I am embarrassed by my US passport anyway. From time to time Emi and I get a request to do an interview. Last week our immigration Laywer in New Jersey, Joyce Phipps (Highly Recommended) referred Emilio to a reporter looking to interview him regarding his Asylum case and the mess we went through. We've been trying to scramble time to talk to him, but working 7 days a week doesn't give us much time.
Recent events dealing with the US. The DOJ sent a letter asking for some documents regarding Emilio. Emi is still banned from re-entering the US, which is completely ridiculous to anyone who knows Emilio. It's like banning a Care Bear from the country.
Also I received an audit of my 2007 taxes, we know of one other couple (Nick & Mason) this happened to after moving to Canada. Coincidence or just more hell the US government enjoys putting us through, you decide.
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Search results for love
Canadian Hope Once binational now trinational (Tom and Emilio)
Posted by
BinatUK 1066 days ago
(http://canadianhope.blogspot.com)
UAFA A bill that could change my life (Chris and Fernando)
Posted by
freedom2immigrate 1066 days ago
(http://www.oregonlive.com)
Chris Coleman is artistic director of Portland Center Stage -A bill was introduced into the U.S. Senate recently that could change my life, and I'd like for you to know more about it. The Uniting American Families Act would allow U.S. citizens to sponsor their domestic partners who are foreign nationals for a permanent worker visa (as their straight counterparts are currently able to do under U.S. law). Why is this act important to me? My partner, Fernando and I have been together for three years.
He came to the U.S. from Mexico after completing his undergraduate degree in Philosophy. He had time to kill while his thesis was being approved, and wanted to spend time with his brothers in Denver, so he tried to get a tourist visa. Not possible. So through help from the Catholic Church he procured a student visa and came to Portland State to learn English, with the thought that
He came to the U.S. from Mexico after completing his undergraduate degree in Philosophy. He had time to kill while his thesis was being approved, and wanted to spend time with his brothers in Denver, so he tried to get a tourist visa. Not possible. So through help from the Catholic Church he procured a student visa and came to Portland State to learn English, with the thought that
Ex Mayor Becomes Example Of Gay Partners Immigration Dilemma
Posted by
ATLdave 1066 days ago
(http://garibaldigay.blogspot.com)
The mayor of this West Texas sheep ranching town offered a stunning explanation when he suddenly resigned: He was in love with a man who was an illegal immigrant and had gone to Mexico.
They had to move, he said, because there was no legal way for them to remain together in the United States.
"It wasn't a decision that any U.S. citizen should have to make," former Mayor J.W. Lown said in an interview from Mexico. "I left a home. I left a ranch. I left a promising political career."
His local prominence and his run for the border on the day he was supposed to be sworn in for a fourth term caused jaws to drop, but it also became a high-profile example of the thousands of Americans who face a similar choice - separate or move abroad - because they can't secure green cards for their partners like ...
They had to move, he said, because there was no legal way for them to remain together in the United States.
"It wasn't a decision that any U.S. citizen should have to make," former Mayor J.W. Lown said in an interview from Mexico. "I left a home. I left a ranch. I left a promising political career."
His local prominence and his run for the border on the day he was supposed to be sworn in for a fourth term caused jaws to drop, but it also became a high-profile example of the thousands of Americans who face a similar choice - separate or move abroad - because they can't secure green cards for their partners like ...
waves of change?
Posted by
igualdad 1068 days ago
(http://rantsandravesofanaverageman.blogspot.com)
despite all the poking that people do about canada - and the fact that i'd love to be living anywhere but here (an entirely different story that i'll get into at another time) - the world - including the US - has a lot to learn about the strides that canada has made when it comes to inclusion...
sure - the US feds (namely YOU mr. obama) have said that they'll leave the question of gay marriage up to individual states - but what happens if one of the partners isn't even a US-citizen?
i - as a canadian - can sponsor my gay partner if i choose to - just the way a straight couple would.
the federal government and opposers to this bill in the US have said that this would open up a wave of immigration fraud and would end up having to re-open the federal debate on gay marriage.
sure - the US feds (namely YOU mr. obama) have said that they'll leave the question of gay marriage up to individual states - but what happens if one of the partners isn't even a US-citizen?
i - as a canadian - can sponsor my gay partner if i choose to - just the way a straight couple would.
the federal government and opposers to this bill in the US have said that this would open up a wave of immigration fraud and would end up having to re-open the federal debate on gay marriage.
Cracks in DOMA a new era of LGBT equality (Love Exiles)
Posted by
UnitedByLove 1068 days ago
(http://loveexiles.wordpress.com)
So much has been going on in the last few weeks it’s making my head spin. June 3 Lin and I were in Washington for the historic Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the Uniting American Families Act, which would give LGBT families like ours access to immigration and end the exile of LGBT Americans.
For 10 years I’ve been hoping, waiting and looking forward to the day that I am a first-class citizen in my own country, just like I am in the Netherlands, my country of exile. That day is starting to dawn, and it’s about time. We are seeing cracks in the vintage Clinton-era 1995 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).
Ironicallly, Bill’s spouse Hillary Clinton blew the first hole in DOMA by...
For 10 years I’ve been hoping, waiting and looking forward to the day that I am a first-class citizen in my own country, just like I am in the Netherlands, my country of exile. That day is starting to dawn, and it’s about time. We are seeing cracks in the vintage Clinton-era 1995 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).
Ironicallly, Bill’s spouse Hillary Clinton blew the first hole in DOMA by...
Obama Administration Set To Hold Powwow With Big Gay Groups
Posted by
Fight4theRight 1069 days ago
(http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com)
Back in March the White House voiced it's support for the Uniting American Families Act UAFA which would rectify this inequality and recognize 'Permanent partners' as part of immigration law. This Legislation FINALLY is getting the ...
The Obama Justice Department has reached out to major gay rights organizations and scheduled a private meeting for next week with the groups, in an apparent effort to smooth over tensions in the wake of the controversy over the administration’s defense in court of the Defense of Marriage Act.
Tracy Russo, a spokesperson for Justice, confirmed the meeting to me, after I posted below that top gay rights lawyers were miffed that administration lawyers had rebuffed their requests to meet and discuss ongoing litigation involving DOMA.
Bratty? What if you were forced to chose between your Country and your Love? (assuming y
The Obama Justice Department has reached out to major gay rights organizations and scheduled a private meeting for next week with the groups, in an apparent effort to smooth over tensions in the wake of the controversy over the administration’s defense in court of the Defense of Marriage Act.
Tracy Russo, a spokesperson for Justice, confirmed the meeting to me, after I posted below that top gay rights lawyers were miffed that administration lawyers had rebuffed their requests to meet and discuss ongoing litigation involving DOMA.
Bratty? What if you were forced to chose between your Country and your Love? (assuming y
United by Love divided by Law Please call congress Week 1
Posted by
UnitedByLove 1070 days ago
(http://fairunion.blogspot.com)
Today is the first day of what I hope will be our weekly
‘Call Congress’ days. In addition to coordinated e-mails,
faxes, and letters to the members we are targeting, getting
a large number of people to call specific members on the
same day could help bring us more co-sponsors.
It is also a way for us to ‘circle back’ to those members we
had targeted that still have not signed on, to remind them how
important this is to us and that we’re not going away.
‘Call Congress’ days. In addition to coordinated e-mails,
faxes, and letters to the members we are targeting, getting
a large number of people to call specific members on the
same day could help bring us more co-sponsors.
It is also a way for us to ‘circle back’ to those members we
had targeted that still have not signed on, to remind them how
important this is to us and that we’re not going away.
HRC criticizes Obama over DOMA brief
Posted by
UnitedByLove 1072 days ago
(http://www.sovo.com)
"I have seen your administration aspire and achieve," Solmonese writes. "Protecting women from employment discrimination. Insuring millions of children. Enabling stem cell research to go forward. These are powerful achievements. And they serve as evidence to me that this brief should not be good enough for you. The question is, Mr. President — do you believe that it's good enough for us?
"If we are equals, if you recognize that our families live the same, love the same, and contribute as much as yours, then the answer must be no.
"We call on you to put your principles into action and send legislation repealing DOMA to Congress."
Shin Inouye, a White House spokesperson, said in response that Obama "remains strongly committed to signing a legislative repeal of DOMA into law and looks forward to seeing Congress take action."
"Work that wi
"If we are equals, if you recognize that our families live the same, love the same, and contribute as much as yours, then the answer must be no.
"We call on you to put your principles into action and send legislation repealing DOMA to Congress."
Shin Inouye, a White House spokesperson, said in response that Obama "remains strongly committed to signing a legislative repeal of DOMA into law and looks forward to seeing Congress take action."
"Work that wi
Leahys Immigration Provision Sows Sex Panic Among Key Religious Groups
Posted by
Fight4theRight 1072 days ago
(http://www.rainbowzine.com)
Who is really pointing the dagger to the heart of immigration reform, the senator who seeks to include permanent partners (including gays) or the Bishops and evangelicals who oppose it? As Julia Preston reported in the New York Times a week ago, the powerful chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Patrick Leahy of Vermont, has set off a huge and mainly behind-the-scenes panic among certain religious supporters of so-called comprehensive immigration reform. Bishop John Wester, who heads the Catholic bishops’ Committee on Migration, wrote to the Congressional committee chairs who are beginning to work on immigration that Leahy’s Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) would “erode the institution of marriage and family.”
And just how “comprehensive” will immigration reform be if it fails to address the special horror of loving, stable bi-national couples being torn apart becaus
And just how “comprehensive” will immigration reform be if it fails to address the special horror of loving, stable bi-national couples being torn apart becaus
Lets Talk Immigration
Posted by
ATLdave 1073 days ago
(http://www.noquarterusa.net)
Now, this isn’t a new issue - GLB couples having to engage in all kinds of machinations should they fall in love with someone from another country. He is absolutely right - it ISN’T a decision any U.S. citizen should have to make.
Now is when I interject that my sister married some guy from the other side of the world whom she met in a Star Trek chat-room. I am not kidding you (and yes, we were all so proud). Oh, he is now an American citizen - BECAUSE HE CAN BE.
And like everything else dealing with the GLBT community, it is not smooth sailing ahead. Oh, well, when you put it like that, by all means, let’s just back burner the whole thing and continue to make the GLBT community pay a higher price than anyone else in this country to BE citizens of this country.
Now is when I interject that my sister married some guy from the other side of the world whom she met in a Star Trek chat-room. I am not kidding you (and yes, we were all so proud). Oh, he is now an American citizen - BECAUSE HE CAN BE.
And like everything else dealing with the GLBT community, it is not smooth sailing ahead. Oh, well, when you put it like that, by all means, let’s just back burner the whole thing and continue to make the GLBT community pay a higher price than anyone else in this country to BE citizens of this country.
Gay couples lobby for immigration benefits from US
Posted by
freedom2immigrate 1074 days ago
(http://www.chron.com)
Immigration Law Divides Gay Couples. Joseph Racicot and his partner, Roland, will celebrate their eighth anniversary as a couple on Tuesday. They would love to have a quiet dinner in the ranch-style home they picked out in Houston, share a bottle of cabernet sauvignon and rehash the story of how they met.Instead, they will spend their anniversary some 1,500 miles apart — Racicot in Saskatchewan, Canada, and Roland in their Houston home — linked only by cell phones and the belief that they belong together, despite the difficulty of maintaining a long-distance relationship complicated by immigration issues.
“The bottom line is that we wouldn’t be going through this if, as an American, I had the right to sponsor my partner,” said Roland, who asked that his last name be withheld for fear of repercussions at his workplace.
In December 2004, Racicot was questioned b
“The bottom line is that we wouldn’t be going through this if, as an American, I had the right to sponsor my partner,” said Roland, who asked that his last name be withheld for fear of repercussions at his workplace.
In December 2004, Racicot was questioned b
What Michelle Obama Said About Love Exiles
Posted by
igualdad 1074 days ago
(http://loveexiles.wordpress.com)
I was lucky enough to shake Michelle Obama's hand as she left the hall. I thanked her for visiting our community, and told her how much it meant to us. I also asked her to think of us Americans who must live abroad because we have a foreign partner we cannot get a US visa for, and she looked me in the eye, and said, “We have to get you back home!”
Obama lets us down on DOMA (Love Exiles)
Posted by
igualdad 1075 days ago
(http://loveexiles.wordpress.com)
AMSTERDAM - We had good hope with this Administration.But with the Administration’s motion to dismiss a Californian’s couple’s bid to get access to all their federal as well as State rights, we can feel the hurt. For a full coverage see AMERICAblog. This is very disappointing. But I am not discouraged. Our families are beautiful, our love is beautiful, we will get our rights. Let’s make sure the Admnistration knows we intend to be successful.
AP - In this Saturday, May 9, 2009, photo San Angelo Mayor J.W. Lown greets arriving supporters to his election party at the Old Chicken Farm Art Center in San Angelo,Texas. Lown resigned suddenly May 19 and offered a stunning explanation: He was in love with a man who was an illegal immigrant and had gone to Mexico.
The mayor of this West Texas sheep ranching town offered a stunning explanation when he suddenly resigned: He was in love with a man who was an illegal immigrant and had gone to Mexico.
They had to move, he said, because there was no legal way for them to remain together in the United States.
"It wasn't a decision that any U.S. citizen should have to make," former Mayor J.W. Lown said in an interview from Mexico. "I left a home. I left a ranch. I left a promising political career."
His local prominence and his run for the border on the day h
The mayor of this West Texas sheep ranching town offered a stunning explanation when he suddenly resigned: He was in love with a man who was an illegal immigrant and had gone to Mexico.
They had to move, he said, because there was no legal way for them to remain together in the United States.
"It wasn't a decision that any U.S. citizen should have to make," former Mayor J.W. Lown said in an interview from Mexico. "I left a home. I left a ranch. I left a promising political career."
His local prominence and his run for the border on the day h
What Love Exiles Are Writing About Their Experience (Love Exiles)
Posted by
igualdad 1079 days ago
(http://loveexiles.wordpress.com)
Love exiles have been sharing stories since the UAFA hearing. A dominating theme is that we have chosen not to use fraud – pretend we are straight and marry someone of the opposite sex – but that for our good grace we are being punished. A predominate argument against UAFA, and sadly a position supported by Senator Feinstein, is that marriage fraud will increase. Read here what the resuolt of “doing the right thing’can lead to.
“We have been in Canada since 2005 and no offense to anyone else but...
I think its pretty clear: we have proven we do not do fraud, we are in exile. And we want the right to live with the rest of our families. that’s why I love this banner.
“We have been in Canada since 2005 and no offense to anyone else but...
I think its pretty clear: we have proven we do not do fraud, we are in exile. And we want the right to live with the rest of our families. that’s why I love this banner.
“How may I assist with these stories, if at all?...”
“My question back to you is how do we get immigration reform defined as a...”
“Watch the actual video on ABC 7's website, and you'll see that he's really...”
“Thanks. I shortened it through tinyurl. Works now....”
“Note from imeQ about this editorial: This is an independent project which...”
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Promoting public awareness of the need for fairness in immigration policy particularly as it relates to the rights of same-sex bi-national couples in the United States who seek equal immigration rights; Providing information regarding political issues relating to gay immigration equality issues, rights and policy.