Manifest vs. Fragomen vs. BAL: Comparing Corporate Immigration Law Firms in 2026

Choosing an immigration law firm is a critically important decision for businesses. The firm you select will determine your time-to-hire for foreign talent, your compliance posture under heightened government scrutiny, and the experience of every employee whose status passes through your program.

This guide compares Manifest Law, Fragomen, and BAL across services, pricing model, technology, and other relevant factors. All data below is sourced from each firm’s publicly available website, as of June 4th, 2026.

Key Takeaways

• Manifest Law is a technology-enabled immigration firm founded in 2024 that helps employers of every size get talent in-seat fast. They offer  per-case flat-fee pricing, a modern client portal with real-time case-tracking, HRIS and ATS integrations, a minimum two-attorney review on every petition, and SOC 2 Type II compliance.
• Fragomen and BAL both claim to be among the leading dedicated business immigration firms in the United States. Both are best known for high-volume PERM, H-1B, and global mobility work.
• Manifest’s leadership bench includes former USCIS officials and a former Partner at BAL, giving the firm both adjudicator-side experience and Big Law immigration program experience.
• For high-growth startups, scaling employers building an in-house immigration program, and larger businesses with high-volume H-1B and PERM programs, Manifest offers a modern alternative to the traditional Big Law immigration model, with transparency and accountability built into the engagement.

At-a-Glance Comparison

Manifest Law

Founded in 2024, Manifest Law is a technology-enabled immigration law firm focused on employment-based corporate immigration for U.S. employers, with additional practice in individual employment-based and family-based visas. Manifest currently supports 150+ corporate immigration programs and 3,000 total clients, including startups like Whop and Mach9.

Manifest provides per-case flat-fee pricing with no retainer or hourly billing, a proprietary client portal built in-house by Manifest’s own engineering team, a minimum two-attorney review on every petition before filing, and SOC 2 Type II compliance. Strategy calls and candidate evaluations between filings are not separately billed.

Manifest employs and is advised by several experienced government officials, including former USCIS Director Emilio Gonzalez and former USCIS Associate Director of Field Operations Michael Valverde, who spent 28 years at USCIS and oversaw more than 7,500 employees. Manifest also employs senior attorneys to support its business immigration practice, including former USCIS Administrative Appeals Office officer Evan J. Law and Head of Legal Operations, Haesung Kim, a former Partner at BAL with more than 20 years of business immigration experience.Manifest maintains a highly selective hiring process, accepting fewer than 1% of attorney applicants, and its attorneys average more than 11 years of immigration experience. Learn more about Manifest’s business immigration services.

Built-in startup support: Beyond core filings, Manifest runs recruiter trainings to help startup hiring managers identify and assess foreign-national candidates, and operates the Extraordinary Ability Club, a community for talent working towards the O-1 and EB-1A extraordinary ability visas. 

Manifest’s strengths as a law firm are well-suited for high-growth startups from seed through Series C and beyond, scaling employers building an in-house immigration program, in-house HR and mobility teams that need real-time visibility into every case, and high-volume H-1B and PERM programs. 

Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy

Fragomen has been recognized as a top immigration law firm by U.S. News. Founded in 1951, the firm has over 5,500 immigration-focused professionals operating from over 60 offices around the world.

The firm represents clients across industries including technology, financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, and energy. The firm handles high-volume employment-based programs, including PERM labor certification at corporate scale.

Fragomen does not publish standard U.S. legal fees. It publishes pricing for certain services in the UK due to regulatory requirements (£3,500-£5,000 + VAT + disbursements for specific UK categories). Fragomen does not publish U.S. legal fees; U.S. pricing is arranged directly with the firm on a per-engagement basis.

Berry Appleman & Leiden (BAL)

Founded in 1980, BAL is a global business immigration law firm focused almost exclusively on the immigration needs of corporate clients. The firm has approximately 12 offices across the United States, with international coverage delivered through a global alliance network. 

BAL is particularly well known for its PERM and corporate immigration practice. The firm represents Fortune 500 employers around the world and manages high-volume PERM programs at scale.

BAL has developed some proprietary case management tools intended to give corporate clients structured reporting and visibility into program performance. Like Fragomen, BAL does not publish standard U.S. legal fees, and engagements are custom-quoted based on case volume and scope.

How the Three Firms Compare on SelectedWhat Matters Most

Scale is the easiest comparison to make, but it is rarely the one that determines whether an engagement succeeds. The sections below focus on the operational and commercial criteria that oftentend to drive corporate immigration vendor selection in 2026.  Note this not a comprehensive selection and there may be others you may want to consider. 

Firm Size and Global Reach

Fragomen is the largest of the three by a significant margin, with roughly 5,500 professionals and services in more than 170 countries. BAL is materially smaller but still operates globally, with approximately 12 U.S. offices and international coverage through partner networks. Manifest is a U.S.-based firm that plansintends tos expanding its global footprint to 20+ jurisdictions by end of 2026, pairing dedicated U.S. account managers with local counsel and per-timezone support. 

Pricing Transparency

Fragomen and BAL both quote pricing on a per-engagement basis structured around case volume, complexity, scope of services, and any custom workflows. Strategy calls, candidate evaluations, and advisory time are typically billed inside the engagement, sometimes hourly. 

Manifest’s corporate model is a per-case flat fee with no retainer and no hourly billing. Strategy calls, candidate evaluations, and client support between filings are not separately billed. Manifest also does not charge attorney fees for H-1B registration and enrollment.  For individuals, Manifest publishes flat-fee pricing tiers on every individual visa page on its site, for example H-1B at $3,475-$4,250, O-1 at $6,999-$12,500, EB-1 starting at $8,995, and EB-2 PERM at $7,995–$9,975. Corporate rates are shared in custom rate sheets and dependent on case volume.

Technology and Case Visibility

All three firms invest in case management technology, but the role technology plays in the client experience differs.

On its website, Fragomen describes its proprietary platform (the Fragomen Client Portal and Fragomen Connect) as giving clients 24/7 case access, program dashboards, standard reporting with benchmarking, and HR/government system integration via its WorkRight I-9 tool. BAL similarly describes Cobalt as a single platform for global case tracking, with real-time dashboards, custom reporting and spend forecasting, hundreds of HRIS and ATS integrations, and AI document processing.

Manifest’s platform is different. Rather than licensing a third-party tool or retrofitting legacy software, Manifest Law is powered by Manifest OS,  a venture-backed technology company built from the ground up specifically for immigration, and the only one of its kind. Manifest OS has raised $60 million from Menlo Ventures, Kleiner Perkins, First Round Capital, and Quiet Capital — the largest venture capital investment in the history of the immigration industry — to build the infrastructure that makes a genuinely modern client experience possible.

In practice, that means HR teams and employees get real-time, task-level visibility into every stage of the process: document collection, milestone tracking, deadline alerts, and case status, all in one place. The result is a straightforward experience, whether HR teams are managing immigration for the first time or running a mature program, from initiating a case and uploading documents all the way through to filing.

Manifest maintains live HRIS integrations with Rippling, Workday, Gusto, Deel, Greenhouse, Ashby, and Lever (Justworks coming soon). The platform is SOC 2 certified. And because Manifest continuously tracks USCIS adjudication trends (approval rates, RFE patterns, denial data) your attorney is always working from current intelligence, not last year’s playbook.

Industries and Case Mix

Manifest’s visa coverage is the same set the large firms handle: H-1B (cap and transfers), O-1 for founders and key technical hires, L-1, TN, E-1/E-2/E-3, P-1, PERM, EB-1, EB-2 NIW, EB-3, and adjustment of status (I-485). The firm is particularly experienced positioning non-traditional candidate profiles (candidates without traditional four-year degrees, candidates from non-target schools, candidates with unconventional career paths) for approval. Manifest’s technology infrastructure and experienced attorneys allow them to handle both the unique needs of startup immigration and large, high-volume enterprise programs.. Learn more about Manifest’s business immigration services.

Fragomen and BAL generally cover the same visa types and work with large, standardized corporate programs. Manifest handles those programs too, and is also built for the nuanced, case-by-case positioning that non-traditional profiles and fast-moving startups require.

Build a Smarter Immigration Program With Manifest

For high-growth startups and scaling employers whose answers point toward predictable pricing, real-time case visibility, accountability-driven engagement, and modern technology, Manifest is a great option.

Immigration is a core component of how companies hire, retain, and move talent in a market where adjudication is slower, scrutiny is higher, and a single delayed case can cost a critical hire. The firm you choose will shape that experience for every employee whose case it touches.

Manifest combines immigration attorneys averaging more than 11 years in practice, a leadership bench that includes former USCIS officials and a former BAL Partner, a minimum two-attorney review on every petition, SOC 2 Type II-compliant technology built in-house, per-case flat-fee pricing, and a Visa Approved or Money Back guarantee on eligible plans. The result is an immigration partner designed for how companies actually want to operate in 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Manifest big enough to run our sponsorship program?

Yes. Manifest currently supports 150+ corporate immigration programs and 3,000 total clients. Startup clients include Whop and Mach9. Manifest’s leadership bench includes former USCIS officials and Haesung Kim, the firm’s Head of Legal Operations, who is a former Partner at BAL with 20+ years of experience overseeing 100+ professionals at her prior firm. Fewer than 1% of attorneys who apply to Manifest are selected, and Manifest attorneys average more than 11 years of immigration experience.

Is Manifest a real alternative to Fragomen and BAL for a corporate immigration program?

Yes, Manifest can handle the full spectrum of immigration work and works with companies of any size across industries.  Manifest’s technology infrastructure and bench of experienced corporate immigration attorneys allow them to handle both the unique needs of startups and large, high-volume enterprise programs. 

Does Manifest handle high-volume PERM programs?

Yes. Manifest runs the full Green Card lifecycle for corporate clients of every size, including PERM labor certification (recruitment, prevailing wage determination, audit response), the I-140 petition, and downstream adjustment of status. 

Who actually does the legal work?

A named Manifest attorney is the attorney of record on every corporate case, with a minimum two-attorney review on every petition before filing. Manifest screens attorneys rigorously, with fewer than 1% of attorneys who apply selected. Manifest does not use co-counsels for corporate immigration work, only W-2s officially hired by Manifest. Senior attorneys handling legal work include Nandini Nair (28+ years of U.S. immigration experience) and Matt Dillinger (13+ years representing Fortune 500 companies, high-growth businesses, and individuals in complex immigration matters).

Does Manifest charge for strategy calls or candidate evaluations?

No. Corporate clients can flag candidate resumes and job descriptions to Manifest for free attorney-reviewed visa assessment before any engagement letter is signed. Strategy conversations between filings are also unbilled. There is no extra charge for compliance audits and consultations, and Manifest provides complimentary I-9 advisory services for corporate clients and managed programs.

How does Manifest’s money-back guarantee work?

A: Manifest’s Visa Approved or Money Back Guarantee is offered on a case by case basis for corporate clients, subject to availability. Full terms are published at manifestlaw.com/money-back-guarantee-policy.

Is Manifest a law firm or a tech platform?

Manifest Law is a law firm powered by Manifest OS, the AI-native legal technology platform with $60M+ in funding raised from top-tier investors including Kleiner Perkins, Quiet Capital, First Round Capital, and Menlo Ventures. Manifest is SOC 2 Type II compliant.

How long does it take to switch immigration firms?

A firm transition can happen quickly, depending on the scale of your current program. It typically involves transferring active case files, transitioning portal access, and coordinating with USCIS or the Department of Labor on representation changes via Form G-28. The active filings themselves generally continue without disruption when handled correctly. Manifest’s onboarding process is designed to absorb in-flight cases from a prior firm without restarting timelines, and the firm’s technology platform supports document migration during the transition. 

Looking for a smarter way to run your company’s immigration program? Request a consultation with Manifest Law’s business immigration team to compare an engagement model side by side with your current firm.

Disclaimer. This article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Reading it, or contacting Manifest Law through this site, does not create an attorney-client relationship. Immigration law changes frequently, and the information here is current only as of the publication date. For advice on your specific situation, consult a licensed attorney. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. This communication is attorney advertising.