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Marriage in the News: Age & the Law in Marriage

In the United Kingdom, a new measure was passed that will tighten their immigration. Among these measures, the minimum age for a marriage visa will be 21. The idea to rise the marriage age from 18 is in part to help forestall forced marriages of foreign nationals. Reports indicate that this change from 18 to 21 will prevent about 3,000 women, primarily from India, from entering the country annually on marriage visas. According to the home office: This will ensure individuals have an opportunity to establish a degree of independent adult life, including taking advantage of higher education, and to … Continue reading →

Legality & Marriage: Post-Nuptial Agreements

Okay, this is a new one – you’ve likely heard of a pre-nuptial agreement, but have you ever heard of a post-nuptial one? As I have discussed here previously, marriage is a legal, religious and emotional contract. If you don’t sign a pre-nuptial agreement prior to entering into a recognized civil and legal union – the marriage laws of the state you live in govern your marriage contract (in the legal sense). These laws govern the distribution of property and responsibility with regard to divorce or death. A post-nuptial agreement is a legal contract that a married couple enters into … Continue reading →

Common Law Marriage

No one knows exactly how or where the myth began, but living together for seven years does not a common law marriage make. This may come as good or bad news, but it’s a fact. True common law marriage began in England, when for whatever reason officiators could not make the trip to wed a couple. The couple could simply engage in a marriage at common law, until the marriage proceeding could take place. That is why intent to marry is the key to the formation of today’s version of common law marriages. Still, only about a dozen of the … Continue reading →

Common Law Marriages – Hold Onto Your Hats

Hold onto your hats folks, when this news bit came down the pipeline to my desk. In Colorado, the Court of Appeals ruled that a 15 year-old girl is old enough to be the common-law wife of a man more than twice her age. While I was a pretty mature 15 year-old, I am having a little trouble with this idea. The law is supposed to protect kids and teenagers – especially from impulsive rash decisions like announcing marriage to someone old enough to be her father. Now, legal experts are speculating that this ruling is opening the door to … Continue reading →