Visalaw 2.1 Update: Smarter, more efficient with Research Agent.

Find out what's new for you.

Visalaw 2.1

Research that shows its work

2.1 plans the research, reads the regulations, case law, and your firm's documents, and checks its citations against the source text before you see the answer. In early results, a typical research answer arrives in 15 to 30 seconds.

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● Already a customer? Your chats move to 2.1 with your next message. See where things are

A short look at Research Agent in 2.1.

Early results

It researches the way an attorney would

2.0 ran the same full search for almost every question. 2.1 first works out what kind of question it has been asked, then goes to the sources that answer it.

15–30 secTypical research answer in 2.1, down from about 1.5 minutes in 2.0

About 5Sources checked on a typical question before it answers

Before deliveryCitations checked against the source text, on every research answer

Early results from about 180 research questions run by our team and a pilot group in September 2026, compared with 2.0 answers over the same 30 days. We will update these figures as more firms use 2.1.

In practice

From research to client-ready work

Two hypothetical matters, run in 2.1 with Research Agent on. Each one researches the question, then builds on that analysis for the client in the same chat. What you see is what it produced, shortened to fit.

An H-1B layoff with two unrelated offers. The research, then a client email.

An asylee’s I-485 RFE for a birth certificate that was never issued. The research, then a plain-language client checklist. A more complex question needs more research steps, so it takes longer to check its work.

What's new in 2.1

Same chat. A research process you can follow and check.

2.1 works out what kind of question you have asked before it searches, then goes to the sources that answer it. You see each step while it works, and you can open any citation to the passage it relies on.

A magnifier reads a regulation, a case, and a firm document in turn, then a memo is written

Research Agent

Plans the research, then reads the sources

It reads the regulations, case law, and your firm's documents before it answers. On a typical question it checks about five sources, and uses the open web only when the question calls for it.

An answer with a citation opened beside it, the supporting passage highlighted

Citations

Open a citation beside the answer

Select a citation number and the source opens at the page, with the supporting passage highlighted. Citations are checked against the source text before the answer reaches you.

A magnifier stops on each source that is switched on and passes the one that is off

Filter Sources

Search only the sources you choose

US immigration law, US case law, Canadian immigration law, GovSync for live government sites, and collections such as unpublished BIA decisions. Switch each on or off per question.

Skills

Your firm's skills, offered when they fit

When one of your saved skills matches the question, 2.1 offers it. Use it or skip it. Your firm's six most-used skills sit on the home screen.

Quick tasks

Turn Research Agent off for quick work

Document Q&A and drafting without library sources come back in 20 to 30 seconds. During a longer research run, Answer Now returns what it has so far.

A list of research steps, one expanded to show its searches and citation lookups

Research activity

See the steps, and where to go next

Expand any completed step to see its searches and citation lookups. Answers end with three or four follow-up questions for the matter. Choosing one fills the composer. Nothing sends until you do.

Already using Visalaw

Where things are in 2.1

Nothing to install, and your chat history stays where it is. Existing chats move to 2.1 with the next message you send. If you used Doc Q&A or Private GPT in 2.0, the work is the same. It is reached from one switch.

In 2.0

In 2.1

Doc Q&A

Open the + menu and turn Research Agent off. Upload the file and ask your question.

Private GPT

Turn Research Agent off and ask. Library sources switch off automatically.

Research

On by default. Research Agent plans its search, reads the sources, and shows each step. About 20 seconds in, Answer Now appears if you want what it has so far.

Choosing sources

Open Filter Sources and switch collections on or off: US immigration law, US case law, Canadian immigration law, GovSync, and specialized collections.

Finding a skill

Your firm's six most-used skills are on the home screen. When a saved skill matches your question, a card offers it. Use it or skip it.

Starting on a matter

Select Link to Project before you start, so the chat is filed with the matter from the first message.

Suggestions

Skill suggestions and follow-up questions are both on by default. Turn either off in Settings → Chat.

Guides and courses are in the Learning Center. Stuck on something specific? Message support from the chat icon inside Visalaw.

Getting help

Help with 2.1, the way you prefer to get it

Read it, watch it, ask it live, or message us. The same team that built 2.1 answers the questions.

01

Read the guide

Customer guides and courses, including Research Agent, Filter Sources, and skills. Sign in with your Learning Center account.

Open the Learning Center

02

Watch the full overview

The longer version of the video above: the new chat, the changes to navigation, and the Research Agent switch.

Watch the Overview

03

Watch the webinar

Two live sessions on Research Agent and the new interface, each with time for questions, then on demand. Register with your email to watch.

Thu, Oct 1 · 12 pm CT Register
Tue, Oct 6 · 12 pm CT Register

04

Message support

Use the chat icon inside Visalaw for a question about a specific matter or screen.

Contact Support

Feedback

Tell us how 2.1 handles your matters

The product team reads every response. The most useful feedback names the task, what you expected, and what came back.

Two minutes. A few questions and a comment box
Goes to the product and customer success teams, not a marketing list
Tick the box and someone will follow up on your report

First name

Last name

Work email

What were you working on?

Compared with 2.0

What happened? Leave out client names and case details. Describe the question instead.

You can contact me about this

Questions

About the update

Do I need to do anything to get 2.1?

No. There is nothing to install, and your chat history stays where it is. An existing chat moves to 2.1 with the next message you send in it.

Where did Doc Q&A and Private GPT go?

Both are reached by turning Research Agent off in the + menu. For Doc Q&A, upload the file and ask. For Private GPT, just ask; library sources switch off on their own. The steps are in where things are in 2.1.

Why does an answer take longer with Research Agent on?

Because it reads before it answers: it plans the search, opens the sources, and checks its citations. A typical research answer takes 15 to 30 seconds. If you want what it has sooner, select Answer Now. For a quick question about a document, turn Research Agent off.

Who decides which sources an answer relies on?

You do. 2.1 chooses sources suited to the kind of question, and Filter Sources lets you restrict it to the collections you want. Every step and every citation is visible, so the work can be reviewed before it goes into a filing or to a client.

Can I turn off skill suggestions and follow-up questions?

Yes. Both have their own switch in Settings → Chat.

I found a problem. Where do I report it?

Use the feedback form on this page, or message support from the chat icon inside Visalaw if it is blocking your work.

See it on your work

Bring a question from a current matter

A demo runs 2.1 on the case types your firm handles.

Book a Demo