Dear Auntie Kate:Please can you help with advising us? We are in a desperate spin, the worry of all this is caursing many sleepless nights and ill health. I'll explain myself as best as I can below. I live in London and my fiancé lives in Sunnyvale, California. We have had the wonderful fortune of seeing each other three times this year, without which we would have gone crazy. We talk an hour a day with out fail, and it's the highlight of our day hearing each others voice. Having a long distance relationship has been comforted by our families total agreement and blessing. We both share a Grandmother of 84, she is overjoyed that we have found each other's love, and our parents knew long before the penny dropped for us that we were in love with each other. Being in love is the greatest gift and is held so close and cherished. We see each other next in two weeks as Samantha is flying over to London for Thanksgiving weekend, and then again when I fly over to California with our Grandmother for Christmas! I'm so excited ;-). Our lives have been so enriched by loving each other and being honest with our feelings that were held back for so many years. The reason for writing is to ask you for advice or to be pointed in the correct direction for an answer.. I have been engaged for 1 year to my first cousin. We wish to marry and live in California, soon after her US citizenship is granted (she is 16 months into the process). She has been a Californian resident for 28 years. We have known each other for 30 years. We understand that it is legal for first cousins to marry in the state of California, but what is the federal law stand on this???? On the fiancé petition question 18 it asks about the type relationship. We have no embarrassment about being honest with the US federal government.
Dear Spinning,
How wonderful that you have such a supportive family! So many have objections which are a burden for a couple in love to bear... You are very lucky!
In the United States, marriage laws are left to the discretion of the individual states. There is no federal law governing marriages whatsoever. When you get to question number 18, fill it out with pride. If you raise an eyebrow at the registrar's office, just smile!
Please come back and let us know when you set the date. Aunt Kate does
love a wedding, and I'm sure the regulars here enjoy seeing who's wedding
and anniversary is coming up on the events calendar. Thank you for writing
to Auntie Kate and Many Happy Beginnings to you both.
Cousin Sarah
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