WASHINGTON -- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on Friday issued a Policy Memorandum revising the treatment of gender designations for transgender people on their immigration documents.

The new guidance also makes clear that if a couple has married as a different-sex couple under state law, the federal government will continue to recognize the marriage for immigration purposes regardless of a person's subsequent gender transition.

The revisions update the Adjudicator's Field Manual, a guide binding all USCIS staff overseeing immigration procedures.