You could get married in Cancun

True love waits for no one — except maybe the Homeland Security Department.

Red tape has put weddings on hold for about 10,000 U.S. citizens seeking visas for their foreign brides and grooms as the department works on new paperwork for their applications.

The form change was required as part of a law, enacted in March, to protect foreign mail-order brides from abusive American spouses. But Homeland Security missed its deadline three months ago, putting the visa applications of thousands of law-abiding lovers in limbo.

Homeland Security said Tuesday it would send additional forms to the estimated 10,000 couples to get answers to the questions about criminal pasts and marriage brokers. But it said it was still waiting for the White House Office of Management and Budget for approval of those forms and the new application.

OMB spokeswoman Andrea Wuebker did not have details immediately on the additional forms, but said the new applications were approved Monday in an emergency clearance process. It was not clear when the new applications would be distributed to the public.

Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Washington, rapped Homeland Security for getting cold feet about quickly processing the new regulations that she helped write.

“Security and safety should be their top consideration, but their long visa process delays are putting a lot of people’s lives on hold,” Cantwell said in a statement.

Bill Hall, a lovelorn Vermonter, said he’s frustrated with the visa delays for people trying to follow the law at a time the Bush administration is grappling with giving other benefits to immigrants who have slipped into the U.S. illegally.

Ah, love conquers all. Almost.