New US Visa Policy Now Requires Same Sex Partners To Get Married Before Year End

President Donald Trump’s administration will reportedly no longer grant US visas to unmarried, same-sex partners of foreign diplomats and employees of international organizations, such as the United Nations, International Monetary Fund and the World Bank unless they are married.

As per the new policy announced earlier this year, the United States will issue a spousal US visa, also known as the G-4 visa, to a partner only if the couple is legally married. The new policy, which is effective immediately, reverses a 2009 policy passed by then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that allowed these same-sex partners to obtain a G-4 visa. This did not apply to heterosexual unmarried couples.

“Effective immediately, U.S. Embassies and Consulates will adjudicate visa applications that are based on a same-sex marriage in the same way that we adjudicate applications for opposite gender spouses,” The State Department’s website on G-4 visas reads.

Notably, the new US visa policy will require diplomats already living in the United States to legally marry their same-sex partners by the end of the year or leave the country. According to the UN memo, they will have to submit a proof of marriage by Dec. 31 or head out of the country within 30 days. The policy will likely affect 10 U.N. employees living in the United States who would need to get married by the end of the year to get their partners’ visas extended.

Unfortunately, the new policy could turn into a bane for those couples who are ineligible to legally marry in their home country. According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), only 25 countries recognize some form of same-sex marriage, while more than 70 other countries do not legally approve of same-sex relationships.

In related news, the Trump administration has decided to extend EB-5 visa deadline up to December 7, before finally deciding on a price hike.