L-1 — Intracompany Transferee

Visa overview

The L-1 allows a business to move an existing employee from a foreign office to a related office in the United States. It splits into two branches: L-1A for managers and executives, and L-1B for employees with specialised knowledge of the organisation’s products, services, systems or methods. The two companies must have a genuine qualifying relationship — parent, branch, subsidiary or affiliate — and the employee must normally have worked for the group abroad for at least one continuous year within the preceding three. The category is also used to open a new US office, which carries additional evidentiary expectations and a shorter initial period.

Who may qualify

• Managers and executives moving to a related US entity (L-1A)
• Employees whose knowledge of the organisation’s products, systems or methods is genuinely specialised (L-1B)
• Employees who have worked for the group outside the United States for at least one continuous year in the preceding three years
• Senior staff being sent to establish a new US office for an established foreign company

This is general information about the category, not an assessment of your circumstances.

Key requirements

• A qualifying corporate relationship between the foreign and US entities, evidenced by ownership and control documents
• At least one continuous year of employment with the group abroad within the preceding three years
• A role abroad and a role in the United States that both fit the managerial, executive or specialised-knowledge definition
• Both entities actively doing business, not merely existing on paper
• For a new office, evidence of premises secured and of the financial capacity to support the operation

Typical application process

1. 1The employer documents the corporate relationship and confirms the employee’s qualifying year abroad
2. 2The employer prepares organisational charts showing both the role abroad and the proposed US role
3. 3The employer files the petition with USCIS; large multinationals may instead use a blanket arrangement where one is in place
4. 4USCIS may request further evidence, most often on the specialised-knowledge branch
5. 5On approval, an applicant abroad applies for the visa at a consulate and attends an interview
6. 6New-office petitions are approved for a shorter initial period and are reviewed again before extension

Documents commonly required

• Certificates of incorporation, share registers and ownership charts for both entities
• Organisational charts showing reporting lines abroad and in the United States
• Employment letters confirming dates, title and duties for the qualifying year abroad
• Payroll records or tax filings evidencing continuous employment
• A detailed description of the proposed US role
• For specialised knowledge, evidence of the training, systems or methods that make the knowledge distinctive
• For a new office, the lease and business plan supporting the operation

Typical processing considerations

L-1 timing depends on the completeness of the corporate evidence, whether the case runs through an individual or blanket petition, the workload of the office handling it, and whether further evidence is requested — which is more common on specialised-knowledge cases. New-office petitions face closer scrutiny at extension. No date or outcome can be guaranteed.

Common questions about the L-1