How to Get the Most Out of the Visto Copilot: Your AI Immigration Law Assistant

Welcome to our guide on using AI to enhance your immigration law practice. As you may know, Visto’s AI Copilot has been specially trained on Canadian immigration laws, regulations, operational manuals and case law to help streamline your work and provide accurate, reliable information. This guide will help you understand how to effectively use Copilot in your practice.

Understanding What Copilot Can Do

The Visto Copilot can help you with:

Researching specific immigration regulations and policies
Finding relevant case laws
Analyzing eligibility criteria for various immigration programs
Breaking down complex immigration procedures
Identifying required documentation for applications
Drafting text, documents, articles, social media articles and more

Best Practices for Prompting

Be Specific and Contextual

Instead of asking: “What are the requirements for Express Entry?”

Try asking: “What are the requirements for the Express Entry Federal Skilled Worker Program and would a single applicant with a master’s degree and 3 years of work experience be eligible?”

Include Relevant Details

Instead of asking: “Can my client apply for citizenship?”

Try asking: “My client has been a permanent resident for 3 years, has filed taxes for all 3 years, has passed the language test with CLB 7, and has spent 900 days physically present in Canada. Are they eligible to apply for citizenship?”

Structure Complex Queries

For complex cases, break down your questions into smaller parts:

First, establish the basic facts
Then, ask about specific requirements
Finally, inquire about potential challenges or considerations

Example of a few questions you could ask, one after another:

“Let’s analyze a citizenship application.
First, what are the current physical presence requirements for citizenship?
Based on those requirements, how should I calculate my client’s eligibility if they’ve taken multiple international trips?
What supporting documents would I need to prove their physical presence?”

Common Use Cases

Research and Analysis

Finding relevant case law: “Please find me some cases before 2025 where a sponsor failed to meet minimum necessary income”
Understanding eligibility: “My client is a US citizen looking to get a CUSMA work permit in Canada. They are eligible for ICT and their title is Director of IT. Do you think it’s best to apply under ICT or use the CUSMA professionals program?”

Application Preparation

Document checklists: “What documents are required for a spousal sponsorship application where the sponsor is a Canadian citizen and the spouse is currently living in Brazil?”
Eligibility assessment: “What are the eligibility requirements for the Canadian Experience Class for a client with NOC 31103?”

Procedural Guidance

Application planning: “For an inland spousal sponsorship application, what happens after the application is submitted?”
Process clarification: “Walk me through the steps of submitting a request for reconsideration for a refused study permit”

Tips for Getting Better Results

1. Start Broad, Then Narrow Down

Begin with a general query to establish the framework, then ask more specific follow-up questions:

Initial question: “What are the basic requirements for the Start-up Visa program?”
Follow-up: “For the letter of support requirement, what specific criteria do designated organizations look for?”

2. Use Reference Points

When asking about regulations or policies, include specific reference points:

“According to IRPA section 25.1, what are the Minister’s powers regarding temporary resident permits?”
“Based on the 2024 updates to Express Entry, how are points allocated for French language proficiency?”

3. Ask for Explanations

Don’t just ask what the rules are – ask for explanations and reasoning:

“Why might an officer refuse a study permit application despite the applicant meeting all basic eligibility requirements?”
“How does IRCC assess ‘dual intent’ in temporary resident applications?”

Limitations and Best Practices

Always verify AI-provided information against official IRCC sources (luckily we provide sources with every answer!)
Use the AI as a research assistant, not as a replacement for legal judgment
Keep client confidentiality in mind – avoid sharing identifying details
Remember that immigration laws and policies change frequently
Double-check any cited case law or regulatory references

Getting Help

If you need assistance with the Visto AI Copilot tool:

Use the support chat to report any issues or technical problems
Make sure you’re on our email list for more updates and resources like this
Check our regularly updated knowledge base for new features

Remember: The AI is designed to augment your expertise, not replace it. Your legal knowledge and judgment remain essential to providing quality immigration services to your clients.

To learn more or get started with Copilot, head over here!

Written by Josh Schachnow

Josh Schachnow is a Toronto-based immigration lawyer. After spending 4 years growing his own law firm and helping hundreds of immigrants and companies navigate Canadian immigration, he realized there was no technology to help make the process easy. So he started Visto, in an effort to automate all of the things he spent years doing manually – generating checklists, filling out forms, sending documents for signature, and more. He now spends most of his time talking to new clients, partners and working closely with the tech team to continue to improve the platform.