The Japanese-born widow of a U.S. Marine killed in Iraq has the backing of the U.S. House of Representatives in her efforts to become a permanent U.S. citizen, but her family isn’t celebrating just yet.

Sgt. Michael Ferschke met Hota Ferschke when he was stationed in Okinawa. He was a reconnaissance officer and she was an administrative specialist.

When it was time for Ferschke to be deployed to Iraq, he proposed to Hota. They planned to marry and move to the U.S. when he was finished with his tour.