L1 Visa Guide: Everything You Need to Know About the L1 Visa
- What is the L1 Visa? The L1 Visa is a non-immigrant visa which allows foreign companies to transfer a manager, executive, or person with specialized knowledge to a US ...
- What are the Benefits of an L1 Visa? i. ...
- What are the L1 Visa Requirements? ...
Full Answer
How long can I Stay with a L1 visa?
This depends on the type of L1 visa that you have. If you have an L1A visa, you are allowed to work in the US for a maximum of 7 years, while with an L1B visa, you can stay up to 5 years. When your maximum time is up, you can explore other options, which can also lead to a permanent stay in the US.
How do I obtain a L1 visa?
What documentation should I show to have an L-1A visa to open my office/branch in the United States?
- Show proof of a physical space large enough to house the new office. ...
- Proof that the beneficiary has been an executive employee in the company for a consecutive year in the last 3 years. ...
- A business plan proving that within one year of operations in the U.S., the business will support a managerial or executive position.
What is the procedure to apply for a L1 visa?
Your L1 petition documents must include:
- Documentation verifying the corporate relationship between the U.S. ...
- Documentation verifying capitalization structure of the company (e.g. ...
- Detailed job description and requirements for the position – In case of a specialized knowledge position, detailed description of your unique knowledge to be used by the U.S. ...
Can I travel outside USA with L1 visa?
L1 visas may be beneficial for the following reasons. L-1 visa holder may live and work legally in the US. L-1 visa holder may travel within and outside the US. Spouse and children under 21 years of age are eligible to accompany L-1 visa holder on L-2 visa.
Who is eligible for L1 visa?
Under U.S. immigration law, a worker qualifies for an L-1 visa if the person has been employed outside the U.S. by the sponsoring company for at least one continuous year out of the past three years, and is being transferred to the U.S. to work as a manager, executive, or specialized knowledge worker.
What is L1 visa means?
L-1A and L-1B visas may be issued when an employer files a petition to obtain authorization for qualified employees to be allowed to work and live in the United States. The L-1A visa is for intracompany transferees who work in managerial or executive positions in a company that is located outside the United States.
Which is a better visa H-1B or L-1?
H1B has stringent requirements while L1 Visa is more suitable for multinationals and is less time consuming than H1B visas. Also, L-1 and H-1B have ˜dual intent in that visa holders in both categories can aim for green card while staying as a nonimmigrant in the United States.
How long can I stay on L1 visa?
The L-1B visa has an initial period of stay of three years. Individuals can apply for renewals and may receive one extension granted in a two-year increment. This means individuals on the L-1B visa could potentially stay in the U.S. for a total of five years.
Is L1 visa difficult to get?
However, despite all of these benefits, the L-1 is not the easiest work visa to obtain. This is because the USCIS is becoming stricter with who qualifies as a manager, executive, or employee with specialized knowledge. The L-1A category is for managers and executives.
What is the salary on L1 visa?
Taxes you pay in the US as H1B or L1 Visa holder For example, If you make about $60,000 USD per year in the USA, which is $5000 per month (Gross Salary). For instance, if you live in a state like Wisconsin, your take-home Net Salary would be $3,600 per month ( approximate).
Can L-1 apply for green card?
In order to go from an L-1 visa to a green card, you must apply for and get approved for any one of these immigrant visa classifications. Specifically, you'll need to get approved for an immigrant petition with the USCIS through Forms I-130 or I-140 and adjust status by filing a Form I-485.
Can your spouse work on L1 visa?
Spouses and Dependents Can Work If you are in the U.S. on L-1 status, you will be able to bring your spouse and children along with you through the L2 visa. Also, if they qualify for Employment Authorization Documents, they will be able to work in the U.S. as well.
Is degree required for L1 visa?
There is no education requirement for the L1 visa. H1B applicants must have at least a US bachelor's degree or equivalent, and the role must be in a specialty occupation which requires the qualification. L1 is dual intent, meaning immigrants can apply for a Green Card while in the US on an L1 visa.
Is it easier to get green card on L1 visa?
The L1 to green card path is one of the best and easiest paths to permanent residency—it's especially painless if you hold an L1A visa. But just because it's one of the easier paths doesn't mean it isn't without any complexity or difficulty.
How long does it take to get L1 visa approved?
Generally, the average L1 visa application time can be between six months to a year, depending on the consulate or embassy the application is filed at and the quality and circumstances of the application. This is usually no difference in the processing times between the L1A and L1B classifications.
Can I change job on L1 visa?
No, any L1 visa holder cannot apply for a new job while on the L1 visa. This means that he/she cannot transfer to another company through their L1 visa.
Can L1 visa lead to green card?
The L1 visa is a non-immigrant visa and so it is temporary and does not directly lead to a green card. In order to go from an L1 visa to a green card, you must apply for and get approved for an immigrant visa classification.
What is L1 and L-2 visa?
There are two categories for beneficiaries. L1A visas are for persons who will work in a managerial or executive capacity and L1B visas are for those who will work in a capacity that involves “specialized” knowledge. In addition, certain relatives of L1 visa beneficiaries may be eligible for derivative L2 visas.
Can spouse of L1 visa holder work in US?
Spouses and Dependents Can Work If you are in the U.S. on L-1 status, you will be able to bring your spouse and children along with you through the L2 visa. Also, if they qualify for Employment Authorization Documents, they will be able to work in the U.S. as well.
What is an L1 visa?
The L1 visa is a dual-intent visa, meaning that you may have the intent to temporarily remain in the United States while simultaneously having the intent to possibly immigrate to the United States and become a lawful permanent resident in the future. iv. No Set Wage Requirements.
How many L1 visas can you get?
There is no annual limit to the number of L1 visas that can be issued.
How long is a L1A visa valid?
The L1A visa for managers and executives is initially valid for a period of 3 years and can be extended for a total of 7 years.
How many hours a week do you have to work to get an L1?
The entire year of qualifying employment should be satisfied by the time the L1 application is filed. The employment must be full-time (at least 35 hours a week). There is 1 exception to the full-time requirement in certain circumstances where the L1 beneficiary worked for multiple affiliated companies. iii.
What do you need to work for a foreign company to get an L1 visa?
To qualify for an L1 visa, you must have worked for the foreign company in a managerial, executive, or specialized knowledge capacity.
How long do you have to be employed in the US to file a L1?
The employee coming to work in the US must have been continuously employed full-time by the foreign company for at least 1 year within the last 3 years before filing the L1 petition. The employment with the foreign company must have been in a managerial, executive, or specialized knowledge capacity.
Where to apply for L1 visa?
If you are not doing a Change of Status, then you will likely be applying for your L1 visa at the Consulate of your home country.
What is an L-1 visa?
L-1 visas are available to employees of an international company with offices in both the United States and abroad. The visa allows such foreign workers to relocate to the corporation's US office after having worked abroad for the company for at least one continuous year within the previous three prior to admission in the US. The US and non-US employers must be related in one of four ways: parent and subsidiary; branch and headquarters; sister companies owned by a mutual parent; or "affiliates" owned by the same or people in approximately the same percentages.
How many subcategories are there in the L-1 visa?
The L-1 visa has two subcategories:
How long is an L-1 visa valid?
An L-1 visa is a visa document used to enter the United States for the purpose of work in L-1 status. It is a non-immigrant visa, and is valid for a relatively short amount of time, from three months (for Iran nationals) to five years (India, Japan, Germany), based on a reciprocity schedule. With extensions, the maximum stay is seven years.
How many L-1 visas were approved in 2010?
In 2010, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) approved 74,719 L-1 visas, out of 91,086 applications (a refusal rate of 18%). In contrast, the same document reports a refusal rate of 21% for the H-1B non-immigrant skilled employment visa (117,409 approvals out of 147,937 applicants) and an overall refusal rate of 23% for all non-immigrant visa categories listed (6,275,540 approvals out of 8,142,444 applicants).
What is blanket L-1 visa?
Blanket L-1 visas, which are available to employers that meet certain criteria.
Where can I apply for an I-129 visa?
Notice of approval of the Form I-129 is given by the USCIS on a Notice of Action, Form I-797, and using this as the basis of the application, the alien may apply for visa issuance at a consulate or embassy of the United States in the country having jurisdiction over their residence.
Can I get an I-797 visa at the consulate?
An I-797 Notice of Action showing the approval of the visa petition does not guarantee that a visa will be issued at the U.S. consulate or embassy, but L-1 visas are normally approved if the consular officer concludes that the individual is qualified and that both the U.S. company and the foreign parent, subsidiary, affiliate or branch are legitimate.
What is an L1 visa?
The L1 visa, also known as intracompany transfer visa, is a temporary nonimmigrant visa that allows international companies with offices in the US and offices overseas to transfer certain qualified employees to their US office.
How many types of L1 visas are there?
There are two types of L1 visas:
How long is an L1A visa valid?
L1A visas are issued for up to 1 year for start-ups and 3 years for existing companies. The L-1A visa is valid for up to 7 years, with extension.
How long is an L1 extension?
L1 visa extensions are given 2 years at a time.
Can a spouse of a L1 visa work in the US?
Spouses of L1 visa holders (L2 visa holders) are allowed to work in the US without restriction.
Can a L1 visa be used for work?
L1 visas may be beneficial for the following reasons. L-1 visa holder may live and work legally in the US. L-1 visa holder may travel within and outside the US. Spouse and children under 21 years of age are eligible to accompany L-1 visa holder on L-2 visa.
What is an L1 visa?
L1-A visas are for employees who are either the company executives or managers who need to be transferred to the US office or offices for company reasons. But to qualify for an L1-A visa, the employee should have:
What are the advantages of L1-A visa?
You should consider learning more about what is L1 visa and how it can benefit your company. Another advantage of the L1-A visa is that it can be extended . The L1-A visa can have multiple periods of duration as follows:
How much does it cost to get a L1 visa?
The costs of petitioning for L1 visa include a filing fee of $325 as well as an anti-fraud fee of $500. For those organizations that employ fifty or more employees in the US, whose 50% is in the US on L non-immigrant status, then they need to submit an additional fee of $4500 for L1-A and L1-B petitions.
How long does it take to get a L1 petition?
If the petition is applied under L1 Blanket petition then the time period shortens to a few weeks.
What is L1 visa for USA? Requirements and benefits
The L1 visa is a non-immigrant visa program of the United States Government which is open to foreign businesses, investors and entrepreneurs who want to expand their operations in the United States and t ransfer an executive, manager or employee with specialized knowledge from one of its foreign offices to the affiliated company in the United States..
L1 visa for Investors and Entrepreneurs
In other words, the foreign individuals who are executives, managers or employees with specialized skills can be coming to the United States to be employed in a preexisting US-based office or to establish a new office in the US.
Benefits of L1 Visa
The L1 visa has many benefits compared to other nonimmigrant visas especially for foreign investors or entrepreneurs but also for foreign workers. The most important benefits of L1 Visa are:
How can L1 visa lawyers – Malescu Law – help?
Immigration laws are complex and an L1 visa lawyer can help you determine if the L1 visa is right for you, assist you with the application process and required documents to give your L1 visa application the best chance to succeed.
How many L-1 visas are approved each year?
On the other hand, there are no limits to how many L-1 visas are approved each year. This means that your petition will not be rejected due to the fact that there are no more available visas.
How long does it take to get an extension for an L-1 visa?
However, unfortunately, L-1 holders are only granted one extension after their initial three years. After that, they must either transfer their status or apply for a new L-1 visa.
How many employees can you have on an L-1?
revenue of at least $25 million or have a minimum of 1,000 employees working in the U.S. An L-1 blanket petition allows employers to file a single petition for multiple employees, ...
How long can you work on an L-1A?
Even though the L-1A allows for holders to work for up to seven years, this limit cannot be exceeded for any reason. For other visas, such as the H-1B or J-1, an extension can be acquired past the usual maximum. There are even some visas like the O-1 and E-2 that allow for unlimited extensions.
What is the most difficult part of obtaining an H-1B visa?
One of the most difficult aspects of acquiring an H-1B, J-1, or TN visa is finding an entity that is willing to sponsor you for the visa. If you are a qualified L-1 applicant, then you are already employed with a U.S. company that will sponsor you.
Is L-1 visa easy to obtain?
Even though the L-1 can be relatively easy to obtain, those same advantages can be considered disadvantages if you are not already employed.
Can an L-1 be sent to a new office?
New Offices. Another equally important L-1 benefit is the fact that, if a multinational employer does not currently have an office or branch in the U.S., an L-1 holder can be sent in order to establish a new one. While there are. While there are different limitations attached to this process, it is extremely advantageous to be able ...
What is an L-1 visa?
An L-1 visa is an employment-based visa that allows organizations to transfer their professional employees from any of their overseas branches to those in the United States. A qualified employee will be eligible to live and work in the U.S. under that nonimmigrant status by filling out and filing an L-1 visa application.
How long do you have to be an employee to get a L-1 visa?
Have been an employee of the same organization in one of its offices abroad for a minimum of one continuous year within the three years immediately preceding your L-1 visa application.
How Can I Transfer From L1 Status to Permanent Resident Status?
resident. To enjoy this L-1 visa benefit, you will need to apply for a green card.
What is the classification of L-1A?
The L-1A classification allows an organization to transfer a qualified employee with a managerial or executive role from one of its affiliated foreign branches to the United States. The employee may come to the U.S. to either continue working for an existing location or to establish a new office in the United States.
What is an I-907 form?
An I-907 form if you are using premium processing. Your employer must also demonstrate the ability to pay your wages. If the I-129 petition is approved, USCIS will send an I-797 Notice of Action to your employer. You will use the form as part of the documents to apply for a visa abroad.
How to get a green card if you are an L-1A?
If you are an L-1A employee, the easiest route for your green card application is to file an EB-1C petition. The requirements are quite similar to your current L-1A status. Transferring from an L-1A to an EB-1C is faster than most other nonimmigrant to immigrant process because your application does not require PERM Labor Certification, which may take an extra 8 months to process. However, keep in mind that the EB-1C requires that you must have worked as a manager or executive for your company’s overseas location for one continuous year in the three years leading up to your green card application.
How long do you have to be in a foreign office to be considered a manager?
Evidence that you have been with the organization and have occupied an executive or managerial role for at least one year in one of its foreign offices.
What is L1 visa?
The L1 visa refers to the transferring of someone from a foreign country to the United States who works in an exclusive, managerial, or specialized field for employment purposes. With this visa, the foreign employee is being transferred from one office to another office in the United States with the same employer, but a different branch or affiliate of the company that employed them.
How Easy Is It To Get An L1 Visa?
The whole point of the L1 visa is to permit foreign employees of a United States company to be transferred from their original branch to the branch in the United States. To begin, the employee has to file the L1 application. The worker is not able to do this. The application is submitted to the USCIS and reviewed by this entity. There are instances when the USCIS will grant blanket L1 visas. This means that the company will have a set number of blank visas that can be distributed to employees who will be transferred to the United States to work. Keep in mind that every visa application takes a certain amount of energy and time and that applies to the L1 visa. There will be plenty of legal documents to review, forms to fill out, and additional paperwork to read. All of this will need to be done within the six months and 45 days before the request start date. Even though all of this paperwork and the entire application process itself could take you several months, working with an attorney who specializes specifically in immigration could help you significantly cut down on time and effort. For L1 visa petitions, there is a premium process available. This means that a fee is paid by your employer (set at $1,225) and the case will be adjudicated by the government in less than 15 days. And what this means is that the USCIS will generally approve the petition in that 15 day period.
How long does an L1 visa last?
In most cases, the L1A visa is granted for a period of three years. If the employee is going to stay in the United States for the job longer, the visa can be extended up to two years at a time for a maximum of seven years total.
What is an I-797 Notice of Action?
Once form I-129 is filed, I-797 Notice of Action is the document that shows that the petition for a visa has been approved. This does not, however, guarantee an issued visa.
How to get a new visa?
To get a new visa issued, they will need to go to a consulate and speak to a consular officer in person. Going through this process is often very difficult because once the visa holder leaves the United States, they have to go to a different country to get their visa renewed.
What are the different types of temporary visas?
Several different temporary work visas can be used to do this including H1B, L1, L1A, and L1B. Although the H1B and L1 visas have some similarities, they also have unique qualities.
How long does it take to get an L1 visa?
This means that a fee is paid by your employer (set at $1,225) and the case will be adjudicated by the government in less than 15 days. And what this means is that the USCIS will generally approve the petition in that 15 day period.
Overview
Types of L-1 Visas
Application process
Costs
An L-1 visa is a visa document used to enter the United States for the purpose of work in L-1 status. It is a non-immigrant visa, and is valid for a relatively short amount of time, from three months (for Iran nationals) to five years (India, Japan, Germany), based on a reciprocity schedule. With extensions, the maximum stay is seven years.
L-1 visas are available to employees of an international company with offices in both the United …
Renewals
The L-1 visa has two subcategories:
• L-1A for executives and managers, valid up to 7 years.
• L-1B for workers with specialized knowledge, valid up to 5 years
After the expiration of the 7 or 5 years respectively, the foreign national can generally only qualif…
Change of Status from L-1B to L-1A
Application to an L-1 visa begins with the filing of a petition with the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) on Form I-129 along with supporting documentation showing that both the U.S. company and the foreign parent, subsidiary, affiliate or branch meet the qualifying factors set forth in the law and regulations.
Notice of approval of the Form I-129 is given by the USCIS on a Notice of Action, Form I-797, an…
Limits on employment authorization
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 (Public Law 114-113), signed into law by President Obama on December 18, 2015, increases fees for certain H-1B and L-1 petitioners who employ 50 or more employees in the United States with more than 50 percent of their employees in the United States in H-1B or L (including L-1A and L-1B) nonimmigrant status. These petitioners must submit an additional fee of $4,000 for certain H-1B petitions and $4,500 for certain L-1A and L-1…
Criticism
L-1 status may be renewed and extended within the United States. Except in the case of blanket petitions, a new I-129 petition must be filed. Renewal in the United States applies to status only, not the actual visa in the passport. For visa renewal, the applicant must go to a U.S. consulate or embassy outside the United States. An alien cannot leave the United States and then reenter without a valid L-1 visa, and must appear personally before a consular officer for visa issuance.