L-1 Visa for Business Visitors

The L1 visa is a nonimmigrant visa which allows foreign nationals being transferred by their current employer to enter into the U.S. to manage an organization or a major function or division of an organization.

• Who is eligible

• Documents Required

• Benifits

• Limitations in B1 Visa

Who is eligible

To qualify for an L-1 visa, your:

• U.S. company to which you are being transferred must be a branch, subsidiary, affiliate or joint venture partner of your non-U.S. employer.
• Employment in the U.S. company must be as a manager, executive or person with specialized knowledge and skills

• Foreign national executives being transferred to the U.S. to manage an organization or a major function or division of an organization
• Foreign national managers being transferred to the U.S. to supervise work of other supervisory, professional or managerial employees, or who manages an essential function, department or subdivision
• Specialized Knowledge employees of companies outside U.S. that have related U.S. branches, subsidiaries, affiliates or joint venture partners
• Employees and partners of international accounting firms
• Multinational companies to transfer foreign national executives to manage an organization or a major function or division of an organization in the U.S.
• Multinational companies to transfer foreign national managers to supervise work of other supervisory, professional or managerial employees, or who manages an essential function, department or subdivision in the U.S.
• Multinational companies to transfer employees with specialized knowledge such as, its products, research methods and marketing techniques

 

Back to the top

 

Documents Required for L1 Visa    

The documents required for L1 visa application are:

Filled-in visa application Form DS-156.

One recent passport size photograph, 50mm X 50mm of each applicant showing full face without head covering against a light background.

A passport, valid for travel to the U.S. for at least six months longer than your intended visit.

Employee copy of Form I-797 Approval Notice.

Copy of Form I-129, Petition for Nonimmigrant visa. This petition is filed with the USCIS by your employer.

  

Back to the top    

 

Benifits of L1 Visa    

Be transferred to the U.S. and work legally for a U.S. company that is a branch, subsidiary, affiliate or joint venture partner of a company that already employs you outside of the U.S.

Be quickly issued your visa.

Be permitted to travel in and out of the U.S. or remain here continuously until your L-1 status expires.

Avail of visas for accompanying relatives.

 

Limitations

On L-1 visa, you may:                     

Work only for the U.S. employer who acted as your L-1 visa sponsor.

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.

Back to the top

 

See Other Visas

Home