Discover How Online Visas is Transforming the Legal Industry with Marketplace Technology

And Could Help You Rapidly Scale Your Practice Globally,Collaborate with Attorneys Around the World,Expand Your Practice and Monetize Your Relationships

The Immigration law market is massive and very fractured. Over 244 million of the world’s population now reside outside their birth country, up by 41% since 2000 (1). The United States has the biggest share of the global immigration sector, but only accounts for 19% of global activity (the UK is second with 12%, Canada and a few others have around 10%).

We are also in an age of increasingly specialized and mobile workforce. By 2020, the global mobile workforce is projected to account for 42% of the entire labor market (2).

Immigration law is an ever changing, political body of law that is different in virtually every country, which means multinational clients frequently need to engage an immigration attorney on the ground in new territories.

However, we see the same fractured pattern in immigration law practice, which is made up of a large number of small players with no market leader. The combined annual global revenue of the world’s largest immigration firm comprises only 4% of the $21Bn US market (3), and less than one percent of the estimated $105 Billion global marketplace.

The traditional growth model is costly and slow. To set up an office in a new country, existing firms must invest in premises and in recruiting often inexperienced graduate attorneys and paralegals.

The net effect is that no traditional firm has the reach or flexibility to deliver the Immigration law service that today’s global companies need every time.

Introducing OnlineVisas’ Solution

OnlineVisas is challenging the traditional model of delivering immigration law services by using marketplace technology and network systems thinking.

[two_third_first]

Marketplace technology uses a software hub to bring together disparate service providers in a single, massive point of presence. This gives it the potential to scale massively, quickly, and without borders.

OnlineVisas uses a similar model to the delivery of global immigration legal services. (OnlineVisas is an ancillary company to Velie Law Firm, which is responsible for ensuring OnlineVisas’ compliance with legal ethics rules regarding advertising.)

Attorneys have referred cases to other counsel since the beginning of the profession, using their own small, informal networks. OnlineVisas’ marketplace approach takes this to another dimension, by creating the platform for a massive, truly global network.

The largest traditional immigration firm in the world has offices in just 20 countries.

In the first 120 days since the startup was founded in June, 2016, OnlineVisas already has a presence in 27 countries, and is growing week by week.

[/two_third_first][one_third_last]

[thrive_text_block color=”blue” headline=””]

Uber introduced marketplace technology to the taxicab industry and rapidly built the world’s largest taxi service, without owning any taxicabs. Airbnb uses it to become the #1 provider of accommodation, without owning the properties it lets.

[/thrive_text_block]

[/one_third_last]

Using the marketplace model, OnlineVisas does not need to hire premises or recruit graduate lawyers to grow our network. Instead, we research and vet existing firms in each territory to understand their knowledge in the practice area and their ability to deliver.

Groundbreaking Software Platform

OnlineVisas it is not a simple legal referral service; it is a collaboration tool, and the key is our unique software platform. OnlineVisas Gateway, now in version 2.0, is the hub of the global network of attorneys who can exchange and collaborate on cases together.

Because it is accessible 24/7, Gateway keeps all stakeholders updated on the status of every case, practically eliminating unnecessary communication and the frustration of waiting for updates.

Network partner attorneys can either log in to Gateway or use widgets on their websites to create new leads. Leads for regions outside an attorney’s jurisdiction can be added to the Gateway marketplace, where they may be picked up by other partners for delivery using our collaboration model.

An easy-to-use interface makes it easy to track the process from intaking clients through a series of customizable strategy questions, the ability to upload contracts and make and receive payments and exchange documents securely.

Gateway allows partners to create step-by-step modular case plans that can be included and even updated in real time, and include the relevant stakeholders such as employees, HR, management and family members, each with their own secure access to view cases.

Company officials can view all cases across all their legal teams in various countries, while relevant individuals can see only their own case. Privacy options allow the person transferring sensitive information to elect to have it visible only to their lawyers. Gateway also ensures all stakeholders are kept regularly updated with a daily email summary.

This really is a new collaboration tool that helps everyone involved better understand the process and work together to more efficiently obtain the desired result, whether that is obtaining a visa, work permit, residency permit, Green/Blue Card, or citizenship.

The benefits are magnified when stakeholders are geographically dispersed. Now clients in California, with potential employees in Brazil can communicate optimally with attorneys in New York and China for placement in Shanghai.

OnlineVisas is the perfect solution for the international company that frequently needs to move people around the world, by simply connecting experienced, vetted immigration attorneys and other needed services in a network through a transparent, systemized communication platform.

“Together We Move The World”

Our vision is to build the market-leading global immigration model, by bringing together a worldwide community of immigration attorneys to deliver a better service to more and bigger clients in partnership.

For the first time, OnlineVisas’ marketplace network model makes it possible for local immigration attorneys to access more of the global market.

Minimal overheads and cutting out unnecessary communication with greater transparency than ever before means we can work more efficiently, delivering a high quality of service in potentially less time and with lower costs than traditional competitors.

Pooling our resources and specialties enables network partners to bid for contracts for the world’s biggest multinational corporations, where we are able to offer a compelling combination of the single global dashboard and market-leading efficiency.

No more passing up valuable leads for other countries. Now network partners can maximize their revenues by passing leads to other partners via the marketplace, and retaining a percentage of fees through joint representation.

A partner in the UK is now providing five or more U.S. immigration leads to OnlineVisas each week, earning them additional revenue that they had previously been forced to pass up.

Being part of a flexible, global network is ideal for more specialist lawyers. We already have partners with particular areas of focus in areas such as sports and entertainment, technology, or investment.

The OnlineVisas network is not limited to Immigration lawyers exclusively. It is perfectly suited to engaging partners in other ancillary areas, who can both provide new leads and help us to deliver a comprehensive service. We are already collaborating with tax advisers in multiple countries, for example, and there are massive opportunities to engage specialists in areas such as intellectual property, corporate formation, negotiations, and bankruptcy, no name just a few.

How it works

Gateway’s process is designed to make collaboration easy, transparent, and super-efficient:

[one_half_first]

• Partners can add cases or leads directly to Gateway, or visitors to partners’ websites can add themselves as leads using a simple form widget.
• If outside the partner’s focus, leads can be offered to partner firms via the Gateway marketplace.
• OnlineVisas provides project management support to help direct leads rapidly to the most appropriate partners – or to recruit a new partner if required.
• Candidates receive a low-cost strategy session with an attorney to determine the best course of action.
• If there is a case, the referring and lead attorney confer with the OnlineVisas project manager to determine the scope of the services and offer the prospect a contract that (in most cases) provides a transparent, flat-fee service.
• The referring partner is kept up to date with all developments, right through the lifecycle of the lead. As a stakeholder on the case, they receive daily email updates of all activities, and can log in instantly to review progress or to interact with the team.
• Network partners are also notified when other partners add new leads to the marketplace for their country or area. They simply click on, review the lead, and choose to accept or reject.
• If a partner accepts a lead, they can proceed to work through the steps of strategy, contract, etc. all with the assistance of an OnlineVisas project manager where necessary

[/one_half_first][one_half_last]

[thrive_text_block color=”blue” headline=””]

Here’s a short demo with Ben Hunt, our CTO, showing how easy it is to create, share and get new leads in Gateway

[responsive_video type=’vimeo’]https://vimeo.com/187236463[/responsive_video]

[/thrive_text_block]

Join Partners in… [thrive_fill_counter color=”red” value=”22″ before=”” after=”” percentage=”100″ label=”countries”]

[/one_half_last]

Our 3 Partner Levels

Three levels of partnership

** Costs and compensation to be negotiated on project-by-project basis

Partner Constitution

By completing the form below, you signify your agreement to the terms set out in this constitution.

We, attorneys and professionals, who have come together to collaborate with other professionals to expand our reach across borders and practice areas and to leverage our skills through technology for the benefit of our clients, hereby agree to operate and be bound by the following principles:

[thrive_text_block color=”light” headline=””]

1. I agree to communicate within 48 hours of receiving a lead whether I will contact a lead, or allow it to be placed back into the market.
2. I agree to offer a strategy session for any and all leads I agree to contact (the $50 fee is payable to the partner).
3. I agree not to circumvent a referring Network Partner or OnlineVisas by directly or indirectly representing a client who was referred to me or my firm without fairly negotiating and paying fees for the client.
4. I agree to use OnlineVisas for all cases that I receive directly or indirectly through OnlineVisas and its network.
5. I confirm that I am an attorney, I am licensed and in good standing to practice law in the jurisdictions I maintain I can.
6. I agree to inform OnlineVisas in writing immediately if for any reason I no longer am permitted to practice law.
7. I agree to inform OnlineVisas in writing immediately if I can no longer perform services for any cases I received or may receive from the OnlineVisas network.
8. I agree to take responsibility and oversee all non-attorneys that may work on cases for which I am responsible.
9. I agree that I will ensure that non-attorneys under my employ, on contract or under my charge will not engage in the unlawful practice of law.
10. I agree to resolve disputes with this Network by stating my issue in writing and delivering to the OnlineVisas Grievance Committee, which shall notify all parties involved of the complaint and seek responses and make a reasonable adjudication.

[/thrive_text_block]

[one_fourth_2_first][/one_fourth_2_first][one_half]

Take the Next Step

If you are an immigration attorney or your firm deals in immigration law, and you think that being an OnlineVisas network partner may be right for you – we would love to hear from you! Simply complete the short form below, and we will happily send you more information and set up a call to discuss possibilities.

[thrive_icon_box color=’blue’ style=’1′ image=’https://onlinevisas.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/go-icon.png’]

First Name *Last Name *Email *Phone

[/thrive_icon_box]

[/one_half][one_fourth_2_last][/one_fourth_2_last]

References

1. http://iomgmdac.org/global-trends-factsheet/
2. https://www.strategyanalytics.com/access-services/enterprise/mobile-workforce/market-data/report-detail/global-mobile-workforce-forecast-2015-2020#.WCBcF5OLRE4
3. Immigration Lawyers & Attorneys in the US: Market Research Report, 2015.: http://www.ibisworld.com/industry/immigration-lawyers-attorneys.html (March 27, 2016)