Immigration for Spouses and Children of Employees

If you are coming or have come to the Houston area to work, you may want your spouse and children to be in the United States with you. If you are an employer who hires people from other countries to work in the Gulf Coast region, you may recognize that a happy, healthy workforce is one where the workers can be close to their families.

United States immigration law is written with the purpose of unifying families. Most employment-based immigrant and nonimmigrant visas have provisions that allow for the visa holder to seek a complimentary visa for his or her spouse and children.

Houston Immigration Lawyer for Spouses and Children of Employees

Kathryn Karam is a skilled Houston immigration lawyer who can handle both employment-based immigrant and nonimmigrant visas, and visas for those employees' spouses and children. It is important to the workforce for employees to have united families, when possible.  The law allows for this in many occasions, and Kathryn Karam can assist in making the law a reality for families of Houston area employees.

Karam Immigration law has experience working with especially difficult and complicated matters, and knows how to find solutions to these difficult matters. Ms. Karam has assisted families in which both spouses have employment-based petitions pending. She has also assisted families in determining the best path to allow the entire family to apply for permanent residence. She has also assisted children who were not able to apply for permanent residence with their parents because they turned 21 and were no longer considered dependent children. Call today at (832) 582-0620 to set up a consultation to discuss your matter.

Karam Immigration law represents employers and individuals throughout the Houston area, including The Woodlands, Sugar Land, Clear Lake, Tomball, Cypress and Bellaire.

Info Center on Immigration for Spouses and Children

• Spouses and Children for Temporary Work Visits
• Visas for the Spouses and Children of Permanent Residents
• Attorney Helping Unite Families of Houston Employees

Back to Top

Spouses and Children for Temporary Work Visits

If a person is in Houston working on temporary basis, for example, on a specific project that will end within a few years, that person receives a nonimmigrant visa. For all employment-based nonimmigrant visas except Q-1, there is a corresponding visa for spouses and children.

The visa will be in the same category with a different number. For example, if a person has an L-1 visa, he or she can seek an L-2 visa for his or her spouse and each child under 21. The visa holder must be able to show that he or she will be able to financially support any person he or she is seeking a visa for, and any spouse and children must be admissible to the United States.

Minor children with nonimmigrant visas can attend school in the United States. However, a spouse must seek separate authorization to work. Some temporary work visa classifications allow spouses to apply for employment authorization card or a “work permit.” Your immigration attorney can assist you in determining your spouse’s eligibility to apply for work authorization.

The immigration system recognizes marriage equality. Same-sex spouses who are legally married are treated the same as married people of the opposite sex.

Back to Top

Visas for the Spouses and Children of Permanent Residents

If a person is accepting a permanent position in the Houston area or is otherwise working here indefinitely, then they must seek to become a permanent resident.  A permanent resident can sponsor a spouse and children to become permanent residents, but the process can take many years, or even decades.

While they wait for permanent resident status to be available, the spouse of a permanent resident may seek a K-3 visa, and seek K-4 visas for any children. They may then seek an adjustment of status (AOS) to seek to become permanent residents. With K visas, the spouse and children will be able to reside in the United States with the employee.

If the employee becomes a U.S. citizen while the spouse and unmarried children still younger than 21 are still waiting for permanent resident status, he or she will be able to sponsor them for green cards immediately.

An employment immigration attorney can assist in determining options for you or your immigrant employees for family unification.

Back to Top

Attorney Helping Unite Families of Houston Employees

Family is important. Immigration law recognizes this. If you are a Houston-area employee in the United States on an immigrant or nonimmigrant visa and you seek to bring your family to join you, or if you are an employer seeking to assist an employee with visas for his or her family, Kathryn Karam is an immigration lawyer who can help you. Call (832) 582-0620 today to schedule a consultation.