New Laws

• The Defense of Marriage Act is a federal U.S. law signed by President Bill Clinton on September 21, 1996. The third section of the law defining marriage federally as a legal union between a man and a woman was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court on June 26, 2013.
• United States v. Windsor, 570 U.S. _____ (2013) (Docket No. 12-307), the U.S. Supreme Court declared that the definition of “marriage” and “spouse” in the federal law should include same-sex couples.

Application of New Legislation

President Obama said that the decision of the Supreme Court immediately applied to all immigration procedures. That is, a citizen can immediately ask his/her same-sex partner. USCIS and Department of State (Embassies) are accepting and processing requests of citizens and residents to their same-sex couples. Roy Petty & Associates, PLLC, is an international law firm specializing in U.S. immigration law with offices in Texas and Colombia. The firm helps the LGBT community navigate their way through the complex legal system.