Family Immigration Lawyer Houston | Adan G. Vega & Associates
Board-Certified. 45 Years of Family Immigration Experience. Call (713) 527-9606.
Adan G. Vega & Associates helps Houston families bring their relatives to the United States. Whether your family member is a spouse, parent, child, or sibling, our family immigration lawyer in Houston guides you through every step — from the initial I-130 petition through the green card interview. We have reunited thousands of families since 1979. Call (713) 527-9606 to speak with a Board-Certified immigration attorney today.
Why Houston Families Choose Our Firm
Adan G. Vega is Board-Certified in immigration and nationality law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Fewer than 1% of Texas attorneys hold this certification. Our firm handles family-based immigration cases in English and Spanish. We serve clients throughout Houston, Pasadena, Sugar Land, and the surrounding communities.
Family immigration involves strict deadlines and frequent USCIS correspondence. A missed deadline or incomplete filing can delay your family member’s case by months. We track every document, every priority date, and every USCIS notice for every client. You will always know where your case stands.
America Barroso wrote: “In each step of my green card process I had excellent legal advice. I am happy to recommend Adan Vega’s firm.”
Family Immigration Options We Handle
U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents can sponsor certain family members for immigrant visas. Citizens can sponsor immediate relatives without waiting for a visa number. Immediate relatives include spouses, unmarried children under 21, and parents. These cases move faster because Congress has not set a numerical limit on immediate relative visas.
The family preference categories cover other relationships with annual numerical limits. U.S. citizens can petition for unmarried adult children, married children, and siblings. Lawful permanent residents can petition for spouses, children, and unmarried adult children. The State Department Visa Bulletin shows current priority dates for each preference category and country of birth.
The K-1 fiancé visa allows U.S. citizens to bring their foreign fiancé to the United States. After the K-1 holder enters, they must marry their U.S. citizen petitioner within 90 days. The new spouse then adjusts status to permanent resident inside the United States. We handle the K-1 petition, the consular visa application, and the subsequent adjustment of status.
The Family Immigration Process
Family-based immigration begins with the I-130 petition. The U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident files the petition with USCIS to establish the qualifying relationship. USCIS approves the petition and sends it to the National Visa Center for processing. The NVC collects fees and documents before scheduling a consular interview for relatives abroad, or before the applicant adjusts status in the United States.
Immediate relatives who are in the United States and in valid status can often adjust status without leaving the country. Relatives outside the United States go through consular processing at a U.S. embassy or consulate in their home country. We prepare complete packages for both adjustment of status and consular processing cases.
Some family members face grounds of inadmissibility that require a waiver before they can receive a visa or green card. Common grounds include prior immigration violations, unlawful presence, and certain criminal history. We handle inadmissibility waivers alongside the family petition so the entire case moves forward together.
Conditional Green Cards and I-751
Spouses of U.S. citizens who have been married for less than two years at the time of approval receive a two-year conditional green card. The couple must file Form I-751 to remove the conditions within the 90-day window before the conditional card expires. USCIS may require an interview to verify the marriage is genuine. We prepare the I-751 package and accompany clients to interviews.
Call Adan G. Vega & Associates at (713) 527-9606 to get your family’s immigration process started. Our bilingual staff is ready to help in English and Spanish.
Understanding Family-Based Immigration in Detail
Family-based immigration is the largest source of lawful permanent residents in the United States. Congress created two tracks: the immediate relative category with no numerical cap, and the family preference system with annual caps set by law.
Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens include the citizen’s current spouse, unmarried children under 21, and parents (if the citizen is 21 or older). An immediate relative visa is always available — there is no wait for a priority date to become current. The only wait is the time USCIS takes to adjudicate the I-130 petition and the NVC takes to schedule the case. For applicants in the United States, the wait is often the USCIS adjustment of status processing time. For applicants abroad, it includes NVC processing plus consular scheduling.
The family preference categories have annual numerical limits. The first preference (F1) covers unmarried sons and daughters (21 and older) of U.S. citizens. The second preference (F2A) covers spouses and children of lawful permanent residents. F2B covers unmarried sons and daughters (21 and older) of permanent residents. The third preference (F3) covers married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens. The fourth preference (F4) covers brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens.
Priority dates matter enormously for preference category cases. When the I-130 is filed and accepted, USCIS assigns a priority date — the date USCIS received the petition. The applicant cannot receive a visa until their priority date is current according to the Visa Bulletin. For some preference categories and some countries of birth, the wait can exceed a decade. We monitor priority dates and advise clients on options that may shorten the wait.
The family based immigration process in Houston involves several stages after the I-130 approval. USCIS sends the approved petition to the NVC for immigrant visa processing. The NVC assigns a case number and collects the immigrant visa application fee and the affidavit of support fee. The NVC then reviews the submitted documents and schedules a consular interview at the U.S. embassy or consulate in the applicant’s home country.
The affidavit of support is a critical document. The U.S. sponsor must demonstrate income at or above 125% of the federal poverty guidelines for their household size including the intending immigrant. If the sponsor’s income is insufficient, a joint sponsor with adequate income can sign a separate affidavit of support. USCIS takes the affidavit of support seriously. A signed I-864 creates a legally enforceable obligation that survives until the immigrant works 40 qualifying quarters, becomes a U.S. citizen, permanently leaves the United States, or dies.
The consular interview at the U.S. embassy is the final step before the immigrant visa is issued. The consular officer reviews the documentation, asks questions about the relationship and the applicant’s background, and determines whether the applicant qualifies for the visa and is not inadmissible. We prepare applicants for consular interviews with a detailed review of what to expect and what documents to bring.
Adjustment of status in the United States is available to most immediate relatives of U.S. citizens who entered lawfully and are maintaining valid nonimmigrant status. Form I-485 is the adjustment of status application. It is filed along with the I-864 affidavit of support, medical examination results from a USCIS-designated civil surgeon, and supporting documents. Applicants submit a concurrent I-765 work authorization application and I-131 advance parole travel document application. USCIS schedules a biometrics appointment and may schedule an interview.
Spouses entering on CR-1 visas (conditional resident) or who adjust status when the marriage is less than two years old receive a two-year conditional green card. The conditions protect against marriages entered into solely for immigration benefits. After two years, the couple files Form I-751 together to remove the conditions and receive a permanent green card. If the marriage ended in divorce, domestic violence, or the spouse died, the conditional resident may file the I-751 on their own by requesting a waiver of the joint filing requirement.
The K-1 fiancé visa requires the U.S. petitioner and the foreign national to have met in person within the two years before the petition is filed. USCIS may waive this requirement in cases of extreme hardship or when meeting in person would violate strict and long-established customs of the foreign national’s society or culture. The K-1 applicant undergoes a medical examination and a consular interview. After entering the United States, they must marry within 90 days and then file for adjustment of status. Failure to marry within 90 days requires the K-1 holder to depart the United States.
Derivative beneficiaries — the children of the principal beneficiary — may accompany or follow to join a principal immigrant in most family preference categories. A derivative child under 21 may be included on the principal’s visa application. The Child Status Protection Act protects children from “aging out” of eligibility in certain circumstances when USCIS processing delays push them past age 21.
The USCIS family immigration page provides detailed information on each family-based category and the forms required at each stage. The I-130 instructions explain the evidence USCIS requires to establish each qualifying family relationship. We review every client’s documentation before filing to ensure the petition is complete and supported by the right evidence.
Adan G. Vega & Associates has reunited Houston families through immigration law for over 45 years. Our Board-Certified attorney and bilingual team handle every step from the initial I-130 petition through the green card interview. Call (713) 527-9606 to start your family’s immigration process today.