House of Representatives Approves Proxy Marriage in Immigration Matters

17 Nov 2010

Earlier this week, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would recognize proxy marriages involving US military service members in immigration cases. The bill, which would create an exception to the standard regulation that a marriage that has not been consummated by a couple living together after the marriage is not valid for immigration cases.

The new law is called the Marine Sgt. Michael H. Ferschke Jr. Memorial Act, named after the sergeant who found out his Japanese girlfriend was pregnant just after he was deployed to Iraq. Ferschke and his girlfriend were married over the telephone soon after he received the news; one month later, he was killed.

The new law would enable Ferschke’s wife to come to the U.S. and raise their child and would do the same for other widows of military servicepersons.