Boston LGBTQ Immigration Lawyer

Same-Sex Marriage-Based Green Cards and Visa Petitions

A U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident has a right to file an I-130 visa petition to sponsor his or her foreign-born spouse. To get a green card based on a sex-same marriage, you must be legally married, either in the U.S. or abroad. And you must be able to demonstrate that the legal marriage is based on a genuine, bona fide relationship. A lawyer in Boston could help any member of the LGBTQ community with their immigration needs.

K-1 Fiance Visa

If you are a gay or lesbian U.S. citizen and are engaged to be married to someone of the same gender, then you are eligible to file a fiance petition (Form I-129F). The holder of a K-1 fiance petition may enter the U.S. for the purposes of getting married within 90 days of entering. On the basis of the marriage, the foreign national may then file for a green card through a process called adjustment of status.

If the marriage is less than two years old at the time that USCIS approves the green card, the permanent residency will be a condition. Before the expiration of the green card, the I-751 petition to remove conditions on residency must be pursued. This is true regardless of whether the marriage is same-sex or not.

Employment-Based Immigration For Gay And Lesbian Spouses

Green cards through marriage are certainly not the only immigration option for LGBTQ couples. Consider that:

• Diversity Immigrant Visa applicants, i.e., Green Card Lottery winners, can convey permanent residency to their same-sex married partners
• Same-sex spouses of Treaty Trader (E-1) or Treaty Investor (E-2) visas may apply for an E visa derivative status, which also allows for work permits;
• H-4 visas, a derivative status, is available for gay and lesbian individuals who wish to accompany their spouses on H-1B temporary work visas; and
• L-2 as a visa status is available for gay and lesbian spouses of L-1 visa holders.

Same-Sex Marriage And I-601 Immigration Waivers

An I-601 or I-601A immigration waiver may be necessary for gay and lesbian foreign nationals with certain problems such as criminal convictions, fraud, and unlawful presence. These waivers require a demonstration of extreme hardship to a qualifying U.S. citizen or permanent resident relative. Now that the Supreme Court has struck down DOMA, gay and lesbian married couples can use their U.S. citizen or permanent resident spouse as the qualifying relative for waiver purposes. A lawyer in Boston could help an LGBTQ couple apply for any necessary immigration waivers.

Asylum for Gay and Lesbian Couples

Gays and lesbians who have been granted asylum or refugee status may file an I-730 asylee relative petition to bring their spouses to the United States as derivative beneficiaries. LGBTQ spouses of those who are in the process of applying for asylum as principals may file applications for asylum as derivative applicants.

Same-Sex Marriage and Deportation

Gay and lesbian immigrants who are placed into removal proceedings in Immigration Court may use adjustment of status to obtain a green card through a same-sex marriage as the basis of a deportation defense. Other forms of relief in Immigration Court such as Cancellation of Removal may use same-sex married partners as qualifying relatives or may include hardship to their spouses as discretionary factors.

Contact a Boston LGBTQ Immigration Attorney

As Boston immigration attorneys, our ability to help gay and lesbian couples obtain green cards and other benefits come from our considerable experience with other complex immigration matters. Our firm takes pride in serving as a trusted source of advice for Boston’s LGBTQ community. If you’re wondering what immigration options may be available to you, click the button below.