It was personal for Felice Gorordo, the son of Cuban immigrants, when he decided to join a start-up that endeavored to streamline immigration. “I wanted the start-up to be a real game changer,” says Gorordo, President and CEO of Clearpath Immigration, a simplified online solution to immigration document filing.
Gorordo says his family came to America in search of freedom, and opportunity, and he hoped to assist others in similar situations. He partnered with Michael Petrucelli, Chairman and Founder of Clearpath. Before launching the start-up in 2010, Petrucelli was former Director of U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS), from 2003 to 2005.
Petrucelli’s purpose of easing the complexity he saw as inherent in the immigration process, coupled with his thorough knowledge of immigration, lured Gorordo to Clearpath’s team. And now Gorordo is banking on Clearpath to change the game by reducing the cost–barriers in filing immigration documents, among other issues. “Cost shouldn’t be a deterrent in immigration,” says Gorordo.
Legal immigrants hoping to file forms for U.S. citizenship, lawful permanent residency, adjust a status or fill out an employment verification form can spend upwards of $5,000 or more to receive legal assistance in completing an application. As an alternative, Clearpath is free to use and only charges the user on the backend,” says Gorordo. Users can expect to pay fees up to $200 with Clearpath. While USCIS also has all the immigration forms on its website, along with instructions and filing tips to assist in the process, Clearpath believes its wizard-based technology will have a more direct impact in decreasing the number of rejected applications.
Clearpath’s system allows users to walk through a series of questions to determine eligibility. According to Gorordo, an applicant is notified if a situation is too complex for the system. “If there is a problem, the system flags it,” he says. Gorordo made it clear that the site is not in competition with attorneys and refers many cases to immigration attorney associations for individuals who need further help. “There are folks who need an attorney,” added Gorordo.
So far, the platform is gaining a solid reputation in its young existence. After only having come out of beta in Fall of 2013, Clearpath has customers in the thousands, and is currently embarking upon a pilot program with H&R Block that plans to use the Clearpath platform in reaching immigrants on a mass level. To date, the venture-backed company has raised approximately $5 million in funding, according to Gorordo.
While Gorordo, is relatively new to the world of start-ups, he is not to new to working with government agencies. He worked in the White House under both the Bush and Obama Administration. During the Bush Administration he worked in the White House Office of Political Affairs, and was the Special Assistant to the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services Director Emilio Gonzalez. He also served as a White House Fellow for President Obama during 2011-2012, where he worked on Latino, Outreach and Immigration Policy for the Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs.
Gorordo says he feels confident that Clearpath’s software will help reduce the amount of confusion and error he says takes place during filing. The majority of immigration forms end up being rejected for common errors such as formatting, not signing a form in the right place, and forgetting to include a piece of documentation, according to Gorordo. With an average form having 18 to 20 pages of filing instructions, the possibility of error increases even more. “This is where there is a high anxiety moment for applicants,” says Gorordo.
According to Christopher Bentley, Chief of Media Relations for USCIS, a complete application must be submitted to be processed without delay. Bentley also says the instructions must be followed carefully. “Whether filed by paper or electronically, immigration forms must include all relevant information and supporting documents to allow USCIS officers to determine whether the applicant meets the requirements of the law,” Bentley says.
Of the applicants applying to USCIS, Gorordo says at least 70 percent go it alone. Forms can be accessed directly from the USCIS website, and there are detailed filing instructions and tips available for those deciding they don’t need legal assistance. But Gorordo believes large amounts of rejections can take place for those taking that route.
Clearpath hopes to help the population of “Do-It-Yourself” immigrants who have relatively simple situations. “We do not assume we can help everyone, but there is a sizeable market who can benefit.” Clearpath’s online system gives those applicants going solo access to some of the most requested forms such as citizenship, H1-B visa, work authorization, and deferred action for childhood arrivals.
Gorordo and his team believe features in the platform such as assisting users to populate fields, eliminating questions that don’t apply, and reordering questions to make them easier to understand will help reduce errors.“If a user does not have children, for example, the software lets the user bypass all of those sections,” says Gorordo. It also has a toggle function that allows users to switch back and forth between English and their native language. Right now this function is only available in Spanish, but Clearpath plans to offer more languages in the future.
Source: Forbes Magazine
