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Pathway

U.S. Company Transfer Visa

United States Residency
Pathway overview

At a glance

L-1 lets certain employees transfer from a business abroad to a related business in the United States. L-1A is for managers and executives, while L-1B is for employees with specialized knowledge of the business.

Transfer
A move within a qualifying international company group
Role and work history
A manager, executive, or specialized-knowledge employee, generally with one continuous year abroad for the related organization in the relevant prior three years
Evidence
Company relationship, assignment, duties, and employment records

Summary

The L-1 is for moving within the same multinational company group to a U.S. office. It can also be used by a foreign company sending an eligible manager, executive, or specialized-knowledge employee to help open a new U.S. office.

The U.S. operation can be an established office or a new office that meets additional requirements. The employer must prove the relationship between the businesses and show that they are genuinely operating.

Prove the company relationship and the employee's roles
  1. Document the related businesses Show ownership, control, and ongoing operations for the business abroad and its related U.S. business.
  2. Check the overseas employment period Prove the required continuous year of qualifying work abroad within the relevant three-year window.
  3. Document the U.S. job Show management or executive duties for L-1A, or specialized knowledge for L-1B, with detailed job and business records.

New offices have extra requirements for premises and business development, and normally receive only one year initially. A shared brand or senior title is not enough. L-1A approval does not automatically establish EB-1 green-card eligibility.

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Eligibility

The employee generally must:

For a new office, the employer must have secured sufficient physical premises, show the business abroad will continue doing business, and demonstrate that the U.S. operation will support the qualifying role within the required time.

What This Route Allows

L-1 work is limited to the qualifying organization and approved role. L-1A has a maximum stay of seven years; L-1B generally has a five-year maximum. New-office approvals are normally limited to one year initially.

Spouses and unmarried children under 21 may receive L-2 status. A properly admitted L spouse can generally work because of that immigration status; children do not receive permission to work through this status. Certain large organizations can use a blanket L petition that covers qualifying transfers within the organization, but each worker must still qualify.

What This Route Is Not

L-1 is not available simply because two companies do business together or share a brand. Ordinary professional knowledge is not necessarily L-1B specialized knowledge, and a senior title does not prove an L-1A managerial or executive role.

L-1A can sometimes be followed by an EB-1 green-card application for a multinational manager or executive, but approval in one category does not guarantee the other. Applicants abroad must also check current nationality-based visa and entry restrictions.

Next Steps

  1. Map ownership and control of the foreign and U.S. entities with corporate records.
  2. Document the employee's exact foreign employment dates, payroll, duties, reporting lines, and work product.
  3. Prepare detailed U.S. duties, organizational charts, staffing, budgets, and business evidence.
  4. For a new office, document the office space, business funding, hiring plans, and ability to support the role after one year.
  5. Check whether an individual or blanket petition is appropriate and plan for travel separately from a status approval.

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Similar intracompany transfer pathways in other destinations.

Sources