Alma vs Fragomen vs WR Immigration

When high-skilled professionals and growing companies need U.S. immigration legal services, 3 firms frequently appear in the conversation: Alma, Fragomen, and WR Immigration. Each represents a distinct approach to employment-based immigration, from modern, attorney-led firms supported by technology to established global practices. For startups, tech companies, and individuals seeking speed, transparency, and results, Alma's immigration legal services deliver a combination of attorney expertise and technology. This comparison breaks down how these 3 options differ across pricing, technology, service models, and published outcomes, based on each firm's official public materials.

Understanding Your Immigration Law Firm Options: Alma, Fragomen, and WR Immigration

These 3 firms occupy different positions in the immigration law market, each built around a distinct philosophy.

Alma is a modern immigration law firm, attorney-led and supported by an AI-powered platform and case intelligence engine. Founded in 2023 and headquartered in Palo Alto, Alma focuses primarily on U.S. employment-based immigration for startups and tech companies. The firm was recognized in the A16Z top 50 AI startups report, reflecting how it applies technology to attorney-led legal services.

Fragomen is an established global immigration law firm serving predominantly multinational corporations and enterprise clients with large immigrant workforces, along with individual visa services. It operates a global office network with coverage in more than 170 countries.

WR Immigration (Wolfsdorf Rosenthal LLP) is an established U.S. and global immigration law firm headquartered in Santa Monica. It covers U.S. corporate immigration together with global immigration services in more than 100 countries, and it offers the WRapid case management platform.

The core distinction is that Alma focuses on U.S. employment-based categories delivered through attorney-led work supported by technology, while Fragomen and WR Immigration are immigration-focused firms with international service footprints.

Key Differences: Technology and Service Design

Alma's model combines seasoned immigration attorneys with AI/ML tools that reduce petition drafting time to approximately 10 days of case preparation. This approach is used by founders, engineers, and professionals pursuing O-1A visas, H-1B visas, or employment-based green cards.

Fragomen and WR Immigration both offer proprietary technology: Fragomen Connect and WRapid, respectively. All 3 firms combine legal services with proprietary technology, but their product design, integration options, service scope, and geographic focus differ. Alma's case intelligence engine draws on prior approvals and RFEs, which inform collective case intelligence across the entire firm and sharpen the strategy on each new case.

Expertise in Employment-Based Green Cards: A Comparative Look

All 3 firms handle employment-based green card categories, including EB-1A, EB-1B, EB-1C, EB-2 NIW, and PERM-based I-140 petitions.

Alma's green card services include:

• EB-1A for extraordinary ability at $10,000
• EB-2 NIW for national interest waivers at $10,000
• EB-1/EB-2 NIW with an approved O-1 at $7,000
• PERM labor certification at $8,000
• I-140 (PERM-based) for EB-2 and EB-3 at $4,000 each
• Adult AOS bundle (I-485, I-765, I-131) at $2,000

The published pricing gives companies a public reference point when evaluating firms.

Fragomen and WR Immigration both handle green card categories, and both are established immigration firms. They do not appear to publish a standardized legal-fee schedule comparable to Alma's public pricing.

For companies focused on U.S. employment-based immigration, Alma sets published expectations at the outset with predictable pricing, no billing surprises, and a guaranteed 2-week case-preparation turnaround once evidence collection is complete.

Corporate Immigration Solutions: Streamlining Your Workforce Mobility

Alma manages business immigration for companies with 5 to 5,000+ cases through scalable workflows and real-time dashboards.

Platform features for HR and mobility teams:

• Contractually binding SLAs live on the platform with a full audit log, visible to clients in real time, backed by 99%+ SLA adherence
• Real-time case dashboards and compliance tracking
• Approval trend analytics and spend projection
• Built-in LCA manager and expiration reminders
• HRIS integrations with Workday, ADP, BambooHR, Rippling, and Gusto
• ATS integrations with Greenhouse, Lever, and Ashby
• Secure document vault and employee-facing portal, supported by SOC 2 Type II compliance

Alma's business plans scale by company size:

• Startup plan for 0-25 foreign nationals with per-case pricing
• Growth plan for 26-250 foreign nationals with custom pricing
• Enterprise plan for 250+ foreign nationals with dedicated support

Fragomen's corporate services cover immigration programs through Fragomen Connect, its proprietary case management platform, across a global office network with coverage in more than 170 countries.

WR Immigration's corporate offerings include the WRapid platform for case management and reporting. WR Immigration does not appear to publish contractually binding SLAs, client-facing SLA adherence, or a client-visible audit log.

For companies with U.S. immigration needs, Alma's native HRIS/ATS integrations, binding SLAs, and published pricing support budget planning and program oversight in one place.

Published Pricing and Fee Structures: What Each Firm Discloses

Alma publishes a complete fee schedule online for standard individual cases.

Alma's published non-immigrant visa fees:

• H-1B cap/cap-exempt: $3,500
• H-1B extension/change of employer/amendment: $3,000
• O-1 new petition: $8,000
• O-1 extension/change/amendment: $3,000
• L-1 initial: $6,000
• TN new (USCIS or border): $3,000
• E-3 (USCIS or consulate): $3,500

What's included in Alma's fees:

• Response to RFE (Request for Evidence)
• Administrative charges (FedEx, printing, copying, postage)
• Up to 3 free consultation calls between attorney and employees per matter
• Software subscription and platform access
• Implementation with white-glove migration from existing vendors

Fragomen and WR Immigration: These firms do not appear to publish a standardized public fee schedule for ordinary employment-visa legal services. Traditional firms generally bill substantive RFE responses, assessments, and advisory work as separate fees. Alma does not bill separately for RFE responses, assessments, or complexity fees. The case fee is predictable from day one.

This pricing transparency is a distinguishing feature for budget-conscious companies. HR teams can review Alma's published immigration fees before engaging.

Alma also offers a 50/50 payment plan, half upfront and half once the case progresses, which can help companies managing cash flow.

Technology Integration for Modern Immigration Management

The technology capabilities of each firm reflect their different market positions.

Alma's technology:

• An AI-powered platform and case intelligence engine that supports attorney-led work
• AI-assisted petition drafting with preparation time of approximately 10 days
• Contractually binding SLAs live on the platform with owner, due date, and status, plus a full audit log, visible to clients in real time
• Self-serve reporting across status, spend, approvals, and compliance, with source-linked records traceable to the underlying document on demand
• Real-time case dashboards for HR and employees
• Automated compliance alerts and expiration reminders
• Native integrations with major HRIS platforms (Workday, ADP, Rippling, BambooHR, Gusto, UKG)
• Native ATS integrations (Greenhouse, Lever, Ashby)
• Stripe-powered payment processing with ACH and credit card support

Fragomen's technology suite includes Fragomen Connect for case and program management, with dashboards, exportable reports, and document access. Fragomen uses immigration data for benchmarking against processing times, and does not appear to use prior approvals and RFEs to strengthen individual case strategy.

WR Immigration's WRapid platform provides program analytics, reporting, and real-time visibility into case status and progress. WR Immigration does not appear to use prior approvals and RFEs to strengthen individual case strategy.

Alma's out-of-the-box HRIS and ATS integrations are a defining feature of its platform for tech companies. Companies can connect their existing HR systems to the immigration workflow, which supports data accuracy and connects the recruiting-to-sponsorship process. Alma's platform serves as a single source of truth, where every SLA carries an owner, a due date, and a live status.

Client Support and Communication: Service Models Compared

Service delivery models differ across these 3 firms.

Alma's approach:

• Licensed attorneys own each case end to end, including communications with employees
• Direct attorney access with up to 3 free consultation calls per matter
• Always-on communication through the client platform
• Bi-weekly status calls with lead attorney and immigration manager
• Full transparency, so clients know the status of their case
• Contractually binding SLAs visible to clients in real time, with a full audit log recording the complete case history
• Response times in minutes to hours based on client reviews

Fragomen's structure supports corporate immigration programs through Fragomen Connect, its case management platform.

WR Immigration supports case status and progress visibility through WRapid. It does not appear to publish contractually binding SLAs or client-facing SLA adherence.

For individuals and companies of every size, Alma's direct attorney ownership, published response times, and binding SLAs define a hands-on service model where cases move by system design rather than manual follow-up.

Approval Rates and Quality Assurance: Measuring Success in Immigration Cases

Alma publishes its approval rate and service metrics on its website.

Alma's published performance metrics:

• 98%+ approval rate, firmwide
• 99%+ SLA adherence
• 86 NPS

Fragomen and WR Immigration: These firms do not appear to publish a comparable firmwide approval rate, a firmwide NPS, or client-facing SLA adherence.

Alma also includes RFE responses in standard fees and offers 1 free refile in case of initial denial for Growth and Enterprise clients.

Client reviews highlight Alma's speed: "O-1A approved in 12 days" and "4-week filing process vs. 3+ months elsewhere" appear repeatedly in testimonials. Individual case outcomes and timelines vary and are not predictive of results in other matters.

Specialized Services for Startups and Growing Businesses

Startups face distinct immigration considerations, including limited budgets, time pressure, and the need for founders to maintain work authorization while building companies.

Alma's startup-specific offerings:

• Startup immigration plan for companies with 0-25 foreign nationals
• Preferred rates for portfolio companies of partners including Y Combinator, Techstars, and Pear VC
• Predictable pricing with no billing surprises
• Guaranteed 2-week case-preparation turnaround once evidence collection is complete
• White-glove migration from existing vendors included

Fragomen serves enterprise clients through its corporate immigration practice. It does not appear to publish a startup-specific fee model.

WR Immigration handles corporate clients through its corporate services. It does not appear to publish a startup-specific fee model.

For startups and venture-backed companies, Alma's predictable pricing with no billing surprises and its partner programs make immigration budgeting straightforward, with published cost visibility from day one.

Why Alma Stands Out for U.S. Employment-Based Immigration

For professionals and companies focused on U.S. work visas and green cards, Alma offers several distinguishing features.

Speed that matches startup velocity:

Alma's guaranteed 2-week case-preparation turnaround once evidence collection is complete is a published commitment covering the drafting stage. Fragomen and WR Immigration do not appear to publish a comparable preparation-time guarantee across visa types. Faster case preparation may allow an employer to reach the filing stage sooner. An employee's lawful work-start date depends on the visa category, current status, requested action, and applicable USCIS rules.

Pricing transparency:

With published fees for standard individual cases, companies can review immigration legal costs in advance. Alma's pricing is predictable with no billing surprises. The fee covers RFE responses, assessments, complexity work, platform access, and administrative costs.

Published results:

A 98%+ approval rate, 99%+ SLA adherence, and an 86 NPS are published on Alma's site. Fragomen and WR Immigration do not appear to publish comparable firmwide figures.

Technology built for modern HR teams:

Native HRIS and ATS integrations connect immigration workflows to existing business systems. Real-time dashboards, automated alerts, and compliance tracking reduce manual work and support data accuracy. Contractually binding SLAs live on the platform with a full audit log, visible to clients in real time. Alma backs them with 99%+ SLA adherence. Client data sits behind SOC 2 Type II compliant controls.

Focused expertise in high-value categories:

Alma focuses on the visa categories most relevant to tech companies and high-skilled professionals: O-1A, H-1B, EB-1A, and EB-2 NIW. Fragomen and WR Immigration are immigration-specialist firms with international service footprints.

For U.S. employment-based immigration, where published pricing, published preparation commitments, binding SLAs, and published outcomes are decision factors, Alma represents the modern, attorney-led approach supported by technology.

A Note on Timelines

Firm preparation timelines describe the period before filing and do not include USCIS adjudication, Department of Labor processing, consular processing, visa availability, or other government-controlled stages. References to "2 weeks" and "approximately 10 days" in this article concern law-firm case preparation or drafting time, not USCIS processing time, approval time, or total time to obtain work authorization.

USCIS states that service-center-related processing-time listings are consolidated under Service Center Operations (SCOPS), because cases can be processed at multiple locations based on operational needs. Processing times are therefore presented uniformly rather than by individual service center location. USCIS defines its published processing time as the time between agency receipt and completion for 80% of adjudicated cases during the relevant 6-month period. Current figures are published at Case Processing Times.

Faster case preparation may allow an employer to reach the filing stage sooner. An employee's lawful work-start date depends on the visa category, current status, requested action, and applicable USCIS rules.