
Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano addresses that the Supreme Court will ensure implementation of the ruling on the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which grants same-sex couples equality of legal benefits. President Obama has taken measures to eliminate discrimination so that same-sex couples receive the same consideration as opposite-sex couples when filing for a visa petition. This change is effective immediately for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to follow. Couples are eligible to apply even if they currently live in a state that does not allow same-sex marriages, in which case, USCIS will consider the law of the state of residence in addition to the law of the state of celebration of the marriage.