Immigration attorneys · Houston, Texas
Okafor & Lin represents families reuniting in the United States and the engineers, physicians and researchers Houston's employers recruit from abroad. We prepare green card, work visa and citizenship cases and stay with you until the card or certificate is in your hand.
Consultations in English, Spanish, Mandarin, Igbo and Yoruba, in person in Midtown or by video.
Practice areas
Most firms hand immigration work to a rotating desk. Here, one of the partners reviews every filing before it leaves the office, and you can reach the attorney on your case directly.
A family petition looks simple until the evidence is questioned. We build the file so the relationship is documented before an officer asks: joint leases, photographs, call logs, affidavits from people who know you.
If a relative is abroad, we handle the National Visa Center stage and prepare them for the consular interview in Lagos, Guangzhou, Ciudad Juárez or wherever their case is heard.
Typical clients: U.S. citizens and green card holders sponsoring a spouse, fiancé(e), parent, child or sibling.
For spouses, parents, children and siblings of citizens, and spouses and children of permanent residents.
Getting the green card without leaving the U.S., with work and travel permits filed alongside.
Immigrant visa applications through the National Visa Center and a U.S. consulate abroad.
From petition through the wedding and the green card application that follows.
Converting a two-year conditional card to a ten-year card, including waivers after divorce.
Provisional unlawful-presence waivers and other hardship waivers for inadmissibility.
We represent employers and the people they hire: energy companies along the Ship Channel, hospitals in the Texas Medical Center, aerospace contractors near Clear Lake, and the universities that train the next cohort.
For individuals with a strong record, we prepare self-petitions that don't need an employer at all, such as the EB-2 National Interest Waiver and EB-1A.
Typical clients: HR teams sponsoring hires, physicians on J-1 waivers, researchers, and H-1B holders planning their green card.
March lottery registration, cap-exempt filings for universities and hospitals, transfers and extensions.
Evidence strategy for scientists, engineers, artists and athletes with recognized achievements.
Managers and specialized-knowledge staff moving to a Houston office.
Status for Canadian and Mexican engineers, scientists and other listed professions.
Prevailing wage, recruitment and audit-ready files for the employer-sponsored green card.
EB-1, EB-2 and EB-3 filings, including NIW self-petitions and priority date tracking.
Most naturalization cases are straightforward. The ones that aren't usually involve long trips abroad, an old arrest, unfiled taxes or a question about how the green card was obtained. We review those issues before you file, when there's still time to address them.
We prepare you for the interview and civics test at the USCIS Houston Field Office, and we can attend the interview with you.
Typical clients: Green card holders at the 3- or 5-year mark, and adults who may already be citizens through a parent.
Eligibility review, travel history, good moral character issues and the application itself.
Mock interviews based on your own application, plus practice for the civics questions.
Proof of citizenship for people who acquired or derived it through a U.S. citizen parent.
Requests to waive filing fees for applicants who receive benefits or meet income limits.
Exemptions from the English and civics requirements, coordinated with your doctor.
How a case moves
Immigration cases take months, sometimes years. You'll know at each stage what we're waiting on and roughly how long the wait should be.
An hour with a partner. We review your history, name the options that fit, and quote a flat fee in writing.
You get a checklist built for your case. We review every document and request translations where needed.
We file, then send you the I-797 receipt notice and track the case number until a decision.
We rehearse with you using your actual file and can attend the interview at the field office or consulate.
Approval, or a response to any request for evidence. Then we plan the next step, such as citizenship.
Citizenship dates
USCIS accepts the N-400 up to 90 days before you reach the residence requirement. Enter the "Resident since" date printed on your green card to see your earliest filing date.
Earliest N-400 filing date
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This counts calendar time only. You also need physical presence for at least half the period, no single trip abroad that breaks continuous residence, and three months living in Texas before filing. Long trips or a criminal record change the answer, so talk to us before you file.
Attorneys
We started the firm after years at larger practices, to give clients the same attorney from consultation to approval.
Founding partner · Family & citizenship
Chiamaka leads the firm's family and naturalization practice, including marriage cases with complicated histories and waivers of inadmissibility. She grew up in Alief, the daughter of Nigerian nurses who came to Houston on employment visas.
Founding partner · Employment immigration
Daniel advises employers and professionals on H-1B, O-1, PERM and self-petitioned green cards. Before law school he worked as a process engineer in Pasadena, Texas, and he still reads job descriptions like an engineer.
Book a consultation
We reply within one business day to schedule a one-hour consultation, in person or by video. Have your passport, any USCIS notices and your current visa or green card nearby.