If you are a staff member on a G-4 visa in the United States and in a domestic partnership, and your partner is on a derivative G-4 visa, please know that the State Department is now requiring that you be legally married in order to continue to be able to secure a derivative G-4 visa for your partner.
With this change, the State Department is enforcing parity in the way they recognize opposite-sex partnerships and same-sex partnerships.
Since 2009, if you were in an opposite-sex partnership, the State Department required that you be legally married in order to obtain a derivative G-4 visa for your partner.
This was not the case for same-sex partnerships. Same-sex partners in a domestic partnership were still able to secure a derivative G-4 visa for the same-sex partner. This will NO LONGER be the case.
And it is an unfortunate change in rules, since same-sex couples, unlike opposite-sex couples, have limited choices when it comes to marriage.
Therefore, if you are a in a domestic partnership with a same-sex partner, and this same-sex partner is on a derivative G-4 visa, please consider getting married in order for your partner to be able to continue getting a derivative G-4 visa. Read more via UN Globe
G-4 visas for domestic partners
1. The purpose of the present circular is to inform staff members with domestic partners who hold a derivative G-4 non-immigrant visa of a diplomatic note received from the United States Mission to the United Nations concerning the definition of “family members”. The text of the diplomatic note, dated 12 July 2018, is set out in annex I to the present circular.1
2. The diplomatic note informs the United Nations Secretariat and funds and programmes of policy changes with respect to the conditions for establishing the eligibility of domestic partners for a G-4 visa.
3. Since 2009, the United Nations has been informed that the Department of State does not issue a G-4 visa for opposite-sex domestic partners.
4. The diplomatic note informs the United Nations that the Department of State will not issue a G-4 visa for same-sex domestic partners. As of 1 October 2018, same- sex domestic partners accompanying or seeking to join newly arrived United Nations officials must provide proof of marriage to be eligible for a G-4 visa or to seek a change into such status.
5. Currently accredited same-sex domestic partners of United Nations officials who wish to maintain their G-4 visa must be ready to submit proof of marriage by 31 December 2018. After 31 December 2018, they will be expected to leave the United States within 30 days unless they submit the required proof of marriage or have obtained separate authorization to remain in the country through a change of non-immigrant status.
6. In addition, on or after 1 October 2018, all same-sex domestic partners applying for visa renewal in the United States must be married to qualify for a G-4 visa.
7. All United Nations officials are informed that, when notifying the United States Mission to the United Nations of new spouses for accreditation, the United Nations is requested to submit appropriate documentation that the couple is married.
Moreover, to be eligible for a G-4 visa, the spouse of a United Nations official must not be a member of some other household and must reside regularly in the household of the principal.
8. Staff members should contact their human resources partner if they have any questions about the present information circular or the content of the diplomatic note.
See the full document in English here
Read in other languages via UNDocs.org