gay marriage question

[sweetzombie]

Hi There
I have a same sex partner who lives in Las Vegas but he is originally from California. I am originally from the UK and I am trying my hardest to move over to the states. I hear that same sex marriage has just become legal in California. Would I have a chance of getting a green card if I marry my partner in California? I am not very good with politics so please help me!

Thanks in advance

[iamwhoever]

I'm about 99.9% sure that you can't because it is a State law and not a Federal law. As far as I know, immigration is base on Federal laws.

Also, I know when looking through the info on bring your partner with you to the US when one has received a visa for work or study that they specify that this does not include same sex partners since the US does not recognise them on a federal level.

[yankeegirl]

I'm about 99.9% sure that you can't because it is a State law and not a Federal law. As far as I know, immigration is base on Federal laws

This is correct. Even though same-sex marriage is legal in California now, it isn't recognized on a federal level. I had friends in a similar position, and they ended up moving to the UK, where they had no problems getting the visa for the US partner. If you are highly skilled, you could look at the various employment visas to try to get in on your own merits, but unfortunately the relationship avenue wouldn't be a route to immigrate to the US.