Strassberger．
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