Family-Based Immigration

Houston Immigration Lawyer Helping Families

At The Law Office of Mana Yegani, immigration issues are the exclusive focus. Attorney Yegani advises and represents U.S. citizens, Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs), non-permanent residents, and aliens with immigration issues. If you or a family member needs a Houston immigration attorney to assist with immigration forms or provide guidance through a legal process, Ms. Yegani can help you today. She has built a reputation with U.S. Citizenship and Information Services (USCIS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), immigration judges, and government lawyers in Texas.

Our firm regularly handles immigration cases involving:

• Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) petitions
• Defense Of Marriage Act (DOMA): same-sex marriage immigration
• How to petition for your spouse
• Adjustment of status/getting a green card
• Removing conditions of residence: Form I-751
• DREAM Act: Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
• Additional immigration issues affecting family members

Obtaining Visas & Adjustment of Status

If you are seeking to help a family member or fiancé(e) gain entrance to the U.S., get an adjustment of status or remove conditions of residency, family-based immigration is often the best opportunity that you have. Visas are available to immediate relatives of U.S. citizens on an unlimited basis as long as the legal relationship can be proven, but USCIS has an interesting way of defining who qualifies as an immediate relative.

There are two categories of family-based immigration:

• Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens, including spouses, unmarried children under the age of 21 and parents — unlimited visas are available annually for such relatives.
• Preference relatives include adult children, brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens, and spouses and unmarried children of lawful permanent residents (LPRs) — limited visas are available each year for such relatives.

Multiple factors influence a person's ability to obtain a family visa (family green card) and immigrate to the U.S., including age, health, country of origin, criminal history, work history, education, job skills, finances, immigration backlogs and others. U.S. citizens and LPRs living in the U.S. or a territory of the U.S. may petition on behalf of (sponsor) family members wishing to immigrate to the U.S. Sponsors take on financial responsibility for family members once they obtain a visa and enter the U.S.