People may want to move to another country for a variety of reasons, the most common ones being political, financial and emotional. Unfortunately, unless you have citizenship for that country, or if you are coming from an EU country and trying to move to another EU country, this is a difficult process.

You have to deal with visa and work permit issues. If you are willing to move to USA permanently, your ultimate goal is to get a green card. Even if you are qualified as an individual (you have the right education, you speak the language, you have abroad experience...), you still have to go through a lot of paperwork. It is even harder if you have neglected some of the rules, or if you just want to make a new beginning the legal way (but immigration laws and officers don’t care much about your passions and dreams). Maybe you fell in love with a person from another country and you want to live in their country…

Because the procedures are complex, time and money-consuming, sometimes people try to take an “easier” but not-so-legal route and engage in fake relationships and get married to be eligible for citizenship.

Because these issues are very common and universal, screenwriters take this opportunity and turn it into charming films- mostly comedies. Here are 3 of the most popular films, in chronological order.

Green Card (1990) starring Gerard Depardieu and Andie MacDowell

Written and directed by Australian director Peter Weir, Green Card is indeed an international effort, with the French lead Gerard Depardieu conveniently portraying a French character (Georges) and American Andie MacDowell plays the American female lead (Bronte).

Green Card is set in New York, where horticulturalist Bronte has found the perfect apartment. The apartment has its own greenhouse but unfortunately it is only available for married couples.

Georges is French and he wants to live and work in The States. Through their mutual friend Anton, they make a deal. They meet to get married and then go their separate ways. Unfortunately, US government is being strict about immigration fraud and they want to make sure they are indeed a married couple in love. To Bronte’s dismay and inconvenience, Georges moves in to her flat. From then on, it is the ultimate test of endurance towards each other, as they are very different in nature. Green Card is a romantic/comedy/drama. Please note that Peter Weir’s writing was nominated for Best Original Screenplay Oscar.

French Kiss (1995) starring Kevin Kline, Meg Ryan and Timothy Hutton

I previously wrote about French Kiss in another factoid of mine called 5 Movies Set in France. Unlike Green Card, French Kiss is not directly about immigration issues. However, one character’s conflicted situation inspires some very complicated and funny issues that form the heart of the film’s comedic nature. Please note that my previous factoid mentioned above concentrated on the film being set in France and not the immigration issues.

Meg Ryan plays Kate, an American living in Canada with her long-term boyfriend/soon-to-be-husband, Canadian Charlie (Timothy Hutton). Their picture perfect romance gets interrupted when Charlie goes on a business trip to France. When Kate gets dumped for a French woman, she leaves for France despite the rules of immigration, as her citizenship is work in progress. But her trip gets to an eventful start. First she meets French Luc (Kevin Kline), who uses her to get something valuable from the customs (without her knowing). Then she gets her bags stolen. She is left without a passport and any money. Of course Luc is following her around, claiming that he feels responsible for what happened to Kate as he is French. But in reality, he is after the expensive necklace he put in Kate’s backpack. Broke and without a passport, Kate first goes to the American Embassy. But she is dismissed, as the official unhelpfully sends her to the Canadian Embassy. However because she violated the rules and had a minor mishap as a teen, her application is denied. Now without country, Luc seems like the only way to get Charlie back.

French Kiss is a romantic comedy, written by Adam Brooks and directed by Lawrence Kasdan.

The Proposal (2009) starring Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Mary Steenburgen and Betty White

Margaret (Sandra Bullock) is a workaholic and tough book editor at a prestigious New York firm. However she happens to be Canadian. Buried in work, she has neglected her visa procedures and now she is facing deportation. She realizes that she needs a last-minute emergency solution and decides that her assistant Andrew (Ryan Reynolds) is the solution. But of course Andrew hates Margaret and he has no intentions of helping her out. After all, he will be facing serious charges if they are caught. So he blackmails his way into a much-deserved promotion. Margaret grudgingly agrees and they go to Alaska to meet Andrew’s family. Of course they lie and pretend – unwillingly- to be a doting couple. But things get complicated when Margaret starts to care for Andrew’s loving mother (Mary Steenburgen) and the lively but 90-year-old grandmother (Betty White). Things get even messier when Andrew and Margaret start developing feelings for each other. Now, can Margaret bear to keep lying to this family?

The Proposal was written by Pete Chiarelli and directed by Anne Fletcher. It is a very entertaining romantic comedy. Here’s a fun note: In real life, Ryan Reynolds is Canadian and Sandra Bullock is American.