Board Certification in Immigration and Nationality Law is a voluntary credential awarded by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. It is not required to practice immigration law in Texas, but earning it requires passing a written exam, demonstrating significant experience in the field, and receiving favorable evaluations from peers and judges. Here is what the certification actually requires and how to verify whether an attorney holds it.
What the Texas Board of Legal Specialization Is
The Texas Board of Legal Specialization (TBLS) is an arm of the State Bar of Texas. It certifies attorneys in 24 legal specialty areas — from family law to tax to immigration and nationality law. Board Certification identifies attorneys who have demonstrated particular expertise in a specialty through testing, experience, and peer review.
Certification is not a marketing title an attorney can claim voluntarily. It requires an application, documentation, examination, and approval. The TBLS website lists currently certified attorneys in each specialty. You can search the list directly to verify any attorney’s certification status.
What Immigration and Nationality Law Certification Requires
To earn Board Certification in Immigration and Nationality Law in Texas, an attorney must:
- Be licensed and in good standing with the Texas State Bar
- Have practiced law for at least five years, with a substantial portion dedicated to immigration and nationality law
- Handle a specified minimum number of immigration matters over a recent five-year period — covering categories like removal proceedings, family-based petitions, employment visas, and federal court appeals
- Pass a written examination covering all major areas of immigration law
- Receive favorable peer review evaluations from other attorneys and judges who are familiar with their immigration work
- Complete ongoing continuing legal education requirements in immigration law
Recertification is required every five years and involves the same ongoing education and peer review standards.
How Many Texas Immigration Attorneys Hold This Certification
Fewer than 5% of Texas attorneys hold any Board Certification. Immigration and Nationality Law is one of the smaller certification categories. The TBLS directory lists the active certified attorneys in this specialty. The list is shorter than most people expect — which reflects the actual difficulty of meeting the requirements, not limited interest among immigration attorneys.
What Board Certification Does Not Mean
Board Certification does not mean the attorney wins every case or that they are the right fit for every type of immigration matter. Some immigration attorneys without Board Certification have decades of experience and strong track records. Certification is one indicator of expertise — not the only one.
It also does not substitute for verifying current license status. An attorney can let a certification lapse or lose it due to a disciplinary matter. Always verify both the Board Certification and the active license status on the Texas State Bar directory before hiring.
Why the Credential Matters in Complex Cases
Immigration law spans family petitions, employment visas, asylum, removal proceedings, federal court appeals, and more. Attorneys who practice primarily in one area — say, family-based petitions — may have limited exposure to removal defense or complex employment-based cases. Board Certification requires demonstrated experience across multiple immigration practice areas, which means the attorney has handled more than just the straightforward case types.
For cases involving removal proceedings, federal court appeals, or situations where a prior mistake by another attorney needs to be corrected, an attorney who has been tested on the full scope of immigration law is a meaningful advantage.
How to Verify Certification
Search the Texas State Bar attorney search and look at the attorney’s profile. Board Certifications held are listed on the profile alongside the specialty area. You can also search directly on tbls.org under the Immigration and Nationality Law category to see the full list of currently certified attorneys.
If an attorney says they are Board Certified but the credential does not appear on their State Bar profile, it has either lapsed or was never awarded.
About Adan G. Vega
Adan G. Vega has been Board-Certified in Immigration and Nationality Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization for over three decades. His certification is verifiable on the Texas State Bar attorney directory. The firm has practiced immigration law exclusively in Houston for over 45 years. Call (713) 527-9606 to schedule a confidential consultation, or see our business immigration and individual immigration practice areas.
Reviewed by Adan Vega, Board-Certified Immigration Attorney, Founding Partner · Updated
About the author
Board-Certified Immigration Attorney, Founding Partner · Texas Board-Certified Specialist in Immigration and Nationality Law — Texas Board of Legal Specialization (1985); Admitted, U.S. Supreme Court (2004); Admitted, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (1980); J.D., The University of Texas at Austin School of Law (1979); B.A., Rice University (1976); Member, American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) (1982); Texas Super Lawyers — Thomson Reuters (2004); Special Service Award — Migration and Refugee Services, United States Catholic Conference
Adan G. Vega is a Board-Certified Immigration Attorney and the founding partner of Vega & Associates, PLLC in Houston, Texas. He has practiced immigration and nationality law exclusively for more than 45 years, making him one of the longest-serving immigration attorneys in Houston. He earned a B.A. from Rice University in 1976 and a J.D. from the University of Texas at Austin School of Law in 1979. In 1985 the Texas Board of Legal Specialization awarded him a Certificate of Special Competence in Immigration and Nationality Law, authorizing the title Board Certified Specialist. He is admitted to practice before the Texas state courts, the EOIR Immigration Courts, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court, and has presented oral argument in the Fifth Circuit on three occasions, including one published opinion.
On August 23, 1988, Vega testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and International Law, on the effects of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. He has served as immigration legal counsel to foreign governments in the United States, including the governments of Mexico and El Salvador, and to multinational companies on employment-based immigration.
A member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association since 1982, he co-chaired the AILA Texas Chapter Conference in 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2004, and has lectured on immigration law at AILA conferences and at the University of Texas. He authored the Guide of United States History and Government in 1989. The Migration and Refugee Services of the United States Catholic Conference presented him with a special service award for outstanding commitment and dedicated service to newcomers.
Vega was a founder and initial director of the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in 1984, served as President of Consejo Hispano from 1987 to 1988, and has served as special immigration legal counsel, board director, vice president and president of the Cámara de Empresarios Latinos de Houston. He has provided pro bono immigration services to Texas's indigent community throughout his career. He has been recognized as a Top Texas Lawyer by Super Lawyers (Thomson Reuters) since 2004. He represents individuals, families and businesses before USCIS, the Immigration Courts, the Board of Immigration Appeals and the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, and is bilingual in English and Spanish.
