( CNN ) -- Legally married same-sex spouses seeking U.S. visas will now be treated the same as opposite-sex spouses , Secretary of State John Kerry announced Friday . Kerry told a meeting with consular staff in London that the change means that his department was `` tearing down an unjust and an unfair barrier that for too long stood in the way of same-sex families being able to travel as a family to the United States . '' Beginning immediately , same-sex spouses of both U.S. citizens and foreigners will be treated equally as opposite-sex spouses , Kerry explained . `` As long as a marriage has been performed in a jurisdiction that recognizes it so that it is legal , then that marriage is legal under U.S. law , and every married couple would be treated exactly the same , '' he said . A State Department official told CNN on condition of not being identified that the change was expected to immediately affect up to 100 applicants . The official said the department expected the number of applicants from same-sex spouses to increase with expanded awareness of the new policy . Kerry 's announcement followed a June ruling by the Supreme Court that struck down a key part of a law that denied legally married same-sex couples the same federal benefits provided heterosexual spouses . On a 5-4 vote , the high court struck down part of the Defense of Marriage Act , which defines marriage as only between a man and a woman . Under DOMA , Social Security , pension and bankruptcy benefits , along with family medical leave protections and other federal provisions , did not apply to gay and lesbian couples legally married in states that recognize such unions . At issue was whether DOMA violated equal protection guarantees in the Fifth Amendment 's due process clause as applied to same-sex couples legally married under the laws of their states . What you need to know about same-sex marriage in the U.S. around the world . CNN 's Jamie Crawford contributed to this report , which was reported by Jill Dougherty and written by Tom Cohen in Washington .
NEW : The change is expected to increase visa applications from same-sex spouses . Secretary of State John Kerry says all couples now will be treated the same . The policy covers same-sex spouses of Americans and foreigners . The change follows a major Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage .