Learn How the L-1 Intracompany Transferee Visa Can Boost Your Business

If your U.S. business needs the skills, talents, or leadership of personnel based in foreign offices, the L-1 Intracompany Transferee Visa is well worth consideration. This nonimmigrant business visa is specifically designed to facilitate the transfer of certain classes of employees from foreign offices to U.S. locations with relative ease. Get the basics on the L-1 Visa and how our qualified immigration attorneys can help.

An Overview of the L-1 Intracompany Transferee Visa

The L-1 Visa has two subcategories: The L-1A for executives and managers, and the L-1B for employees with specialized knowledge about matters pertinent to the business, such as its goods, services, or operations. Thus, you must think carefully about what sort of personnel your U.S. office needs to enhance or expand its operations, since the L-1 Visa guidelines have specific criteria for what defines a manager, executive, or employee with specialized knowledge.

The L-1A Visa is usually granted for one year initially, with extensions allowed in two-year increments, for a maximum of seven years total. To qualify for the L-1A subcategory, the candidate must have served in a managerial or executive capacity in the foreign office for at least one continuous year in the three years prior to applying. The foreign office must also in some way be connected to the U.S. location, either as an affiliate, parent company, subsidiary, joint partner, or other formal relationship.

The L-1B Visa has similar requirements to the L-1A Visa: the employee must have worked for one whole year in the three years prior to the application and must come from a foreign office connected to your U.S. enterprise. The main difference is the duration: The L-1B Visa is usually granted for one year initially and can be extended to five years.

If your business requires a whole team of qualified personnel, the L-1 Intracompany Transferee Visa also gives you the option of filing a blanket petition for more than one employee, which is a simpler and more affordable way to bring the foreign staff you need to help your business.

Obtaining the L-1 Intracompany Transferee Visa

The application process starts with the filing of Form I-129 to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) along with supporting documents that indicate what the candidate will do for the U.S. office, the relationship between the U.S. and foreign locations, and so on. The employee would have to go to a U.S. embassy or consulate in their country of residence to obtain the visa, a process most foreign nationals and U.S. employers alike are unfamiliar with.

That is why you should consult with an immigration law firm that knows the ins and outs of the complex U.S. visa system. Jurado & Farshchian, P.L. has helped businesses of all sizes qualify for the L-1 Visa and its subcategories, whether by blanket petition or individual filing. To learn more, call (305) 921-0440 or send an email to me directly at [email protected].

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