The U.S. Supreme Court’s much anticipated decision on the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) has been issued. The Supreme Court has overturned section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), declaring the law unconstitutional. Section 3 of DOMA said that, for federal purposes, the law will only recognize marriages between one male and one female. Immigration law is federal law, and so until now legally married lesbian and gay couples could not obtain permanent residence (a “green card”) for the foreign national spouse based on their marriage. Now that this law has been struck down, U.S. citizens and permanent residents can petition for their same-sex foreign national spouses.
The following article explains the decision in greater detail: DOMA decision a win for LGBT immigration rights advocates.
We welcome LGBTI couples to give us a call to explore how this change in the law may affect individual circumstances. We are very pleased to finally be able to help the many deserving couples who have been waiting a very long time for justice. We look forward to hearing from you!