L-1 Intracompany Transferee Visas

An L-1 visa could be granted if you (or your employer) have a company of 10 or more employees outside the USA in which you have been employed for at least 12 months, which will remain open; and, you (or your employer) want to open an affiliate or subsidiary company in the USA to which you would be assigned.

The L-1A visa is issued to executives and manager that supervise or run management level employees below them or in some cases just managing professionals is adequate. L-1B visas are issued to persons with two or more years of employment in a capacity that gave them advanced knowledge of their employer's proprietary information concerning their processes or products.

Employees in administrative or executive positions can apply for the L-1A visa. In addition, personnel with a specialist understanding of the organization's product/services and their application in foreign markets and employees with advanced knowledge of the organization's processes and procedures are eligible for the L-1B visa.

An employee who is traveling to the United States to open a branch office is only permitted to stay for one year. The maximum initial stay for all other eligible employees is 3 years. Employees with L-1A visas may be given extensions of stay in two-year increments, up to a total of 7 years in the United States. Employees with L-1B visas may be given extensions of stay in increments of 2 years, up to a total of 5 years in the United States.

Qualifying organizations can apply for one of two types of L-1 visas:

• Individual L-1 Visas, for which the employer submits a petition with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on behalf of the employee; and
• Blanket L-1 Visas allow companies to file a single L petition with USCIS to transfer qualified employees rapidly without having to file separate L applications for each employee.

If a blanket L petition is authorized, an employee often just has to file a condensed form of the L petition and send a copy of the approved blanket petition notification (together with supporting papers) to the United States consulate or embassy.

The L-2 visa classification is for spouses and unmarried children under the age of 21 who desire to accompany the primary L visa holder for the duration of his/her stay in the United States.

Spouses of L-1 visa holders can work in the United States if they apply for work permits.

Simurgh's immigration experts have handled several L-1 visa petitions and would gladly assist you.