Josh Schachnow — CEO

Hey, I'm Josh - Canadian lawyer, tech cofounder and blogger. I spent the first 3 years of my career building my own law firm as a "regular" immigration lawyer and helped hundreds of individuals and companies navigate the Canadian immigration process. After a few years of filling out the same forms over and over again, I asked myself why there wasn’t a better way? Why wasn’t there any technology to take out the boring and repetitive parts of preparing a Canadian immigration application? That's when I co-founded Visto.ai, a platform that uses automation and AI to make it 3x faster for immigration professionals to do research, document drafting, prepare applications and more. To learn more about the Visto platform, head over here: http://visto.ai/ After 7+ years in the immigration industry, I was still bored of the manual work and frustrated with how the immigration system changed, so it was time for another move. I decided to start practicing family law, helping people through difficult and emotional experiences like separation, divorce and parenting issues. Learning a new area of law wasn't easy, but it's been an exciting new chapter. I also love talking about business and sharing my entrepreneurial journey, so I started a newsletter and podcast where I share stories and lessons from my week in business as a lawyer and tech cofounder. To follow along on my business journey, make sure to subscribe to my newsletter here: https://joshschachnow.substack.com/

Stackforce AI infers this person is a Legal Tech entrepreneur specializing in immigration and family law.

Location: Vaughan, Ontario, Canada

Experience: 13 yrs 2 mos

Skills

Legal Technology
Immigration Law
Family Law
Litigation
Communication

Career Highlights

Co-founded a legal tech platform enhancing immigration processes.
Transitioned from immigration to family law with a focus on litigation.
Hosts a podcast sharing entrepreneurial insights and stories.

Work Experience

Osbourne Valentine LLP

Family Law Lawyer (4 mos)

CILA: Canadian Immigration Lawyers Association

Chair, AI Committee (2 yrs)

Forum Ventures

Mentor (6 yrs 2 mos)

Visto.ai

CEO & Co-Founder (6 yrs 10 mos)

Solopreneur Grind Podcast

Podcast Host (7 yrs 8 mos)

VanHack

Head of Immigration (8 mos)

Pursuit

Founder & VP of Business Operations (4 mos)

Joshua Schachnow Law

Canadian Lawyer (8 yrs 8 mos)

Brazeau Seller Law

Student at Law (2 yrs 1 mo)

District Realty

Property Management Assistant (2 mos)

Camp B'nai Brith of Ottawa

Programming and Youth Supervisor (2 yrs 5 mos)

Education

Juris Doctorate at Western University

Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com.) at Carleton University

at McGill University

Josh Schachnow

CEO

Vaughan, Ontario, Canada13 yrs 2 mos experience

Most Likely To SwitchHighly Stable

Key Highlights

Co-founded a legal tech platform enhancing immigration processes.
Transitioned from immigration to family law with a focus on litigation.
Hosts a podcast sharing entrepreneurial insights and stories.

Stackforce AI infers this person is a Legal Tech entrepreneur specializing in immigration and family law.

Contact

Skills

Core Skills

Legal TechnologyImmigration LawFamily LawLitigationCommunication

Other Skills

AutomationAIClient ManagementImmigration ServicesClient ConsultationAI EducationAdvocacyPodcastingContent CreationImmigration Process OptimizationGlobal ImmigrationBusiness OperationsAnalysisNonprofitsPublic Relations

About

Experience

13 yrs 2 mos

Total Experience

3 yrs 5 mos

Average Tenure

6 yrs 2 mos

Current Experience

Osbourne valentine llp

Family Law Lawyer

Jan 2026 – Present · 4 mos · Greater Toronto Area, Canada

I am a family law lawyer with a focus on litigation.
I was born and raised in Ottawa and while I spent most of my early years practicing immigration law, I now work exclusively on family law files. I am highly organized and detail-oriented, ensuring that every aspect of a client’s case is managed efficiently and strategically. I primarily provide litigation services and I am a strong advocate in both written and verbal argument. While I support fair and reasonable resolution where possible, I am fully prepared to proceed through the courts when necessary, always prioritizing clear communication and client-focused service throughout the process.

LitigationClient ManagementCommunicationFamily Law

Cila: canadian immigration lawyers association

Chair, AI Committee

May 2024 – Present · 2 yrs · Remote

Chair of the CILA AI Committee.
The AI Committee will serve two primary purposes. First, it aims to educate CILA members on key information and tools at the intersection of immigration law and AI. By staying informed about the latest developments, risks and opportunities, CILA members will be better prepared to consider integrating the right AI tools to enhance proficiency and efficiency, provide even better service to clients and still maintain the high level of professionalism and responsibility that is required.
Secondly, the AI Committee will advocate for ethical and effective uses of AI by the government in processing Canadian immigration applications. As AI technology becomes increasingly prevalent at the government level, it is essential to ensure that its implementation is both fair and transparent. The AI Committee will actively engage with policymakers and stakeholders to promote best practices and safeguard the interests of immigrants and practitioners alike.

AI EducationAdvocacyLegal Technology

Forum ventures

Mentor

Mar 2020 – Present · 6 yrs 2 mos

Visto.ai

CEO & Co-Founder

Jul 2019 – Present · 6 yrs 10 mos · Greater Toronto Area, Canada

Visto uses tech and AI to make it 3x faster to prep Canadian visa applications for Canadian immigration professionals.
Check us out at https://www.visto.ai/

AutomationAIImmigration LawLegal Technology

Solopreneur grind podcast

Podcast Host

Sep 2018 – Present · 7 yrs 8 mos

The podcast and community for solopreneurs! Join Canadian lawyer/tech founder Josh Schachnow as he interviews successful solopreneurs to hear their best stories, lessons, advice and more. If you want to learn the secrets of successful small businesses or get solopreneur business ideas, then the Solopreneur Grind Podcast is just for you.
And make sure to join the substack so you never miss an episode here: https://joshschachnow.substack.com/podcast

PodcastingContent CreationCommunication

Vanhack

Head of Immigration

Aug 2018 – Apr 2019 · 8 mos

Vanhack helps companies hire amazing tech talent from around the world. I work with Vanhack to optimize their immigration process so when one of their Canadian companies hires a foreign tech worker, we can bring them to Canada as quickly as possible.

Immigration Process OptimizationImmigration Law

Pursuit

Founder & VP of Business Operations

Jan 2018 – May 2018 · 4 mos

Pursuit helps the world’s brightest people find better lives & opportunities via a single common application. We bring transparency to global immigration for highly skilled workers.

Global ImmigrationBusiness OperationsImmigration Law

Joshua schachnow law

Canadian Lawyer

Sep 2017 – Present · 8 yrs 8 mos

I help growing companies and recruiters bring foreign tech talent into Canada by providing efficient and affordable immigration services. Working in association with Jack Silverstone, immigration lawyer and former Chief of Staff to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, we focus on making your immigration application experience as seamless as possible. Feel free to reach out with any comments or questions.

Immigration ServicesClient ConsultationImmigration Law