A couple was referred to our firm by very close friends who had used our services in the past. The two gentlemen had met many years earlier while mutually “liking” a comment on Facebook. Eventually they decided to meet in person, even though one of them lived in the United Kingdom. They had their first date in Orlando, Florida where they enjoyed the sunshine and fun provided by Walt Disney and friends.

They started a long distance relationship with a few further visits overseas. When the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was finally repealed last summer, they eventually decided they could no longer be apart and wanted to legally marry. It was also decided that they would reside in the United States, so that meant a same-sex marriage petition filed by the United States citizen husband.

Once they were married, we immediately filed the I-130 and I-485 simultaneously. Once fingerprinted, the work authorization card arrived shortly afterwards. It was a very short time after that when the final interview date was scheduled. We prepared the couple for the interview by reviewing the original documents and additional evidence we would be providing at the interview.

Upon our instruction they had assembled a vast array of photographs and memorabilia depicting their relationship. Because the couple were friends of past clients and had specifically requested a certain attorney at our firm to accompany them to the interview, our attorney flew to South Florida from New York in order to attend. We were confident that the interview would be a success.