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L-1A & L-1B Visa for Intracompany Transferees

What is a L-1 Visa?

L-1 visas provide temporary work status for a foreign national employee to transfer from an employer abroad to work in the United States for a qualifying U.S. employer in either managerial/executive capacity (L-1A) or specialized knowledge capacity (L-1B):

  • The foreign employee must have been employed abroad with an affiliate, parent, branch, or subsidiary of the U.S. employer
  • The foreign employee must have worked for the company abroad for a continuous period of one year within the three (3) years preceding the filing of the petition or admission into the U.S.
  • The foreign employee must have worked for that company abroad in either a managerial, executive, or specialized knowledge capacity.

Applying for an L-1 visa

The employer must file a Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, including any fees, on the employee’s behalf.

Period of Stay

L-1A (manager/executive) classification can be extended to seven years, while an L-1B (specialized knowledge) caps at five years. The initial period of authorized stay is three years. For U.S. start-up companies, an L-1A petition is approved for one year.

Can my family accompany me?

Spouses and unmarried children under 21 years of age are eligible to apply for L-2 derivative status. Work authorization is also available for spouses on L-2 status.

For more information about L-1A and L-1B visas, give us a call at 214-251-8011 (Dallas, TX) or 817-332-1100 (Fort Worth, TX), or schedule your next appointment online here.