????美國(guó)最高法院上周三推翻了《婚姻保護(hù)法案》（Defense of Marriage Act）中禁止政府頒布聯(lián)邦法律承認(rèn)同性婚姻的條款,。同性戀權(quán)利擁護(hù)者當(dāng)然為這個(gè)裁決感到高興,，為之歡呼雀躍的還包括美國(guó)一些大公司——這些公司一直難以留住那些很有才華，但同性配偶出生在外國(guó)的員工,。

????實(shí)行傳統(tǒng)婚姻的美國(guó)人和合法移民為自己的外國(guó)配偶獲得綠卡相對(duì)而言比較容易,。

????傳統(tǒng)上，美國(guó)公民可以為外國(guó)出生的配偶作保,，幫助他們獲得居留簽證,，也就是所謂的綠卡,。但根據(jù)《婚姻保護(hù)法案》，女同性戀,、男同性戀,、雙性戀和變性（LGBT）美國(guó)人沒(méi)有同樣的權(quán)利。它造成的結(jié)果就是,，美國(guó)企業(yè)只能眼睜睜地看著一些最有才華的員工離開(kāi)美國(guó),，與其外國(guó)出生的伴侶團(tuán)聚去了。

????3月份,，28家美國(guó)公司簽署了一封聯(lián)名信,，敦促?lài)?guó)會(huì)本著解決移民問(wèn)題的目的，承認(rèn)同性婚姻,。德州儀器（Texas Instruments）,、美國(guó)航空公司（US Airways）、萬(wàn)豪國(guó)際（Marriott International）和其他公司聲稱(chēng),，讓外國(guó)出生的配偶在美國(guó)生活和工作成為可能具有商業(yè)意義,。各家公司為重新安置同性戀員工花費(fèi)了不菲的資金，倒頭來(lái)卻因?yàn)檫@些員工配偶的簽證問(wèn)題而失去了他們,。這封信寫(xiě)道：“我們不能失去我們最寶貴的資源——人才,。”

????這些障礙也阻礙著公司招募新的員工,。美國(guó)國(guó)際人才理事會(huì)（American Council on International Personnel）最近進(jìn)行的一項(xiàng)調(diào)查顯示,，42%的成員表示，由于美國(guó)移民法排除了準(zhǔn)雇員將同性伴侶帶入美國(guó)的可能性,，他們錯(cuò)失了不少招募機(jī)會(huì),。

????許多跨國(guó)同性伴侶選擇居住在國(guó)外，而不是美國(guó)?，斏?麥克德維特?普格就是一個(gè)例子,。她在硅谷的 Informix Software公司工作了許多年，負(fù)責(zé)運(yùn)營(yíng)這家數(shù)據(jù)庫(kù)軟件公司的教育和出版業(yè)務(wù),。她是一名管理人員,，管理者一個(gè)80人的部門(mén)，還曾在監(jiān)督公司的重組過(guò)程中發(fā)揮了關(guān)鍵作用——這家公司后來(lái)進(jìn)行拆分并被IBM收購(gòu),。但后來(lái),，她必須事業(yè)和同性伴侶之間做出選擇。她的伴侶是一位在澳大利亞出生,，居住在荷蘭的女士,。她不情愿地決定離職，把自己的才華帶到海外,。

????一些同性伴侶已經(jīng)找到了一起在美國(guó)生活的方式,。當(dāng)初美國(guó)前眾議員吉姆?科爾貝無(wú)法為他的巴拿馬伴侶赫克托?阿方索辦理美國(guó)簽證時(shí),，阿方索通過(guò)EB-5投資者簽證計(jì)劃申請(qǐng)獲得了成功。這項(xiàng)計(jì)劃將簽證授予在美國(guó)作出重大資本投資（50萬(wàn)美元以上）,，從而創(chuàng)造或保留了至少10個(gè)就業(yè)機(jī)會(huì)的個(gè)人,。科爾貝在接受記者采訪(fǎng)時(shí)承認(rèn),，為了走這個(gè)途徑,，他和阿方索不得不拿出一大筆退休儲(chǔ)蓄。但對(duì)于大多數(shù)伴侶來(lái)說(shuō),，這種方式不具備經(jīng)濟(jì)可行性,。

????上周三的裁決公布之前，佛蒙特州民主黨參議員帕特里克?萊希曾經(jīng)提議對(duì)移民法案進(jìn)行一次修訂,，以移除尋求在美居住的跨國(guó)同性情侶面臨的相關(guān)障礙,。《萊希修正案》（The Leahy Amendment）將在移民法的背景下,，有效地承認(rèn)同性婚姻。但它面臨兩黨議員的強(qiáng)烈反對(duì),，其中包括一些民主黨議員,。這些議員雖然在原則上支持這項(xiàng)修正案，但擔(dān)心它將扼殺兩黨就移民問(wèn)題達(dá)成的協(xié)議,。

????The nation's highest court on Wednesday struck down part of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which barred the government from recognizing same-sex unions in federal law. While gay rights advocates rejoiced at the decision, it's also a win for some of America's biggest corporations struggling to keep talented employees with foreign-born same-sex spouses.

????For Americans and legal immigrants in traditional marriages, obtaining a green card for a foreign spouse is relatively easy.

????Traditionally, American citizens have been able to sponsor their foreign-born spouses for residency visas, known as green cards. But under DOMA, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans did not have the same right. And as a result, U.S. businesses have watched as some of their most talented employees leave to live with their foreign-born partners abroad.

????In March, 28 U.S. companies signed off on a letter urging Congress to recognize same-sex unions for immigration purposes. Texas Instruments (TXN), US Airways (LCC), Marriott International (MAR), and others said making it possible for foreign-born spouses to live and work in the U.S. makes business sense. Companies go through the expense of relocating gay and lesbian employees, only to lose them because of their spouse's visa problems. "We cannot afford to lose our most precious resource: talent," the letter stated.

????The barriers have also hindered companies from taking on new workers. According to a recent survey by the American Council on International Personnel, an association of employers that advocates immigration reform, 42% of member organizations said they have missed out on hiring opportunities because U.S. immigration law precluded the prospective employee from bringing his or her same-sex partner into the country.

????Many binational same-sex couples chose to live abroad rather than in America. Martha McDevitt-Pugh, for instance, spent many years working at Silicon Valley-based Informix Software, where she ran the database software firm's education and publications arm. Managing a department of 80 people, she was a key player in overseeing the company's reorganization ahead of its later split and acquisition by IBM. But when it was time to choose between her career and her same-sex partner, an Australian-born woman living in the Netherlands, she reluctantly decided to leave her job and take her talents overseas.

????Some same-sex couples have found ways to live together in the United States. When former U.S. Representative Jim Kolbe (R-Ariz.) could not sponsor his Panamanian partner, Hector Alfonso, for an American visa, Alfonso successfully applied under the EB-5 investor visa program. This program grants visas to individuals who make a substantial capital investment (over $500,000) in America that creates or preserves at least 10 jobs. Kolbe acknowledged in an interview that he and Alfonso had to dig into their retirement savings to pursue this option, and that it would not be economically feasible for most couples.

????Before Wednesday's ruling, Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont pushed an amendment to the immigration bill that would have removed such hurdles for binational same-sex couples seeking to live in America. The Leahy Amendment would have effectively recognized same-sex unions in the context of immigration law, but it faced massive bipartisan opposition, including some from Democrats who supported it in principle but feared that it would kill the immigration deal.