Whether the one in California is domiciled or just a resident, is irrelevant.  The one you should be concerned about is the one in Washington.  Maybe the word residency is confusing.  A medical residency, after graduation from medical school, is a job.  Did she even go to medical school in California?  What is their intention during and after residency?  Californians move to Washington soon?  Entire family reunites in some other state? I would question whether the one in Washington can be considered as domiciled in California, even if she wants to be.  But it is not in her interest to do that, absent special circumstances.  And that's what all this revolves around, is a lot of facts and circumstances.  It's not just a data-entry problem.