Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Gamble. Them and their team share their story with us below:
Company History – Our story began in 2015. Milton married Nicole, an immigrant from Guyana, South America in July of 2016. She moved from Queens, NY with her 2 kids and settled in Sumter, SC. We soon after began the process of adjusting the status of her and the kids to that of permanent residence. ‘Should be easy right?’ Early into the process, we realized that it would be an expensive undertaking – the fees for the Government ($ 5,955) as well as lawyer fees ($ 10,500) totaled more than $ 16,000!! Nicole took it upon herself to study the mountains of material on the USCIS website and began the preparation of the required forms. There was a ton of information to go over, source documents to gather, pictures to be taken, money orders to be purchased, medical examinations to be done, etc. What would have taken the average person 6 months, only took Nicole about 6 weeks to have the total package prepared and submitted to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Agency. Because of her diligence, and prior experience with this, there were no hiccups, no requests for further evidence and within 6 months after filing and completion of the interview, Nicole and the kids finally had their green cards in hand.
When the process was completed, we had an epiphany that led to us brainstorming the possibility of preparing these very forms for lower to middle-income families, without having all the stress of so many unanswered questions. We did our research and decided that we would open a firm that offered immigration document preparation services. We also felt that the combination of being woman/veteran/minority/immigrant-owned would work in our favor since we can relate to diverse groups of people. We came up with the name VISA NOW LLC.
VISA is an acronym for:
V – Virtual
I – Immigration
S – Services
A – Assistance,
While N O W reiterated the fact that these services are available NOW!! Milton started working on the website through GoDaddy and published that site in May 2017. Between July and December 2020,
Nicole was sworn in as a US citizen, bringing an end to her immigration process!
Our business was registered here in the State of SC, and it became ‘street legal’…as they say.
Nicole applied to be licensed by the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation and was approved – valid until June 2022
Through Latin American Immigration Association – Nicole completed online training in the Essentials of Immigration Document Preparation.
We found an office space that was the right size and price, which we furnished with equipment (laptop/printer/scanner/TV/telephones) and furniture.
We officially opened VISA NOW LLC in January 2021.
In this brief time, we have had a positive response to our services. We are visible on the internet (www.visanowllc.com), social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google, Yelp, and Next-door. We aim to get the word out there using these channels. This is the infant stage of this business and the nurturing process.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Optimizing our website has been the main struggle. We know that our website would have to be maintained on a regular basis to rank among the best. The world of SEO and keywords, etc. was foreign to us but we are recently signed with a company that will create blogs for us and monitors our site. This was made possible after winning a grant last year that is funded by the SC Community Loan Fund https://sccommunityloanfund.org/blog/visa-now-llc/
We’ve been impressed with VISA NOW LLC, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Visa Now LLC is a service-oriented firm that provides immigration document preparation services for its clients. We have an office in the heart of Sumter and clients can choose to visit us in person or have virtual meetings. Services offered include preparation of petitions for:
Green cards
Citizenship/Naturalization
DACA renewals
Adjustment of status
Removal of conditions from a temporary green card
Renewal of green cards
Fiancée visas
Affidavit of support
Work Permits
Once a client selects the service that is needed, we issue a contract that must be signed by all parties involved before the job commences. This contract clearly states which form (s) will be prepared and the fees involved.
PROBLEM AND SOLUTION:
The immigration process is complex, and the requirements of each application can be overwhelming for someone who is now starting the process on their own. That person quickly realizes that he/she needs someone to point them in the right direction and help solve their problems.
PROBLEM AND SOLUTION
A. Uncertainty – Having no knowledge of the immigration process and the requirements for each application – where do I start, when do I start, how do I start the process, what documents do I need, who do I turn to for assistance, who can I trust??
Uncertainty becomes certainty – We are here to assist with the preparation of the right forms for the right reasons, the client tells us their situation and problem and we start them on the right path to either becoming a green card holder, or becoming a US citizen, or bringing their fiancée here to the US, etc. We provide a list of supporting documents that are needed to begin this process and we make them aware that we too were once in their shoes at one time, and this builds their confidence in VISA NOW LLC and the process.
B. Vulnerability – Being vulnerable and at risk of being taken advantage of – fear of being reported to authorities, most immigrants that we have encountered are from countries with a lot of corruption and one of their biggest concerns is not trusting anyone to discuss issues with.
Vulnerability becomes resilience – Since we have been through the process, we can share our own story and the difficulties we faced on our path to citizenship, thus building trust. We make every effort to meet with our clients as a couple. We have found that the immigrant spouse/family members tend to be drawn to Nicole while the US citizen spouse/family member is drawn to Milton, especially if they are military/veteran. Our combination as an immigrant/veteran/minority team works in our favor. For some reason, we have found that it puts them at ease to begin the process with us.
C. Finances – Inability to produce huge sums of money for legal fees – this is a deterrent for many people who may give up easily because an immigrant who has not been through the process of obtaining legal status, is not permitted to work to earn an income. Most must depend on friends and family.
Payment options – we offer a payment plan of 3 installments –
• a deposit, which is nonrefundable, to start the process.
• At the Midway point of the process, the second installment is due.
• At the end of the process, but before the forms/package is submitted on their behalf, the final installment must be paid.
We accept cash, checks, cash app, Zelle, credit/debit cards using Square, bank transfers, bank drafts and Paypal.
Our fees are competitive and within the reach of 90% of our clients for e.g. An application that would be $5000 with a lawyer (one family member) would be $ 950 with our firm for an adjustment of status case.
WHAT SETS US APART: While immigration services are offered throughout the USA, we have found that immigrants are left to fend for themselves in society after obtaining their work permits/green cards. We offer an additional service referred to as PGC (post green card) where for an additional small fee, the client will receive guidance for obtaining their social security number, finding a job, housing options, building their credit, medical options, setting up a bank account, opening a business, etc. This will be a one-on-one session with us, and the client will be provided with a handbook. Nicole was fortunate that she was guided by her husband who ensured she was not taken advantage of by anyone or any organization. This is what makes us unique in this industry. We are personally invested in this process, and we have the general knowledge of the steps needed to be successful today. After all, every immigrant that we have serviced, came here to experience the American Dream, and we feel it is our mission to help them succeed.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
The best thing about this city of Sumter is that there is the Shaw Airforce Base here and that represents part of our target market. The presence of the base allows for diversity since the airmen/women have spouses from different countries hence a need for our services. What we like least would be the fact that we still have to venture beyond Sumter for clients since it is a small city. But we are aiming to be known all over South Carolina So this may be challenging but it will work in our favor.
Pricing:
- Adjustment of status 950 for a package of 6-7 forms
- Standalone forms range from 150 to 250
Contact Info:
- Email: visanowllc@gmail.com
- Website: www.visanowllc.com
- Instagram: @visanow_llc
- Facebook: @visanowllc
- Twitter: @visanow
