An increasing number of British Asian women are choosing to marry men from South Asia rather than from the UK.

Whilst it had previously been common for men in the UK to marry in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, often according to their parent’s wishes, this trend may well have changed.

The practice has been affected by changes in immigration law but some women are deliberately seeking their spouse from abroad.

Imrana reveals why she chose her husband from Pakistan. “My first husband was from the UK. But he was an absolute nightmare. He would spend his evenings out with his mates almost every night and would come home stoned regularly.

“The only reason his parents wanted him to get married was because they thought he would settle down and stop smoking weed. They literally dumped their problem onto me.

“His idea of marriage was having someone to have intimate relations with and a cook. Nothing else.

“I eventually divorced him. His constant weed smoking made him paranoid and he started accusing me of having affairs and other idiotic things.

“It took me about two years to be ready to get married again. But this time I wanted a husband from Pakistan. I didn’t want to go through the same experience.”

Imrana was introduced to her future husband through mutual family friends over the phone. After speaking a few times, they decided to get to know each other via regular Skype calls.

A year later Imrana flew to Pakistan with her parents to get married. Although it was another year before her husband was able to move to the UK, Imrana says she has never been happier. “My husband is a family man. He is the complete opposite of my first husband.

“He realises that he wouldn’t have had the opportunity to come to the UK if it wasn’t for me, so he makes the most of it. He got a job almost immediately.”

“And he is so happy to be here so he’s always appreciative towards me.”

Zubaira decided to marry back home to ensure she could sustain the lavish lifestyle she had been brought up with. “My father is a wealthy man and I have been brought up used to a certain lifestyle.

“I purposely wanted to marry a man from aboard so that he could work in the family business.

“This way my parents would be reassured that my husband would earn a certain income and I would be guaranteed the same lifestyle. My husband does what my dad tells him to do, and he is happy to do so because he is also living a comfortable life as a result.”

“The truth is, even with his degree, my husband would never have been able to earn this kind of money or live this kind of lifestyle in Pakistan.”

Tehzeen consciously chose her husband from India rather than a man from the UK.

“It’s quite simple. I earn the money so I can dominate my husband. I run our life my way. He is just grateful to be here.

“I’m not accountable to my husband. He’s accountable to me. I run my own business. He stays home and looks after our two kids. I let him go home and visit his family every two years.

“I send money back to his family every few months so they respect me a lot. If my husband annoys me, I just threaten to send him back!”

Yasmeen shared her experiences of getting married to someone she was introduced to on a visit to the country. “I think we still have this mentality that people from Pakistan or India are backward. They are more forward thinking that people brought up here.

“Both my sister and I went to see potential marriage partners with our families here and the people were just interested in money. The guys were ruled by their mums and lied about their backgrounds.

“Going to India was a breath of fresh air. The families were decent and the men have a better work ethic than the people we met.”

Shazad is from Pakistan and married his wife six years ago. He says that some of his friends have also come to the UK.

“I think many women are choosing to marry from abroad because they can’t trust men from here and they want their children to be bought up with some of their parent’s culture.

“I came to the UK in 2010 and my wife had searched and met potential marriage partners from the UK. She said the guys were spoilt and had a lot of baggage.

“We are a happy couple and we have one child.”