The L-1 Blanket petition is a procedure through which a very large company may pre-qualify to transfer its L-1 employees. Once the L-1 Blanket is approved, the company may transfer people to the U.S. on L-1 visa quickly and on short notice without having to file a separate petition for each employee with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
Who is eligible
The L-1 Blanket is suitable for:
U.S. companies that are branches, subsidiaries or affiliates of foreign companies that frequently transfer their foreign national employees to their related U.S. companies
Your company may qualify for an L-1 Blanket if it meets one or more of the following requirements.
- U.S. company with at least 1,000 employees.
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- U.S. company which has obtained L-1 visas for at least ten of its employees during the previous 12 months.
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- U.S. company and related U.S. companies have combined annual sales of at least $25 million.
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Documents Required for L1 Blanket
The documents required for L-1 Blanket petition are:
- Biographical information about the U.S. employer's business (annual report, web page materials, marketing materials, etc.)
- U.S. employer’s tax I.D. number, recent gross and net income figures, number of employees in U.S. company.
- Names and addresses of all relevant affiliates, subsidiary and parent companies, branches, overseas offices, etc. There must be at least three or more related entities around the world to qualify for a Blanket petition.
- Documents to demonstrate the corporate relationships between the U.S. and overseas companies (e.g., copies of stock certificates or equivalent documents).
- Evidence that the U.S. company and related foreign entities are engaged in commercial trade or services and that the U.S. company has been doing business for one year or more (e.g., Annual Report, 10-K statement, etc.).
- Evidence that the U.S. company and the other qualifying organizations meet one of the following three criteria:
- U.S. company with at least 1,000 employees
- U.S. company which has obtained L-1 visas for at least ten of its employees during the previous 12 months
- U.S. company and related U.S. companies have combined annual sales of at least $25 million
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Duration of B1 Visa
The L-1 Blanket approval is initially valid for three years .
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Limitations
On L-1 Blanket visa, you may:
- Work only for the U.S. employer who acted as your L-1 visa sponsor. However, you can transfer between the related companies that are listed on the Blanket L approval notice
- Get visa approval for up to three years. Extensions of two years at a time may be allowed until you have been in the U.S. for a total of seven years if you are a manager or executive, five years if you come as a specialized knowledge employee.
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