Florida Gay Married Couple First to Get Green Card Since DOMA Ruling

U.S. immigration officials Friday approved the application for permanent residency of Traian Popov, a Bulgarian who had married American partner Julian Marsh in New York last year. Popov, who had relied on student visas to stay in the United States, and Marsh are the first same-sex married couple to have their green card application approved since the Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act last week.

The change in immigration policy since Wednesday’s decision reflects the Obama administration’s support for the ruling, and a desire to quickly adapt national policy to the recognition of gay marriage.

— Posted by Christian Neumeister

The Guardian:

A gay couple from Florida have become the first successful green card applicants for permanent US residency since the supreme court struck down a federal law against same-sex marriage.

Traian Popov, from Bulgaria, and American Julian Marsh learnt the decision from immigration officials on Friday as the government acted quickly to change its visa policies after last week’s legal decision….

Immigration officials have been keeping a list of same-sex couples whose green card petitions were denied in anticipation of the ruling. Those decisions will now be reversed without couples having to present new applications – if no other issues have arisen.

The couple’s case was not the first immigration case to be affected by the Doma ruling. Deportation proceedings against a gay Colombian man were halted by a New York immigration judge just hours after the supreme court decision.

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