sirhc215

4 minutes ago, carmel34 said:

Sorry not many responses to your second question.  You should do more research on this since it may be a bigger hurdle for you to overcome than the marriage to a blood relative issue that everyone has focused on.  Someone posted that a co-sponsor is not possible from the country where the interview would be.  Look at the country-specific forum here on VJ for more posts on that subject.  Also, owning a house is not usually considered a "liquid asset" that could be used to sponsor a fiancee or spouse.  You would need assets that can easily be converted to cash (equities, bonds, CDs, etc.) or cash in the bank.  A number of VJ members have said, based on experience, that a primary residence cannot be used as an asset to meet the affidavit of support requirements.  Since the K-1 or CR-1 process takes a year or more, so you have some time to find employment and show evidence of sufficient current income before an interview for the visa anyway.  Good luck.

Thank you. Yes I need to look into the co-sponsor thing a bit more. I only came across it once when researching other things and it said Philippines may not allow a co-sponsor. Today during a free consultation I asked and the lawyer said I should still be able to do it though. He said he would have to look into specifics about the Philippines to make sure (which won't be free and I have yet to decide on a lawyer to go with). He also mentioned issues with the house but you're still able to claim it. The more I learn the more I'm disheartened by the whole thing, but I'll keep pressing on. Hopefully I can find a new job soon to get rolling on the current income for this year.

1 hour ago, Lemonslice said:

You'll have to do some extra research to see if it's legal to live in a marital un with your cousin in Ohio.  You won't be allowed to marry her in Ohio, but some states also prevent cousin from living maritally, as they consider it incestuous.

 

From the source listed earlier:

 

"Indiana, Kentucky, Nevada, Ohio, Washington and Wisconsin currently prohibit marriage between first cousins once removed."

 

Also, please learn about the risks of having babies with someone from the same gene pool.  

I will have to look into the living in state thing more.  As for the babies thing I have done my research on it, but apparently most people here don't. Not trying to flame or anything, its just that I feel you have been mislead by the masses. It was one of the earliest things I actually looked up. The health risks for our union would only go up 1-3% vs a couple that has no relation according to most of the information I have found (granted it is the internet, I did not check all credibility of sites). The biggest issue with cousins having babies is if it is continued over many generations of inbreeding. At that point yes there are major risks, but that is not the case of most marriages between cousins. 

I bring it up because there have been a few mentions already. So please no further mention of the potential health risks associated with kids. That is not what I made this OP for.

56 minutes ago, Ate said:

 

You're sure you two are related by blood, right?

 

Marrying in the Philippines is not an option for you.  Also, if you marry your fiancee in the US or anywhere else outside the Philippines, your marriage would not be legal under Philippine law*.  BUT, this is not a deal-breaker for the US Embassy.

 

* Here are the relevant sections from the Family Code of the Philippines --

 

Article 26. All marriages solemnized outside the Philippines, in accordance with the laws in force in the country where they were solemnized, and valid there as such, shall also be valid in this country, except those prohibited under Articles 35 (1), (4), (5) and (6), 3637 and 38.

 

Article 38. The following marriages shall be void from the beginning for reasons of public policy:
(1) Between collateral blood relatives whether legitimate or illegitimate, up to the fourth civil degree;

 

(The child of a first cousin is considered a fourth-degree relative.)

 

Every mention I've seen of the 'civil degree' states that fourth civil degree is 1st cousin, making child of 1st cousin a 5th degree which is acceptable. I've been researching it for the past 30+ minutes on multiple sites.

11 minutes ago, EM_Vandaveer said:

AFAIK they need to intend to LIVE in a state where cousin marriage is legal. People got RFEs for this exact reason.

This was one of my concerns. I know I can go to another state to get married. That wasn't as much of a concern as to how the state we live in plays a part of acceptance. Do you have a source for this information? I haven't come across it in my research yet.

@Cyberfx1024 There is a difference between "1st cousin once removed" and a "second cousin."  It's all very difficult to understand. https://www.simplemost.com/difference-second-cousins-cousins-removed/ Scroll down midway and look at the chart. Her mother is my 1st cousin making her 1st cousin once removed, not 2nd cousin.

As to your cosponsor suggestion, the Philippines does not allow this as an option.

Hoping someone out there has dealt with a similar situation or has come across it before. So here goes... My fiancee and I are related. She is from the Philippines and I was born and raised in the USA. I had initially thought she was my 2nd cousin which would have made things a lot easier. Upon further digging into it she is actually my "1st cousin, once removed."  (Her mother is the niece of my mother.) I had never even heard of the "removed" part until I looked into it. In my state of Ohio it is not legal to marry a "1st cousin" and I believe it is the same for the Philippines. I have not been able to find out if there are exceptions to this or if it is fine and I can just go to a different state to get married. I do not know if they take this into consideration for approval/denial when the papers are being processed. If there is an exception for "first cousin once removed" marriage in the Philippines that would be an option too. Then I would just file for Spouse Visa instead once married. Which process might be easier/better?

Second issue is at the moment I am currently unemployed but actively seeking work. I do however own a house as assets which would put me above the requirements for 3x poverty level. Can I file with assets alone or is that just asking for an automatic denial? I don't know how strict the Philippines Embassy (or US for that matter) is going to be with the whole process. Any information that can be given on either subject would be greatly appreciated. Also please be civil. I know cousin marriage is a widely debated issue, so don't make this post about that. Just support that we are happy and love each other. Thanks for any help.

P.S. I have obviously done general research on all of this, so specific information/details when replying would be a great help. Links to sources would be preferred so I can have it for reference myself. Thank you.