Gregg and Carlos

31/03/09 22:36 Filed in: Living In Separation
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We met back in July 2005 via Yahoo! personals. It seemed like an odd way to meet; but whatever works. After about 3 months I got on a plane to Manila and we met in person. We are both Certified Rescue Scuba Divers. We go diving together all the time when I am [in Manila]. In October 2007 I was with him for a month. We went diving in Thailand and then the Philippines for a couple weeks.

We have tried to immigrate to New Zealand, but his visa even failed for that country. So we are really stuck now. It seems the only option is to endure the long distance, seeing each other occasionally and having the internet to keep us connected daily. The only way for us to get fair immigration policies is via the courts. After 2 years and 8 trips to the Philippines from the States, I don't know how much longer we can wait on things to change. I know it's tough for all of us in this situation. Find Gregg and Carlos' story on about.com's "gay life" gallery by Ramon Johnson.

(Photo: Personal, Gregg Walls, Gregg and Carlos)

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Americans take it for granted that if they fall in love with a foreigner, they will be able to sponsor their partner for residency in the United States. But there is no such option for same-sex couples. It simply does not matter how long a couple has been together, how devoted they are to each other or even if they are legally married in Massachusetts, California (before Prop 8) or a country that allows it; if the partners are the same sex, their relationship is irrelevant in the American immigration system. A matter of fact, if our marriages become known to an immigration official, it would be evidence enough (to them) of a reason to want to stay permanently in the U.S. and would be an automatic ground to deny our spouses entry, or even a visa in the future.



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