Immigration services have long been defined by inefficiency: delayed responses, unclear communication, and a lack of ownership that make individuals and companies feel abandoned in the very process meant to guide them.
Alma, a tech-enabled immigration law firm founded and led by immigrants, is changing that reality. Combining world-class legal experts with AI-driven precision, the company is simplifying immigration strategy for businesses while streamlining the work of the attorneys who guide them.
A Company Born from Lived Experience
The origins of Alma trace back to its co-founder Aizada Marat's personal struggle. An attorney originally from Kyrgyzstan, she first came to the U.S. as a teenager on a State Department exchange program and later returned to build her career. Despite having valid credentials, a misstep by an immigration lawyer left her unable to work or travel for more than a year.
That delay and uncertainty reflect an inconsistent and often fragmented system. Applicants juggle endless forms, scattered communication between attorneys and government agencies, and unclear billing practices that vary case by case. Even major law firms depend on manual processes (like scattered, email threads, spreadsheets, and untracked response times) that leave clients in the dark for months.
When each error or missed update can derail someone's ability to work, study, or build a business, the lack of transparency becomes a personal and professional risk.
Abhinav Kumar, Alma's Chief of Staff, and Aryan Pareek, who leads growth and business operations, are among the early team members shaping how the company grows and serves its clients. "Being an immigrant myself and having seen so many founder friends go through lengthy immigration processes, I know the uncertainty that comes with building a career here," Pareek says. "Why not solve for that — not just for yourself, but for everyone?"
How Alma Makes Immigration Easier And Automated
Alma's approach pairs seasoned attorneys with a dedicated team of engineers building AI-driven workflows that can automate the tedious, manual components of immigration law, including document verification, research, form population, and compliance tracking, so that attorneys can properly focus on case strategy.
Each application still undergoes full human review, maintaining the human touch essential to deliver accurate, quality legal work. Requests for evidence are handled without additional charge, and refilings are included until approval is secured.
With this system, Alma effectively combines the flexibility of technology with the savviness of expert legal counsel. "The companies that are winning in the space are the ones that combine the two in perfect balance," Kumar notes. The company effectively embeds automation into regular operations, reducing attorney workload, increasing transparency for clients, and enforcing response time service levels.
Clients also have direct access to their attorneys through email or Alma's in-house platform, which provides an instant, fully transparent view of every stage of their case, from filed documents to pending requirements and upcoming deadlines. The platform allows clients to book unlimited consultations, creating an experience that is both personal and efficient, where accessibility replaces the distance that often defines traditional firms.
The result is a more consistent experience for individuals and companies alike. HR teams managing global talent get real-time status updates of all their ongoing cases — the same visibility and predictability that they expect from enterprise-grade software. It's a model that turns immigration law into a system that moves with the speed and precision of a modern tech company.
Framing Predictability As A Competitive Advantage
Alma approaches immigration as a strategic function that, when done well, can help companies attract and retain global talent. The firm works with businesses to make immigration planning part of their broader hiring and growth strategy, ensuring that teams can move across borders without disruption.
That practical framing shapes how Alma delivers its services — focused on accuracy, transparency, and consistent communication that builds long-term trust with both employers and individuals.
Kumar and Pareek highlight how this perspective comes from daily interactions with clients: founders seeking O-1 visas, researchers pursuing green cards, and enterprises managing hundreds of international employees — all of whom understand firsthand the value of reliability in a process where uncertainty and opaqueness have long been the norm.
That commitment shows in the results. Every case undergoes multiple rounds of review by expert attorneys to ensure accuracy and consistency, leading to the company's 99% approval rates — a standard well above industry norms, which typically hover between 80 and 90%, and one that the firm continues to refine with each new case.
Shaping The Company Around An Aligned Goal
Behind Alma's growth is an intentional approach to building a team that reflects its values.
Kumar leads recruitment, ensuring that every new employee, whether attorney, engineer, or paralegal, ranks among the best in their field and shares the company's mission-driven ethos. That selectivity has shaped a culture of trust and visibility, where everyone has a shared, clear view of each case and understands their role in making it come to fruition.
"Everyone knows which customer we're serving and where we are in the journey," Kumar says, showcasing how this culture of shared awareness is a major trait for the company.
For Pareek, the same principle applies to growth. His focus on experimentation (testing go-to-market channels, refining ideal client profiles, and optimizing return-on-investment) builds a foundation for predictability on the business side.
A New Era for Legal Services
In the coming months, the firm aims to strengthen its leadership in both B2C and B2B immigration, serving individuals and enterprises with the same precision and reliability. Long-term, they aim to become a tech-enabled immigration law firm that can handle every stage of immigration, wherever talent needs to move.
At the core of that vision is a belief in AI-enabled services, a sector projected to unlock $4 trillion in value over the next decade. For Kumar and Pareek, this balance defines the future of professional services. As Kumar has said, "The winners won't be legacy firms buying software, but AI-native firms that are outcome-driven from the start."
With each case grounded in expert review but sped up with technology, Alma's model shows how automation can take care of complex legal workflows without compromising (or replacing) human judgment.
