Hi, can you tell me on which page you can't hear the sound, and which browser and OS you're using? I'll look into it. Feel free to email me about errors at help@abjadpro.com. Thanks!
I'm building Fillvisa: Turboxtax for Immigration [1]
It's a free USCIS form-filling web-app(no Adobe required). USCIS forms still use XFA PDFs, which don’t let you edit in most browsers. Even with Adobe, fields break, and getting the signature is hard.
So I converted the PDF form into modern, browser-friendly web forms - and kept every field 1:1 with the original. You fill the form, submit it, and get the official USCIS PDF filled.
I found out SimpleCitizen(YC S16) offers a DIY plan for $529 [2]
So, a free (and local-only) version might be a good alternative
It's a free USCIS form-filling web-app(no Adobe required). USCIS forms still use XFA PDFs, which don’t let you edit in most browsers. Even with Adobe, fields break, and getting the signature is hard.
The core product is free 100%. I'm building a paid version for lawyers/law firms (https://plus.fillvisa.com/).
In my case, building a free product helps in:
- genuinely helping users/immigrants
- it helps in word of mouth, growth
- We use the same forms for Free and Plus. So, more feedback = more improvements.
Note: It's still in developement. But, the early feedback has been positive.
First of all: kudos on building this app. I think it's really impressive to build and showcase your project at such a young age.
I'm actually a user of https://wip.co/ . I think it's quite similar to your project. You should check it out.
Also, check out https://peerlist.io/
Social platforms/marketplaces are genuinely difficult, cause it only works if you have enough users (both, demand and supply).
Since it's your early projects (I'm assuming), I think you should built it purely for the sake of learning and feedback. Even if it doesn't work out, the experince is extremely valuable.
Later - if you are serious about a sustainable project - I would recommend that you study your alternatives/competitors (such as the ones I just shared), and figure out what works for them and what are their users missing.
WIP and Peerlist to see how I can offer something unique. I'm building Codeown to learn, but seeing people actually post projects makes me want to take it to the next level. Thanks for the feedback!
I'm building a free alternative to SimpleCitizen (YC S16).
It's a free USCIS form-filling web-app(no Adobe required). USCIS forms still use XFA PDFs, which don’t let you edit in most browsers. Even with Adobe, fields break, and getting the signature is hard.
So I converted the PDF form into modern, browser-friendly web forms - and kept every field 1:1 with the original. You fill the form, submit it, and get the official USCIS PDF filled.
The form-filling piece is smart and clearly solves a real pain point with XFA PDFs. But the strategic risk here isn't technical, it's liability. Immigration forms are high-stakes documents where a wrong answer can trigger a denial, RFE, or worse. SimpleCitizen's $529 isn't just paying for form filling. It's paying for guided logic ("if you answered X, you probably need to also file Y"), error checking against known USCIS rejection patterns, and a company standing behind the output. A free tool with no guidance layer exposes users to silent errors they won't discover until months later at their interview.
The "free alternative" positioning also creates a distribution problem. The people who most need this (first-time filers, non-native English speakers, people who can't afford a lawyer) are the least likely to find a developer's side project on HN or GitHub. SimpleCitizen's real moat isn't the PDF conversion. It's the SEO, the trust signals, and the hand-holding. Competing on price against $529 sounds compelling, but the actual competition is immigration attorneys at $2,000-5,000 and free legal aid clinics. Those are the alternatives your users are actually weighing.
One more operational risk worth flagging: USCIS revises forms regularly and without much warning. The I-130 alone has had multiple revisions in the last few years. Each revision means your 1:1 field mapping breaks and users could submit outdated forms, which USCIS will reject. That's a maintenance commitment that scales with every form you add. Might be worth thinking about how sustainable that is before expanding the form library.
Idk if your comment was bot/AI generated. Nevertheless, I'll reply:
1. Our web forms are exactly based on the official USCIS's PDF, with smart logic. If you fill A -> section B is hidden -> jump directly to section C (you get the point)
2. Regarding high risk: When a user fills our form, they get the official USCIS PDF filled. All the instructions are given in the PDF. At the end, the user has to submit the form by themselves.
3. "The "free alternative" positioning also creates a distribution problem..." "The people who most need this are the least likely to find a developer's side project on HN or GitHub" - you are right. I just shared what I'm building on HN. I share my project on immigration subreddits + FB groups. Thats where my audience is. So far, I've received positive review. In the long run, I'm leaning on: community + word of mouth + SEO
4. "..., but the actual competition is immigration attorneys at $2,000-5,000 and free legal aid clinics". Fillvisa is aimed at DIY applicants. People who need legal advise should absolutely hire legal help.
5. "One more operational risk worth flagging: USCIS revises forms regularly and without much warning..." - fillvisa.com is 100% free. That said, I'm also building a paid version (plus.fillvisa.com) for immigration lawyers/law firms. Both the apps utilize the same form + mapping.
Thus that cares of revenue + I have incentive to maintain the forms.
I'm not a bot, but maybe i could turn down my tism a little...
Fair points, especially on 5. The B2B play for lawyers solves the maintenance incentive problem neatly - they need up-to-date forms, they'll pay for them, and that funds the free tier. Smart structure.
The DIY framing in 4 is clear. My concern was more about how DIY applicants perceive risk, but if you're already getting traction in immigration subreddits and FB groups, the audience self-selects. People in those communities already know they're doing it themselves.
Good luck with it.
Thanks. I get your point. Perhaps, in the long run, the free website should offer more info around immigration process. Right now it's a specialized form filler.
Just google "uscis adobe site:reddit.com"
Lot's of people experience this pain point on how to fill/edit the USCIS PDFs. For now, that's my entry point
This is not the ideal solution, I know. But, this is what I do:
- I own a Kindle. I also have the Kindle chrome extension.
- Anytime I came across an interesting article/blog, I use the extension and send the article to my kindle
- Pro: I end up actually reading the articles
- Con: My library is filled with hundreds of articles
Absolutely. I understand AI is the current big thing. But, there are tons of problems/ideas thats been around for decades, and haven't been solved (or, current solution is mediocre)
II built a free USCIS form-filling tool (no Adobe required) USCIS forms still use XFA PDFs, which don’t let you edit in most browsers. Even with Adobe, fields break, and getting the signature is hard.
So I converted the PDF form into modern, browser-friendly web forms - and kept every field 1:1 with the original. You fill the form, submit it, and get the official USCIS PDF filled.
Personally, I'm on team bootstrap. But, yes, it is subjective.
After working on several projects, I've come to realized that (atleast for me), ready-made UI kits/componenets are more important that the framework itself.
As others mentioned, I couldn't hear the sound.
There is a dire need for a good quality arabic learning app.