When high-skilled professionals and growing companies need U.S. immigration legal services, the choice of provider can determine everything from timeline to total cost. Fragomen, the world's largest dedicated immigration law firm, has built its reputation serving large multinationals with 60+ offices worldwide supporting 170+ countries. Alma represents a fundamentally different approach—an attorney-led, tech-enabled platform built specifically for employment-based visas like H-1B, O-1, EB-1, and EB-2 NIW. This comparison reveals why Alma delivers strong results for startups, tech companies, and individual talent seeking speed, transparency, and exceptional outcomes.
Alma Immigration launched in October 2023 as a venture-backed legal tech startup, raising $5.1 million to transform employment-based immigration. Founded by Aizada Marat, a Harvard Law attorney who personally experienced bad immigration advice resulting in over a year of work prohibition, Alma combines seasoned legal expertise with AI-powered workflows. The company now serves hundreds of clients with a team focused exclusively on high-skilled talent visas: H-1B, O-1A/B, L-1, EB-1A/B/C, EB-2 NIW, TN, and E-2.
Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy LLP operates as the world's largest immigration-only law firm, with 60+ offices worldwide supporting clients in 170+ countries. Founded decades ago, Fragomen primarily serves multinational corporations and enterprise clients managing high volumes of cases simultaneously. The firm handles comprehensive immigration services focused on employment-based categories.
The fundamental difference: Alma builds technology to accelerate immigration outcomes, while Fragomen scales through traditional law firm infrastructure. For companies and individuals who need speed and specialization in employment-based visas, this distinction matters significantly.
Alma publishes complete fee schedules for every visa type—a practice virtually unheard of among traditional immigration law firms. This transparency eliminates surprise billing and enables accurate budgeting.
Fragomen's pricing model requires custom quotes for all services. The firm does not publicly disclose fees, with only UK pricing published due to regulatory requirements (£2,500–£4,500 + VAT + disbursements for specific UK categories). Industry analysis suggests Fragomen at the "high end" of typical ranges, with pricing varying widely by employer program and case complexity.
Alma's flat rates include services that traditional firms typically bill separately:
For businesses managing immigration programs, this predictability transforms budgeting from guesswork to precision planning.
Alma guarantees 2-week document processing for all employment petitions—a commitment backed by the company's technology infrastructure. Client testimonials consistently describe this speed:
"Luke, the attorney who managed my case, was knowledgeable, transparent, and extremely efficient—getting everything filed in just four weeks (a process that can take weeks to months)." — Ramya Ganti
Compare this to Fragomen, where client reviews cite an "extremely slow moving" process and 5-6 weeks before a transfer petition was sent to USCIS.
Alma's speed advantage stems from purpose-built technology:
For startup founders operating on tight runways, the difference between a 4-week O-1 filing and a longer process can determine whether key talent joins before funding runs out.
Alma maintains a 99%+ approval rate across all visa categories—a metric the company publicly documents and stands behind. This success rate reflects the combination of experienced attorneys and technology-enhanced case preparation.
Fragomen doesn't appear to publish approval rates, making direct comparison impossible. However, the existence of Alma's published metrics demonstrates confidence in outcomes that traditional firms rarely express publicly.
Alma's approach centers on direct attorney access—not layers of paralegals and account managers between you and legal expertise. The company's founder, Aizada Marat, brings firsthand understanding of immigration challenges:
"After years of working with college international services, lawyer firms that had partnered with my previous and current employers, I am happy to sincerely state that Alma is absolutely the best company that I had a chance to work with!" — Technical PM @ Tesla
Traditional firms like Fragomen often reserve senior attorney attention for enterprise accounts, leaving individual applicants and smaller companies working primarily with junior staff.
Alma's service philosophy reflects its core values: speed, excellence, and care. This manifests in several ways:
Unlike traditional law firms where case updates require chasing down attorneys, Alma provides:
Fragomen client reviews frequently cite communication challenges. One reviewer noted: "They don't understand" their carelessness is negatively impacting our lives. Alma's technology-enabled transparency eliminates this friction.
For businesses sponsoring foreign national employees, compliance isn't optional—it's existential. Alma's platform includes built-in compliance tools:
Alma's platform creates a single source of truth for immigration compliance:
While Fragomen offers enterprise compliance programs for its largest clients, these capabilities often come at premium pricing tiers unavailable to startups and mid-market companies.
Alma structures its business immigration services around company scale:
Companies switching from Fragomen or other providers receive white-glove migration support included at no extra cost. Alma's team handles:
"Having initially filed my case with a different legal firm and having all kinds of challenges, I can say with certainty that Luke is the most dedicated immigration lawyer I have met." — Marcos Brisson, Kaizntree
Alma's $5.1 million in venture funding supports continued investment in legal technology that traditional firms cannot easily replicate:
Every Alma client—whether individual professional or enterprise HR team—benefits from:
Fragomen maintains its own technology platform for enterprise clients, but startup and mid-market companies rarely access these capabilities without premium pricing.
Requests for Evidence (RFEs) can derail unprepared applicants. Alma's approach:
Traditional firms may bill RFEs at hourly rates, adding substantial costs per occurrence to already significant legal fees.
For Growth and Enterprise clients, Alma provides one free refile if a petition is initially denied or receives a comprehensive RFE. This policy:
Fair assessment requires acknowledging where Fragomen excels:
Global multinational operations: Companies managing immigration across 170+ countries benefit from Fragomen's worldwide office network
Enterprise scale: Organizations handling high volumes of cases simultaneously may require Fragomen's proven enterprise infrastructure
24/7 emergency support: Fragomen's travel entry hotline serves clients with urgent global travel issues
However, many businesses successfully use Alma for U.S. immigration while maintaining separate providers for other jurisdictions—achieving optimal results without global firm overhead.
For startups, scaling tech companies, and individual talent pursuing employment-based U.S. visas, Alma provides clear advantages:
For individuals seeking their American Dream or businesses building globally competitive teams, Alma represents the evolved approach to immigration legal services—combining attorney expertise with technology to deliver speed, excellence, and care at every step.
Alma's technology platform was built from the ground up to accelerate immigration processing, incorporating AI-powered document automation, real-time case tracking dashboards, and integrated compliance tools. While Fragomen maintains technology platforms for enterprise clients, these capabilities typically require premium pricing tiers. Alma includes platform access in all flat-rate fees, giving every client access to workflow automation, automated reminders, and HRIS integration with systems like Workday, BambooHR, and Rippling. The result: 2-week document turnaround vs. traditional firms' longer timelines.
Alma publishes complete fee schedules for every visa type, eliminating the custom quote process that obscures costs at traditional firms. For example, Alma's O-1 visa costs $8,000, H-1B Cap is $3,500, and EB-2 NIW is $10,000. These flat rates include RFE responses, administrative costs (FedEx, printing, postage), platform access, and up to 3 attorney consultations per matter. Fragomen requires custom quotes and pricing varies widely by employer program and case complexity.
Yes, Alma structures services around business scale with three tiers: Startup Plan for companies with 0-25 foreign nationals, Growth Plan for 26-250 foreign nationals, and Enterprise Plan for 250+ foreign nationals. All plans include white-glove migration from existing vendors, eliminating transition friction for companies switching providers.
Alma's platform includes comprehensive compliance tools: LCA management, expiration reminders, status monitoring, and I-9 compliance tracking. For businesses, the system maintains audit-ready records with exportable logs, secure document vaults with role-based access controls, and integration with enterprise HRIS and ATS systems. All client data is stored securely with enterprise-grade protection protocols.
Alma includes free RFE responses in all flat-rate fees—a significant advantage over traditional firms that may bill RFEs separately. For Growth and Enterprise plan clients, Alma provides one free refile if a petition receives an initial denial or comprehensive RFE. Service fees are refundable only if requested before filing, adjusted for work completed; USCIS filing fees and third-party costs are refunded as charged.
Alma guarantees 2-week document turnaround for all employment petitions—backed by AI-powered workflows and streamlined processes. Client testimonials report O-1 petitions filed in just 4 weeks from engagement start. For comparison, one Fragomen client review cited 5-6 weeks before a transfer petition was sent to USCIS.
