The Canadian Conservative government has undercover teams in foreign countries working to crack down on immigration marriages of convenience.

An unidentified government source told the Globe and Mail newspaper as many as five people work in each team and report to the Department of Citizenship and Immigration from areas where fraudulent schemes have previously originated.

The source wouldn't identify which countries the teams were in so as not to tip off the scheme operators and to avoid diplomatic disputes.

In some countries, lavish parties are held with the goal of matchmaking for a Canadian spouse, the report said.

Anyone who is allowed into Canada as a spouse of a citizen qualifies for permanent residency, which is much more lenient than the United States, where the 1986 Immigration Marriage Fraud Act grants conditional status to someone who marries a U.S. citizen. The couple is then interviewed and, if officials deem their marriage genuine, the spouse is granted permanent resident status.

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