I am a gay woman from the Philippines. I arrived in the USA without breaking the law and received my green card for being a nurse, through my employer hospital.
During my visit home to the Philippines, I met a girl that I fell in love with. She showed interest in me too and we admitted to each other that we are gay. We became good friends at first. I returned to my life in America and we wrote to each other and talked by video often via Skype. She then came to the USA to visit me and that’s when our relationship really got romantic. We became girlfriends. We consulted with Shepelsky Law Group and Marina explained that since I am not yet a U.S. citizen, I cannot make a fiance visa petition for my girlfriend and a green card would be possible only if she were my wife. I had to wait until my permanent residence was 4 years and 9 months to file for U.S. citizenship. Because my girlfriend did not wish to violate her status, she went back to the Philippines.
During my love’s next visit to the USA, we realized we cannot live without each other and went to City Hall in Queens and got married there civilly. In New York, it is possible for same-sex couples like us to be married. In the Philippines that would be impossible. American immigration law recognizes same-sex marriage. We came to see Marina for a consultation. She explained that as long as my wife is in status, she can have a family petition and file for a green card inside the USA because of our marriage and that as soon as I receive my citizenship, the green card application will move fast. We filed immediately.
We filed while I was awaiting my citizenship. Once I got my US passport, we filed the next set of paperwork for the green card for my wife and for her work authorization. Soon, we attended an interview in Manhattan with a US immigration officer and showed documents proving we live together with my wife and that I have the ability to financially support her. We passed our interview with Marina’s help (she prepared us) and got a green card for my wife.
Thanks to Marina, the whole process took a year and ten months. Compared to others, our immigration journey was very fast. All thanks to the fact that my wife did not violate US laws, and we listened to what our lawyers asked us to do and everything went without any problems. The next step is to file for a permanent 10-year green card for my wife and then US citizenship for her.
