Editor's Comments of the Day

Imagine a couple preparing for their interview at INS. They gather the lease for the apartment they share, evidence of their joint bank accounts and credit card accounts, photos of them together at various family functions, mail addressed to them jointly. Sounds like it will be an easy interview? Not if they happen to be a same-sex couple. US Immigration law currently has no provision which would allow an American citizen to petition for a lifetime partner in a committed relationship if the two people happen to be of the same gender. The INS devotes a lot of effort to determining whether or not a couple has as bona fide marriage. They look to much more than just a marriage license. They examine the details of a couple's day-to-day lives to probe the validity of the relationship. Isn't it time to give gay and lesbian couples the right to the frustrating delays and intrusive questions straight couples endure to prove the bona fides of a relationship?

INS News of the Day

ILW.COM invites the submissions of correspondence about matters of immigration law from government agencies. Submissions may be published. Please send to editor@ilw.com.

ILW.COM Featured Article of the Day

ILW.COM invites the submission of articles about immigration law from attorneys, paralegals, foreign student advisors, human resources personnel, scholars and those whose lives have been effected by the laws.Please send articles to editor@ilw.com.

Immigration News of the Day

Government May Change Immigration Laws to Cover IT Skills Shortage
The Australian Financial Review reports that the Australian government will consider changing immigration laws in order to help combat the shortage of technology specialists in the country.

Immigrants: The Facts
An article on theage.com.au website discusses what should be done about the family reunion and humanitarian side of immigration in Australia especially in terms of welfare needs and the sponsorship of parents.

US Law Prohibits Gays from Sponsoring Partners for Immigration
The Dallas Morning News looks at the struggle that gay Americans face against US immigration law since Congress does not recognize same-sex marriages, and gays and lesbians in long-term relationships cannot sponsor their partners. Advocates of more-restrictive immigration laws say opening up another avenue for immigration would increase the potential for fraud and they contend that a federal bill introduced earlier this year to address this issue is misdirected.

Mexico's Fox Outlines His Plans for Nation, U.S. Relations
The Seattle Times reports that Mexico's president-elect Fox acknowledges that both Mexican and US border and immigration policies have been flawed. Fox pledges to eliminate the posturing and tension in US-Mexico relations over the shared border, where immigration incidents have sometimes broken into violence in recent months.