I have been attacking for a long time being inhabit my very own nation using my Canadian partner, however the Shelter off Matrimony Work (DOMA) is actually clogging me off my right to go after delight inside ways. Even after creating characters to every senator and each presidential applicant twice to and you will well-known celebs, such as Ellen DeGeneres, contacting immigration solicitors additionally the ACLU, including talking-to whoever do tune in, they featured you to my personal dream was zero closer to are a good reality. Which is up to when out of the blue DOMA fell, shortly after becoming proclaimed unconstitutional. Mindy and i prominent in heart having thousands of most other bi-federal gay lovers around the globe simply awaiting the easy to get back. The single thing is actually a stack regarding records.
The first step – Submitting the fresh We-130 Petition
I had so you’re able to fly from our quarters in the Chiang Mai, Thailand as a result of Bangkok so you’re able to file this new petition in order to sponsor Mindy while the American Consulate inside Chiang Mai doesn’t deal with immigration claims. Individually across the in the American embassy ‘s the Homeland Shelter work environment. Except for paying the $420 submitting commission on American Embassy, the complete petition procedure taken place for the fifteenth floor regarding Tower Two of the Sindhorn Building State-of-the-art.
Shortly after submiting the latest petition form while the supporting files, make payment on submitting percentage and you can repairing a mistake I experienced made when filling in the shape (I found myself maybe not born throughout the 1800’s), I became asked easily you certainly will stay a little lengthened while the the “officer desires consult me personally”. Not sure just what so it designed, We waited patiently having lots of time ahead of my go back airline to help you Chiang Mai.
In this ten full minutes I found myself summoned for the screen and you may expected to raise my personal right hand and you will claim to be truthful. After staring within the awe on a big reddish “approved” stamp from the cup as i verified the facts of your form significantly less than oath, I became told you to definitely my personal petition ended up being recognized. Inside wonder and gratitude the administrator had turned into exactly what normally takes thirty day period with the moments, We thanked her to possess expediting the process. She checked out me rectangular throughout the vision and you can said, “You’ve got waited for a lengthy period”. We almost cried there on the Homeland Cover place of work since this is the very first time you to definitely my wedding is recognized because of the personal regulators and my personal endeavor was verified. We kept any office using my acceptance letter at your fingertips and my personal hand kept stuffed with success.
Next step – Package step three
All of our happiness decreased even if immediately following awaiting a few months without reading things. We fundamentally inquired at the Community Workplace in Bangkok about all of our step two merely to learn they’d delivered out an instruction page only 1 day immediately after my personal petition had become accepted but i never ever gotten they. Damn!
However, at the least we were back on track. It had been that next step away from applying for a environmentally friendly cards would be to over Packet step 3, and this involved an on-line part (Form DS 260) therefore the filling in out of an Affidavit (Setting We-864) for me, indicating (and you may swearing) which i you will definitely financially service Mindy. There are plenty of help documents required for so it, such as for instance tax ideas, evidence of domicile, proof of a career an such like. Mindy together with expected a background look for every nation she got stayed in as 16 yrs old. It suggested we called for criminal record checks to own Canada, Germany and you will Thailand not forgetting the latter one or two would want become officially translated for the English.