AstroM,
Nobody is being penalized for falling in love, and the government is not stopping anyone from getting married.
The government is minimzing the risk that aliens will come to the USA and become a burden on the US taxpayer.
The sponsorship requirement does not apply to marriage-based immigrants only.
Yodrak
QUOTE(AstroM33 @ Jun 23 2006, 04:27 PM)

What I don't get about the income requirement is that it seems that it unfairly targets poor people. I completely understand that the government does not want another financial burden on its hands if the fiance comes over and uses taxpayer-funded programs because there is insufficient income, but what about the thousands if not millions of US citizens who are married and live paycheck to paycheck? In this case it seems to me that the government is saying only people with a certain income level are able to fall in love and get married.
I personally will not have a problem with this requirement, but when I think of countless others who will be penalized for simply falling in love I can't help but feel sorry.
Just my two cents.