Show HN: I built a TurboTax for immigration forms

Posted by mjablons 16 hours ago

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Comment by mjablons 16 hours ago

Hey HN! I'm building Immiva to help people complete USCIS forms without paying $2k+ for an immigration attorney.

The problem: USCIS forms (both paper and online ones) are where clarity goes to die. The instructions are 30 pages long, written with multi-clause sentences, and still ambiguous. Even ChatGPT gets confused when asked to explain the instructions (not making this up!). Ironically, most immigration cases are straightforward and don't need a lawyer. But folks see how the questions are phrased and seek help spending $$$ on attorneys. Just imagine TurboTax and other tax apps don't exist, and you try to complete the 1040 Tax Form using only the IRS instructions. Fun.

Why: I went through this pain. And even though the company I worked for paid for lawyers to help with my green card, I found 70+ mistakes in the forms they prepared, and USCIS rejected my first application.

Immiva walks you through plain-English questions, shows only what applies to you, catches common mistakes in real-time, auto-fills the "Additional Information" page when needed (if you know, you know), and generates your completed forms immediately. We also create a personalized list of documents to attach. Starting with N-400 (naturalization/citizenship) and a few EAD forms, expanding from there.

What it's not: Legal advice or representation. Form prep for straightforward cases—takes about 30 minutes, costs a fraction of what attorneys charge.

Bootstrapped and solo. If you're going through the naturalization process and willing to give feedback, hit me up at https://immiva.com/contact-us — happy to give you free access in exchange.