L-1 visa lawyer for transferring key employees to the United States

An L-1 visa is the US intracompany transfer visa. It lets a company move an employee from its business abroad to a related US parent, subsidiary, affiliate or branch. The employee needs a continuous year of full-time work with the company abroad within the three years before filing. That job abroad and the US role must each be executive, managerial or based on specialized knowledge. Unlike the H-1B, the L-1 has no annual cap or lottery.

L-1A is for managers and executives. L-1B is for employees with specialized knowledge, meaning special knowledge of the company's products, services or techniques, or advanced knowledge of its processes and procedures. Both usually start with an approval of up to three years, or one year for a new office. Each extension can last up to two years. The total limit is seven years on L-1A and five years on L-1B.

An initial L-1 for a Canadian citizen can be decided in one visit to a land border crossing or US preclearance. A petition filed with USCIS takes weeks to months. L-1 visa processing time depends mostly on where the petition is decided. Premium processing speeds up the USCIS review for an extra government fee. Employees who need a visa from a US consulate should also allow for appointment wait times.

The L-1 visa cost has two parts: government fees and legal fees. Government fees include the Form I-129 filing fee and the Asylum Program Fee, both lower for small employers and nonprofits. Initial petitions also carry a $500 fraud prevention and detection fee. Premium processing and consular visa fees are extra where they apply. Fees for your L-1 visa attorney are separate and depend on the work involved.

Yes. The L-1 allows dual intent, so moving from an L-1 visa to a green card does not by itself conflict with your L-1 status. L-1A managers and executives may qualify for EB-1C, the green card category for multinational managers and executives. EB-1C does not require labor certification, the Department of Labor process known as PERM. L-1B employees often use the EB-2 or EB-3 employment categories instead, which usually require PERM.

Yes, as an L-2 spouse. Work authorization comes with L-2 status, so your spouse does not need to wait for a separate work permit. An unexpired I-94 arrival record marked L-2S is accepted as proof of work authorization for Form I-9, together with an identity document. Unmarried children under 21 can also hold L-2 status and attend school, but they are not authorized to work.