Blog - Herrera Law Firm in Houston, TX

7 Questions to Ask an Immigration Lawyer Before You Hire One in Houston

Picking the wrong immigration lawyer can cost you months, thousands of dollars, and even your case. So before you sign a retainer, you need the right questions to ask an immigration lawyer. Houston has dozens of firms competing for your business, and not all of them handle your case type well. Some attorneys hand your file to a paralegal on day one. Others charge vague fees that balloon later. U.S.…

August 16, 2026 Hector Herrera Immigration Legal Services No Comments

EB1 vs NIW: Which Employment Based Green Card You Can Self Petition Faster Today

You want a green card, but no employer will sponsor you — so the comparison usually starts with eb1 vs niw. Both the EB-1A petition and the National Interest Waiver let you file for yourself and skip the employer completely, yet they judge you by very different rules. EB-1A looks at how far you have risen in your field, while the NIW looks at why your work matters to the…

August 11, 2026 Hector Herrera Immigration Legal Services No Comments

E2 Visa Cost in 2026: What Foreign Investors Really Pay to Launch a U.S. Business

You want to open a business in America, but the e2 visa cost keeps you guessing. Most investors go looking for one clear number, and that number simply does not exist. Federal law sets no minimum E-2 investment amount, so your real E-2 visa cost depends on the business plan you bring. Our investment immigration attorneys in Houston price these cases regularly, and the answer is never a single figure.…

August 10, 2026 Hector Herrera Visa Cost No Comments

EB-5 vs E-2 Visa: Which Investor Visa Path Fits Your Goals in 2026?

You have capital ready to invest in a U.S. business, but choosing the right visa path is harder than it looks. The eb-5 vs e-2 visa choice confuses most investors, because both are investor visa routes that end in very different places. The E-2 investor visa is faster and cheaper, yet it never becomes a green card, while the EB-5 investor visa costs far more but leads straight to permanent…

August 7, 2026 Hector Herrera Green Cards & Permanent Resident Status No Comments

Conditional Green Card Removal I-751: File Before Your 2-Year Status Expires

Your 2 year conditional green card has an expiration date, and if you miss it your status ends. That is why the conditional green card removal i-751 process matters more than most people think. The card carries conditions tied to your marriage, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) wants proof that marriage is real. You provide that proof by filing Form I-751, and the petition has to reach USCIS…

August 6, 2026 Hector Herrera Green Cards & Permanent Resident Status No Comments

Employment Based Green Card Backlog 2026: EB-2 and EB-3 Wait Times Explained

The employment based green card backlog 2026 is stressing out workers across Houston. So, if you filed an EB-2 or EB-3 case, you likely feel stuck. The queue keeps growing each year. This backlog affects thousands of skilled workers and their families. Our team at employment-based green card sponsorship services helps clients plan around these long waits. Delays hit India and China the hardest. But EB-3 wait times also affect…

August 4, 2026 Hector Herrera Green Cards & Permanent Resident Status No Comments

Family Immigration Sponsorship Cost 2026: Complete Fee Breakdown for Spouse, Parent, and Child Petitions

Sponsoring a family member for a green card almost always costs more than U.S. citizens expect. Most people budget for a single filing fee, then discover that family immigration sponsorship cost is really a string of separate charges spread across the process. For a spouse petition, the total can reach $3,000 or more before attorney fees, and for parents and children the numbers shift depending on age, location, and visa…

August 3, 2026 Hector Herrera Immigration Legal Services No Comments

Can You Bring Someone To Citizenship Interview? USCIS Rules For 2026

You just got your interview notice, and now you’re wondering who is actually allowed to walk in with you. It’s a completely fair question: can you bring someone to citizenship interview appointments? Walking into a USCIS office on your own can feel intimidating, and it’s one of the first things most applicants ask us once that appointment letter arrives. The rules are simpler than they sound. USCIS allows an attorney…

August 1, 2026 Hector Herrera US Citizenship and Naturalization No Comments

USCIS Citizenship Fee Increase 2026: What N-400 Filers Must Know

USCIS has proposed raising the N-400 citizenship application fee in 2026, and talk of a USCIS citizenship fee increase 2026 has plenty of Houston families asking what it means for their timeline. The proposal is not final yet, so the current fees still apply: $710 to file online and $760 to file on paper. But there is a catch most coverage misses. The same proposed rule that would raise the…

July 31, 2026 Hector Herrera US Citizenship and Naturalization No Comments

H-1B to Green Card Timeline 2026: Your Complete Employment-Based Immigration Pathway Guide

If you are on an H-1B visa, few questions loom larger than how long the wait for a green card will really be. Skilled workers often wait years — sometimes decades — before they receive one, and where you were born can change that wait dramatically. Knowing how the process actually unfolds makes it far easier to plan around your career and your family. At Herrera Law Firm, our Houston…

July 29, 2026 Hector Herrera Green Cards & Permanent Resident Status No Comments