New laws are on the way to crack down on people entering into sham marriages to cheat Immigration.

Labour and Immigration Minister Derrick Burgess told the House of Assembly that phoney matrimonial unions were a worldwide problem.

He said: "On a daily basis, we pore through news clippings from countries including but not limited to: the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, the Caribbean and Europe."

He said since an amendment to the Marriage Act, which requires couples to apply to the Registry General for a marriage licence and to publish their banns in the newspapers, it is thought there's been a reduction in sham marriages.

"However more must be done. Later this year we will be tabling amendments to both the Marriage Act 1944 and the Bermuda Immigration and Protection Act 1956 to make it an offence for persons to enter into a sham marriage or to arrange such a marriage for personal gain. In addition, we intend to make it difficult for a non-Bermudian to derive any benefit from the Bermuda Immigration and Protection Act if we determine that they are in a sham marriage."