AI-Powered Guide Simplifies US Immigration Process
▼ Summary
– JustiGuide is an AI-powered platform designed to help immigrants navigate the complex and expensive U.S. immigration system by understanding laws and identifying eligible visas.
– The platform connects immigrants with attorneys and aims to make the immigration process faster and cheaper, empowering users to handle forms independently with legal review.
– Founder Bisi Obateru was inspired by his personal immigration journey from Nigeria, where he obtained an H1-B visa and green card, leading him to create JustiGuide.
– JustiGuide’s AI, Dolores, was trained on over 40,000 court cases and offers translations in 12 languages, assisting with legal research, form filling, and lawyer matching.
– The startup targets startup founders, H1-B visa holders, international students, and law firms, and it prioritizes privacy with on-prem, encrypted data storage and anonymized user information.
Navigating the complex US immigration system often feels overwhelming for newcomers, but a new startup called JustiGuide aims to change that experience through an AI-driven platform. This tool helps immigrants identify visa options, understand legal requirements, and connect with qualified attorneys, all designed to make the journey more affordable and efficient.
JustiGuide’s founder, Bisi Obateru, explained that the technology empowers users to independently explore their choices and complete paperwork, reserving attorney involvement for final review. Obateru, originally from Nigeria, drew inspiration from his personal experience moving through the immigration process after completing his studies. After securing an H1-B visa and later obtaining permanent residency, he recognized the need for clearer guidance and founded JustiGuide to assist others.
The platform serves a diverse audience, including startup founders hiring foreign talent, H1-B visa holders exploring long-term options, international students launching businesses, and law firms seeking streamlined services. Obateru also envisions government agencies eventually licensing the technology to improve public immigration services.
At the core of JustiGuide is an AI legal research assistant named Dolores, which the company describes as a specialized system trained on US immigration law. Dolores supports users in twelve languages and was developed using more than 40,000 court cases provided by the Free Law Project, a nonprofit offering open access to legal records.
Initially, Dolores was programmed to scan social media platforms, including Reddit, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, to locate immigrants seeking guidance and offer them relevant answers. To protect user confidentiality, JustiGuide stores data on encrypted on-premise servers. Personal details remain anonymized where possible and are only shared when users choose to connect with an immigration lawyer.
JustiGuide recently earned recognition at TechCrunch’s Disrupt conference, winning the best pitch award in the Policy + Protection category. The company is also pursuing registration as a law firm, which would enable it to provide direct legal support through in-house attorneys.
(Source: TechCrunch)
