Family Based Immigration Attorney Houston | Petitions, Visas, and Green Cards

Board-Certified. 45 Years of Experience. Call (713) 527-9606.

Adan G. Vega & Associates is a family based immigration law firm in Houston serving U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents since 1979. We handle I-130 petitions, consular processing, adjustment of status, K-1 fiancé visas, and conditional green card removal for families across Houston. Our family based immigration attorney in Houston is Board-Certified and bilingual in English and Spanish. Call (713) 527-9606 to start your case today.

Why Choose Our Family Immigration Firm

Adan G. Vega holds Board Certification in immigration and nationality law from the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. This certification requires passing a rigorous exam and demonstrating substantial experience in immigration law. Fewer than 1% of Texas attorneys have it. Our firm has guided Houston-area families through immigration since 1979 — including clients from Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, India, Vietnam, the Philippines, and dozens of other countries.

Family immigration cases involve many moving parts: the petition, the priority date, the NVC, the affidavit of support, the medical exam, the interview. Missing any step delays your family. We track every requirement and every deadline so you don’t have to.

Eduardo M. wrote: “I am very happy with Adan Vega’s office. We received our permits. It is a long process but we were always informed. I highly recommend Adan Vega if you need someone reliable.”

Family Preference Categories

U.S. immigration law creates two tracks for family members. Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens — spouses, unmarried children under 21, and parents — have no annual cap and move faster through the system. Family preference category relatives face annual numerical limits and wait for their priority date to become current.

The four family preference categories are: First Preference (F1) — unmarried sons and daughters 21 or older of U.S. citizens. Second Preference A (F2A) — spouses and children under 21 of lawful permanent residents. Second Preference B (F2B) — unmarried sons and daughters 21 or older of lawful permanent residents. Third Preference (F3) — married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens. Fourth Preference (F4) — brothers and sisters of adult U.S. citizens.

Priority dates for F2A are close to current most of the time. F4 and F3 priority dates for applicants from Mexico and the Philippines often stretch back 20 years or more. We advise clients on expected wait times based on their specific category and country of birth so they can plan accordingly.

The I-130 Petition

Every family immigration case begins with Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative. The U.S. citizen or permanent resident petitioner files the I-130 to establish the qualifying family relationship. Evidence of the relationship is critical. Spouses submit a marriage certificate and evidence the marriage is genuine — joint bank accounts, shared lease or mortgage, photos together, insurance policies. Parents and children submit birth certificates. Siblings submit birth certificates of the common parent.

USCIS approves the I-130 and then either transfers it to the National Visa Center (for consular processing) or accepts a concurrent adjustment of status application (for applicants already in the United States). If the beneficiary is abroad and a visa number is immediately available, NVC processing typically takes two to eight months before an interview is scheduled.

Adjustment of Status in Houston

Adjustment of status allows eligible family members already in the United States to apply for a green card without traveling abroad. The applicant must have been inspected and admitted or paroled at a U.S. port of entry. The applicant must be in a valid nonimmigrant status, or fall within an exception. Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens qualify for an important exception — they can adjust status even if they overstayed a prior visa, as long as they entered lawfully.

The adjustment package includes Form I-485, the I-864 affidavit of support, medical exam results on Form I-693 from a USCIS-designated civil surgeon, the I-130 approval notice (or concurrent I-130 filing), and a full set of supporting documents. We also file the I-765 for employment authorization and the I-131 for advance parole so the applicant can work and travel while the green card is pending.

USCIS biometrics and, increasingly, in-person interviews are required for most family-based adjustment cases. We attend every USCIS interview with our clients and prepare them in advance. Our client testimonials reflect the care we put into interview preparation.

Consular Processing for Family Members Abroad

Family members outside the United States go through consular processing at the U.S. embassy or consulate in their home country. After the NVC collects all documents and fees, it schedules a medical examination with an approved panel physician and a visa interview with a consular officer.

The consular interview focuses on the genuineness of the family relationship, the applicant’s admissibility, and the adequacy of the financial support. Consular officers can deny a visa if they find a ground of inadmissibility, including prior unlawful presence in the United States, certain criminal convictions, or misrepresentation.

When a family member has a potential inadmissibility issue, we identify it before the interview and either file the appropriate waiver or prepare the strongest possible legal argument. Addressing inadmissibility proactively is far more effective than responding to a denial. Learn more about our waiver practice.

K-1 Fiancé Visa

U.S. citizens who are engaged to a foreign national can file a K-1 petition to bring their fiancé to the United States. USCIS requires proof that the parties have met in person within the past two years, that both are free to marry, and that the intent to marry is genuine. The K-1 visa gives the foreign fiancé 90 days to enter and marry the U.S. citizen. After the marriage, the new spouse files Form I-485 to adjust status to permanent resident.

The K-1 process typically takes 8 to 14 months from petition filing to visa issuance. USCIS adjudicates the I-129F petition first. After approval, the NVC transfers the case to the appropriate consulate for the medical exam and interview. Children of the K-1 applicant may accompany on K-2 visas.

Call Adan G. Vega & Associates at (713) 527-9606 to discuss your K-1 petition or any family immigration matter. We serve Houston families in English and Spanish.

Family Based Immigration — A Closer Look at the Full Process

The I-130 priority date is assigned when USCIS receives the petition. This date is critical for preference category cases. A preference category beneficiary cannot receive an immigrant visa or adjust status until their priority date is “current” — meaning the State Department has made a visa number available for that date in that category and country. The Visa Bulletin publishes priority dates monthly and includes two charts: Chart A (Final Action Dates) and Chart B (Dates for Filing). USCIS announces which chart to use for adjustment of status filings each month.

The National Visa Center (NVC) is a clearinghouse within the State Department that processes approved immigrant visa petitions. NVC receives the approved I-130 from USCIS, assigns a case number, and manages the documentation stage. The sponsor must complete Form I-864 with supporting financial documents. The beneficiary must complete Form DS-260 (the online immigrant visa application) and submit civil documents including birth certificates, police clearances from each country of residence, and military records if applicable.

NVC reviews all documents for completeness before scheduling the interview. Incomplete submissions delay scheduling. We prepare the full NVC document package for every client and review it against the current NVC documentary requirements before submission. Our clients arrive at their NVC checklist review with complete files that NVC can approve quickly.

The medical examination is required for all immigrant visa applicants. For consular processing, a panel physician in the applicant’s home country performs the exam using CDC-required protocols. The physician tests for communicable diseases, reviews vaccination history, and screens for certain physical or mental disorders. The exam is valid for a limited period. Timing the medical exam to the expected interview date avoids having to repeat it. We advise clients on when to schedule the exam based on their place in the NVC queue.

The affidavit of support binds the sponsor legally. If the sponsored immigrant receives certain means-tested public benefits, the government agency that provided the benefits can sue the sponsor for reimbursement. This liability continues for years. Sponsors who cannot meet the 125% poverty guideline threshold alone may use a joint sponsor. The joint sponsor must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident who lives in the United States and meets the income requirement independently. Joint sponsors take on the same legal obligation as the primary sponsor.

Spouses who immigrate through a marriage of less than two years receive conditional permanent residence on a two-year card. The I-751 petition to remove conditions must be filed in the 90-day window before the card expires. USCIS has been conducting more interviews on I-751 cases filed by couples who married abroad or met online. We prepare I-751 packages with thorough evidence of the ongoing, genuine marriage: joint bank statements, lease agreements, insurance documents, photos across the years of the marriage, letters from people who know the couple, and the couple’s own statements about their life together.

Divorced conditional residents who need to file the I-751 alone may do so on the basis of a divorce waiver, showing the marriage was entered into in good faith. Survivors of domestic violence may file on the VAWA basis without the abusive spouse’s cooperation. The hardship waiver is also available in limited circumstances. We help conditional residents file I-751 waivers and represent them at USCIS interviews.

Children who turn 21 while a family petition is pending may be protected by the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA). CSPA subtracts USCIS processing time from the child’s age for certain purposes. A child whose “CSPA age” is under 21 when the visa number becomes available retains child eligibility even if they have already turned 21 biologically. The CSPA calculation is technical. We calculate CSPA age for every petition that involves a child approaching 21 and advise families on how to protect the child’s status.

Siblings of U.S. citizens in the F4 category face the longest waits. The F4 category for applicants born in Mexico has a priority date currently over 20 years behind. Families filing F4 petitions today should expect very long waits. We encourage F4 filers to keep their contact information current with USCIS and the NVC throughout the wait and to notify us of any address changes so nothing is missed when the priority date finally becomes current.

The USCIS family of U.S. citizens page describes every immediate relative and preference category available to citizens. The USCIS family of green card holders page covers the categories available to lawful permanent residents. We review both pages regularly to stay current on any USCIS policy updates that affect our clients’ cases.

Adan G. Vega & Associates has practiced family immigration law in Houston for over 45 years. Our Board-Certified attorney and bilingual team are ready to guide your family from the first petition through the green card interview. Call (713) 527-9606 today.