L1 Visa (Intracompany Transferee)
L1 visas are for executives or employees with specialized skills of multinational companies who are being transferred from an office overseas to a US office. The L1 visa may also be used by a manager or executive to open a new office in the US. The L1 visa is initially valid for three years and can be extended to a total stay of five years. There is also no wage requirement for the L1 visa. Although the L1 visa was designed for large multinational corporations, it may also be used by smaller companies.
A petitioner which meets the following requirements may file a blanket petition seeking continuing approval of itself and some or all of its parent, branches, subsidiaries, and affiliates as qualifying organizations if:
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The petitioner and each of those entities are engaged in commercial trade or services;
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The petitioner has an office in the United States that has been doing business for one year or more;
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The petitioner has three or more domestic and foreign branches, subsidiaries, or affiliates; and
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The petitioner and the other qualifying organizations have obtained approval of petitions for at least ten "L" managers, executives, or specialized knowledge professionals during the previous 12 months; or have US. subsidiaries or affiliates with combined annual sales of at least $25 million; or have a United States work force of at least 1,000 employees.
The L1 Visa is appropriate for foreign nationals with specialized knowledge or managers being transferred to the US to supervise work of other supervisory, professional or managerial employees, or who manages an essential function, department or subdivision.
The requirements for obtaining an L1 Visa ia that an alien who within the preceding three years has been employed abroad for one continuous year by a qualifying organization may be admitted temporarily to the United States to be employed by a parent, branch, affiliate, or subsidiary of that employer in a managerial or executive capacity, or in a position requiring specialized knowledge.
Contact a Texas or Florida Immigration Lawyer at Bertolino LLP
Bertolino LLP maintains offices in Austin, Houston and San Antonio. To reach an attorney in the Austin office, call 512.476.5757. For the Houston office, call 713.225.7474. You may also contact the firm by e-mail.
