TUKKI’S CHOICE OF BUSINESS MODELS TO IMPROVE THE US IMMIGRATION EXPERIENCE.

Should we replace immigration lawyers or catalyze their knowledge?

Contributor

Ramiro Roballos

Reading time

3 mins read

Date published

Aug 9, 2024

I'm still convinced that execution is more important than strategy. However, some strategic decisions can make or break your business.

One key decision is choosing the industry you want to enter. Many years ago at Kellogg, I read a statistic that stuck with me: 50% of a business's success depends on the industry you choose.

The next crucial decision is your business plan and positioning. Even though our team at Tukki chose to work in immigration, we could have gone in different directions, like selling software to lawyers or automating the immigration process to replace lawyers. Each option would lead to very different business models, clients, company types, required skills, and economic implications.

I’m asked a lot why we chose to work with lawyers instead of running other business model options. I’ll answer that in this article.

Why not sell to lawyers?

To make a significant impact in the industry, we need to address the biggest pain points, which do not lie with the lawyers, but with the immigrants.

After interviewing dozens of lawyers and immigrants, it became clear that immigrants face the most challenges: inefficient processes, lack of visibility, slow responses, stress, and uncertainty. While lawyers could benefit from better technology, we believed we could make a bigger impact by working directly with immigrants.

Additionally, we think that the pain points that immigrants currently experienced can't be solved by software alone. It requires a combination of software and operations. Great lawyers are part of the operations piece, but bringing in business best practices from other industries makes a huge difference for the immigration experience and ease of process for lawyers.

Why not replace lawyers?

Involving immigration lawyers from the start is essential to providing the best service to immigrants — we’ve learned this from personal experience. Immigration law is complex and rarely clear-cut. You need the expertise and judgment of an experienced lawyer. While many steps in the process can be automated, there are moments where a lawyer's input is crucial, such as:

  • The initial strategy meeting to shape the case
  • To address legal questions that arise during the process
  • The final review and legal arguments

Additionally, obtaining a visa or a green card is a life-changing event; immigrants want a team they can rely on, someone to chat with and answer their questions. Our vision of the best immigration experience is the opposite of a self-service, impersonal experience with an AI. We believe in providing a warm, supportive environment with real human interaction.

Why not simply be lawyers?

People often ask, "If you still have lawyers on your team, why should I work with Tukki instead of going directly to a lawyer?"

We combine the best of both worlds: expert knowledge from lawyers and a highly efficient, customer-focused process enabled by our technology.

Neither can deliver the best experience to immigrants alone; you need both.

I admit, this approach didn't come without its challenges! It’s far more complicated to acquire customers, service them, get great lawyers, manage operations end-to-end, and build a great product than just focus on one section of the journey. Scaling is also much easier when you're building a B2B SaaS solution compared to managing operations. That's why, since day one, Tukki has obsessively focused on streamlining operations with technology to become exponentially more efficient and scalable than the status quo.

If you want to truly reinvent an industry, you need to go all in, and that's what we signed up for.

To tap into that expert knowledge from lawyers and efficient, customer-focused process enabled by our technology, start with our Visa Match tool, and find out what your best options for US immigration are.

WE CAN HELP

Need more clarity?

Find quick answers to frequent visa questions from our legal experts

Does a PERM audit mean my case is denied?

No. A PERM audit is a request for documentation from the Department of Labor, not a denial. The employer submits the recruitment file it was already required to keep, and the case continues toward certification once the response is reviewed.

What is the difference between the I-551 stamp and the ADIT stamp?

They are the same thing. "ADIT stamp" refers to the system the stamp comes from, while "I-551 stamp" refers to the status it documents. Both describe the temporary passport stamp that proves lawful permanent resident status when you don't have a physical card.

Can my spouse work in the U.S. on an H-4 visa?

Your spouse can apply for an H-4 dependent visa, but not all H-4 holders are eligible to work. Only H-4 spouses of H-1B holders with an approved I-140 petition or a pending labor certification (PERM) for more than 365 days can apply for an Employment Authorization Document (EAD).

If approved, the H-4 spouse can work for any employer without restrictions. See our H-1B spouse work permit guide for details.

What visa can I get if I do not win the H-1B lottery?

It depends on your profile. Australians can use the E-3, Canadians and Mexicans in listed professions can use the TN, transferees from a related company abroad can use the L-1, treaty-country investors can use the E-2, and people with a strong record can pursue the O-1.

If you qualify for permanent residence, EB-1A or EB-2 NIW let you self-petition. Our post on what to do after a non-selection walks through the immediate next steps.

How long does it take USCIS to process Form I-129?

Standard processing time for I-129 petitions is typically between 2 and 8 months, depending on the service center and visa category.

With premium processing (Form I-907), USCIS guarantees a response within 15 business days.

Processing times can change, so it is recommended to check the USCIS processing times page for current estimates.

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