LGB Immigration Barriers

Please pass this announcement along to friends. There will be some UCSF-centric information, but there will also be general information and a Q&A.

We encourage you to bring a friend along, too – especially someone who may not know the immigration struggles of a foreign-national LGB person in a same-sex relationship.

To the T’s and the I’s: we went back and forth on how inclusive to make the title, but since we didn’t have anyone speaking specifically to T or I issues, we wanted to be honest about it and let you know that up front. Please don’t think that means you’re not welcome to attend and ask questions specific to your situation – it just means that we may not be able to answer your questions at this forum. We’re going to try to have another forum in May or June at the SF LGBT center, and if there’s enough interest from T’s and I’s at this first one (or through private emails to me), then we’ll do our best to find someone knowledgeable enough on your specific issues to be able to address them effectively.

LGB IMMIGRATION BARRIERS:
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW & HOW YOU CAN HELP

Wednesday, April 29
12-1pm,
Health Sciences West 301
University of California, San Francisco
513 Parnassus Ave.
San Francisco, CA
(Enter UCSF Medical Sciences Building at 513 Parnassus Ave, go up stairs, enter courtyard, and
turn left to Health Sciences West)

Because same-sex relationships are not recognized by the U.S. government, foreign nationals in same-sex relationships with U.S. citizens cannot be sponsored for immigration as heterosexual spouses can be. This causes heartbreaking separations and much anxiety: you may have read about the recent deportation order against a mother of two in Pacifica who faces either being separated from her wife of 23 years and their children, or uprooting her entire family to an uncertain future in a country that the children have never known.

Come learn about the barriers that confront bi-national same-sex couples — and what you can do to help eliminate them. An expert panel will discuss current issues faced by these couples and their families; the status of the LGBT-friendly Uniting American Families Act; and UCSF policies around green card sponsorship. Speakers include Amos Lim, Founder of Out4Immigration; Melanie Nathan, Founder of Private Courts Mediation; and Gang Wang, Director of UCSF Services to International Students and Scholars.

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