BINATIONAL SAME SEX COUPLES !! Show up!

[zuluweta 250]

Yes, as 2014 approaches, let's take a moment to thank Ms. Edie Windsor, without whom, we wouldn't have immigration equality. I also want to thank Ms. Mary Bonauto of GLAD who won the first ever DOMA lawsuit in federal court, setting the stage for the defeat of DOMA by Ms. Windsor at the US Supreme Court.

Thank you to these two ladies, all the DOMA plaintiffs and their lawyers and all those binational same-sex couples who told their stories to the media and Soloway's The DOMA Project. All of these kept chipping away at the unconstitutional DOMA law that broke up loving couples, caused these same couples to go into exile or live apart continents away in some cases, and in extreme situations, caused the non-citizen partner of a US citizen to go out of status or go undocumented, subject to deportation and arrest at any time. Thankfully, this nightmare is over for same-sex binational couples.

We will be celebrating 19 years as a couple on January 14, 15 years since we both signed and notarized an affidavit of same-sex domestic partnership for purposes of health insurance benefits, 10 years since we have had to live oceans apart and 1 year since my partner decided to go into exile, away from the country of his birth, the country he loves and is proud of, the country he has served by paying taxes and contributing his technical expertise so that it may remain a world leader in technology.

Where do I go to get back the life together and money my partner and I lost because of an unconstitutional law called DOMA?

[bob72601 13]

Our case was received by the Consulate in Santo Domingo today. We have a READY on ceac website. So now we have to wait for the interview date.

[pinayanne27 8]

We would like to know if there are new approved same sex couples here in the Philippines?

That's one of our main concerns.

Secondly, we would like to affirm that even if my USC fiance is from the state which same sex marriage is not legal we will still be approved.

[hjayjax 0]

Met in 2003, split up, kept in contact, and EVENTUALLY got hitched in Cardiff Wales in 2011 after getting a UK fiance visa.

After many struggles due to the UK economy, I moved back to the USA and he travelled back and forth until DOMA finally collapsed.

Now we are waiting for his interview in London. We will have to get married again in the US since the United Kingdom calls it a Civil Partnership. Remember...it has to be called a Marriage for USCIS!

[Juan Bravo 14]

Pinayanne27

What matters is that you will marry in a state where it is legal. I live in a state where it is currently illegal but we got married in New York where it's is.

[MabuhayDaniel 11]

We would like to know if there are new approved same sex couples here in the Philippines?

That's one of our main concerns.

Secondly, we would like to affirm that even if my USC fiance is from the state which same sex marriage is not legal we will still be approved.

Yes it's possible. I just moved back to US and wound up living in Arizona, which does not recognize marriage equality. Can't say for certain that your case will be approved but it didn't stop ours from being approved. Approved Dec 4 Your visa petition should say where you plan to marry as that can apparently hold up the case. best of luck.

[NYCruiser 423]

I am currently gathering the paperwork for the K1 application petition. It is a lot to get together....you have to marry in a state that has marriage...(not gay unions - the USCIS does not recognize unions). Doesn't matter where you live. However the letter of intent should state where you intend to marry (state)

[pinayanne27 8]

Thank you so much for your replies.

Hopefully, we will be able to read more successful same sex stories here especially with the same case as ours.

We just want to know what our chances are so we know what to expect. Since filing a fiance visa is no joke; pricey and too much paperworks.

[NYCruiser 423]

Thank you so much for your replies.

Hopefully, we will be able to read more successful same sex stories here especially with the same case as ours.

We just want to know what our chances are so we know what to expect. Since filing a fiance visa is no joke; pricey and too much paperworks.

Yes I agree. I am shocked at how much paperwork is required. I understand the need to screen out 'fakes and people wanting to scam the system' though.

What kinds of questions do they ask at the Embassy of your partner?

[ivanalex1980 34]

Yes I agree. I am shocked at how much paperwork is required. I understand the need to screen out 'fakes and people wanting to scam the system' though.

What kinds of questions do they ask at the Embassy of your partner?

HI there

you dont have to worry about anything, yes i know its a lot of paperwork but if you are very careful everything is going to be ok.

we started our K1 visa process in August 2013 and now i am in the united states with my baby.

in my embassy the consular officer asked me just 4 questions, she was very careful since it was the first same sex K1 visa interview in my embassy.

if your relationship is genuine you have nothing to worry about

you can check my time line and read the embassy review. there you can find what questions the concular officer asked me.

i just missed to include in the review that the consular officer did not ask me for any of the evidences at all. she did not even look at any of my evidence. no pictures, no facebook or any other chat logs, no call logs, nothing.

she just checked affidavit of support and financial documents, that was all.

so good luck to you guys

[pinayanne27 8]

HI there

you dont have to worry about anything, yes i know its a lot of paperwork but if you are very careful everything is going to be ok.

we started our K1 visa process in August 2013 and now i am in the united states with my baby.

in my embassy the consular officer asked me just 4 questions, she was very careful since it was the first same sex K1 visa interview in my embassy.

if your relationship is genuine you have nothing to worry about

you can check my time line and read the embassy review. there you can find what questions the concular officer asked me.

i just missed to include in the review that the consular officer did not ask me for any of the evidences at all. she did not even look at any of my evidence. no pictures, no facebook or any other chat logs, no call logs, nothing.

she just checked affidavit of support and financial documents, that was all.

so good luck to you guys

Your fiance/husband now is from what state?

We are not worried about the interview etc cause there's nothing to hide. We are just a bit hesitant because she lives in a state that doesn't recognize same sex marriage. That's why we want to hear from someone who got approved and has same situation as ours.

[NYCruiser 423]

HI there

you dont have to worry about anything, yes i know its a lot of paperwork but if you are very careful everything is going to be ok.

we started our K1 visa process in August 2013 and now i am in the united states with my baby.

in my embassy the consular officer asked me just 4 questions, she was very careful since it was the first same sex K1 visa interview in my embassy.

if your relationship is genuine you have nothing to worry about

you can check my time line and read the embassy review. there you can find what questions the concular officer asked me.

i just missed to include in the review that the consular officer did not ask me for any of the evidences at all. she did not even look at any of my evidence. no pictures, no facebook or any other chat logs, no call logs, nothing.

she just checked affidavit of support and financial documents, that was all.

so good luck to you guys

Many thanks for the feedback. Its good to see its taking a fairly short time to get these. I was told 8-10 months, so wanted to plan on visits there to him as to get a B2 for him to visit me is not possible now.

[NYCruiser 423]

I am in the process of printing out all the text logs etc on FB/whatsup etc..there are a 'few' rather risqué messages of a personal nature..should I redact these or leave them and hope they don't read every line..I mean its boring for someone else...

[ivanalex1980 34]

Your fiance/husband now is from what state?

We are not worried about the interview etc cause there's nothing to hide. We are just a bit hesitant because she lives in a state that doesn't recognize same sex marriage. That's why we want to hear from someone who got approved and has same situation as ours.

my fiance is from the state of Georgia where same sex marriage is not recognized.

but we stated in the letter of affidavit that we are going to get married in new york where same sex marriage is recognized

so dont worry if your fiance is from the state where the same sex marriage is not recognized, just make sure in the affidavit of intent to marry you state you are going to get married in the state where same sex marriage is recognized

we did like that and we got aproved

[ivanalex1980 34]

I am in the process of printing out all the text logs etc on FB/whatsup etc..there are a 'few' rather risqué messages of a personal nature..should I redact these or leave them and hope they don't read every line..I mean its boring for someone else...

i dont think they are going to read them all but if you think there is something they should not read just cut them, that is how we did.

and try not to include a lot of them.

we just included up to 50 pages of our facebook conversation. as for the call logs we included them a complete set. we cut nothing