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2 hours ago, navypilot29 said:

The marriage will be valid but USCIS will not accept it until the marriage is consummated.  Since you will be present and can prove to USCIS that you have been physically together it is legal.   That is according to my attorney.  

Thanks for the feedback navypilot29! 

2 hours ago, UgotChris said:

I actually did the same thing and got married through Utah county online with my wife (who was in brazil) in May because it was the only way I could travel to Brazil with the travel restrictions. I lived in Utah and it was actually my local county and I was able to get the marriage certificate apostilled without any problems. We were able to register our marriage in Brazil without any problems either. We've been in Brazil since June and filed the I-130 in August so we're still waiting for the approval. I'll let you know what happens one way or the other.

Hi UgotChris,

That's great to hear actually! I know also the Israeli authorities have accepted a number of marriages that have been registered with the local authorities that were done online vie Utah County. It was in the local news. If you get any updates on your case, please let me know! Would love to hear how it progresses.

42 minutes ago, Duke & Marie said:

I think the easiest option is destination wedding as suggested by someone else... why not hop on the boat or a plane and head to Cyprus or Gibraltar? Not overly expensive 

Travel restrictions make this difficult right now. I can travel to Israel, but neither one of us can go to either Cyprus or Gibraltar. Current restrictions prevent travel. Otherwise, you are correct this would be the least risky approach. 

5 hours ago, Jorgedig said:

Since everyone here is suggesting it may be a bad idea, and yet you seem to disagree, why not just try it and report back to us?

I'm not necessarily disagreeing. Since it's all new the first reaction is no this is a bad idea, and it very well might be. But right now I'm just trying to state the information as I know it and get insight on things I'm missing. I appreciate everyone's input so far, it's been very useful. It's clear this path would be a risk by virtue of it being unknown. 

4 hours ago, pushbrk said:

Don't confuse "civil unions" with "civil marriages" .  Correct terminology and context are important here.  USCIS is likely to recognize your online or proxy marriage only AFTER it is consummated.  If you decide to risk this, do not file the I-130 until you have evidence of being together in person AFTER the "marriage" takes place.

 

If you have not already, I encourage any discussion participants to read the information here.  https://il.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/local-resources-of-u-s-citizens/marriage/#:~:text=Civil Marriage%3A,valid for U.S. immigration purposes.

 

Thanks Pushbrk for pointing out the different terminology. For my purposes it would a civil marriage. As I mentioned, we would be together in Israel for the Utah based marriage ceremony.  We are still deciding if this is the best approach and trying to consult with immigration lawyers on the matter.

Thanks!

1 hour ago, aaron2020 said:

Have a destination wedding.

Both of you can travel to a country where you can get a civil marriage.  

People who are licensed to marry people IN the state of Utah are not allowed to marry people who are OUTSIDE the state of Utah.  You and your fiancee would be outside the state of Utah.  This will not work.  

Utah will marry couples outside of the state. That’s why I’m asking the question. It’s on the Utah state county website and I called them to ask.  They said that you do not have to be in the state or even in the country for them to issue a marriage license and then conduct a marriage ceremony, as long as the officiant is in the state.  In fact a number of gay couples in Israel have done this and have had their marriages recognized by the Israeli authorities.  

While I’m certain about what Utah does, and the consequent marriage certificate they author, I’m less certain about USCIS’s take on this. There is no real information on this. The only thing I’ve read from USCIS website is:

‘In general, the legal validity of a marriage is determined by the law of the place where the marriage was celebrated (“place-of-celebration rule”). Under this rule, a marriage is valid for immigration purposes in cases where the marriage is valid under the law of the jurisdiction in which it is performed.’

According to the state of Utah the marriage is legal. 

I understand this seems risky, since there’s little precedent. But that’s why I’m asking and talking about this. 

The state of Utah recognizes those marriages as long as the officiant is in the state of Utah.  It's perfectly legal and adheres to Utah State Law. 

As for why not a traditional marriage. Well primarily, the only unions allowed in Israel are religious ones. You can imagine a case where a couple from different religions cannot easily marry. Many people end up traveling abroad for Civil unions.   

Hi Everyone,

First time posting!

I'm curious about getting married online via the State of Utah. For reference, I'm a US citizen and will be traveling to see my fiance in her home country. We will physically be together and we have talked about getting married online via the state of Utah. The reason we are going this route is because her home country does not allow civil weddings. The state of Utah will issue us a certified marriage certificate and based on that I plan on submitting an I-130 to start the immigration process. This is all new,  but does anyone see any issues with going this route. The question of the marriage not being consummated should be moot, as we will be physically together for the ceremony.  

Appreciate any feedback on this!

Thanks Everyone.