Big news that somehow didn’t make the news at all from the Board of Immigrant Appeals (BIA) on Wednesday. The BIA ruled that as far as immigration law is concerned, DOMA is dead! If a marriage is entered into under the laws of the state where it is celebrated, it is valid nationwide as far as immigration law is concerned. This means that if you or your significant other is an alien and you get married in Washington D.C. or any state that allows gay marriage, DHS will have to recognize your marriage for immigration purposes, even in Texas.
Although we don’t do family-sponsored petitions at HRI, we know that this decision may affect some of our clients, and helps many people. We are happy for all the couples in the Dallas area who can now enjoy the same legal benefits at least under United States immigration law as opposite-sex couples have enjoyed.
To read the BIA’s decision in Matter of Zeleniak, click here for the pdf.
