Info for DB bachelors - from Reddit - I am on H1B. Is it possible to do marriage and apply for H4 for my spouse?

[Hitman]

Only four US states allow ***** marriages: California, Colorado, Texas, and Montana.

In three of those four, the absent party must be absent from the state because of his or her service in the United States Armed Forces and unable to return due to the United States being engaged in hostilities. Since neither you nor your wife is a US national or lawful permanent resident, it is a safe assumption that neither of you is on active duty in the United States Armed Forces, and thus you cannot avail yourself of this option.

The fourth, Colorado, is less strict, and you might be able to obtain a ***** marriage in Colorado.

However, you then run into a second problem: US immigration law does not recognize unconsummated ***** marriages. You cannot name, as your spouse, a person who you claim to have married by ***** who you have not physically met since the time you were married by *****, and even if you have met them after the ceremony, you will still have to prove that you “consummated” the marriage. I hope you enjoy talking to strangers about how you and your wife have sex, because that is literally what you will have to do to satisfy immigration officials.

Don’t try to game the immigration system with respect to marriage. That’s a game that you will almost always lose.