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Marriage and immigration laws leave homosexual couples in limbo
Marriage and immigration laws leave homosexual couples in limbo
| Published: | 27 Mar at 2 PM |
Tens of thousands of gay couples in the US are living with the fear of separation as federal law bans immigration authorities from treating them in the same way as they do married opposite-sex couples, reports myrtlebeachonline.
In a nation where feelings on same-sex marriage and immigration are strong, the same-sex foreign-born spouses of US citizens reside in a worrying legal limbo as the government considers them neither citizens nor married. This can be both a financial and emotional burden. They are too scared to leave the country in case they are not allowed back, but they may also not be permitted to work or be granted loans to pay for studying. If deported, they may find themselves banned from re-entering the country.
If a citizen of the US weds someone from of the opposite sex who is from a different country, he or she is able to apply for the green card that enables the spouse to remain in the country and, after a period of time, become a citizen. However, that same process is not available to roughly 28,500 same-sex couples.
The 1996 Defense of Marriage Act prohibits same-sex couples from getting a number of federal benefits which are offered to opposite-sex married couples, such as ones involving immigration. Furthermore, it doesn’t make a difference if they’re in civil unions or married, or if they reside in one of an increasing number of states which recognise same-sex marriage.
In a nation where feelings on same-sex marriage and immigration are strong, the same-sex foreign-born spouses of US citizens reside in a worrying legal limbo as the government considers them neither citizens nor married. This can be both a financial and emotional burden. They are too scared to leave the country in case they are not allowed back, but they may also not be permitted to work or be granted loans to pay for studying. If deported, they may find themselves banned from re-entering the country.
If a citizen of the US weds someone from of the opposite sex who is from a different country, he or she is able to apply for the green card that enables the spouse to remain in the country and, after a period of time, become a citizen. However, that same process is not available to roughly 28,500 same-sex couples.
The 1996 Defense of Marriage Act prohibits same-sex couples from getting a number of federal benefits which are offered to opposite-sex married couples, such as ones involving immigration. Furthermore, it doesn’t make a difference if they’re in civil unions or married, or if they reside in one of an increasing number of states which recognise same-sex marriage.
