For those wishing to immigrate to the United States and live and work there, the L1 visa is a strong choice. Certain employees of foreign companies may be transferred to a US branch, parent, subsidiary, or affiliate company under the terms of the L1 visa.
We’ll go over the L-1 visa eligibility requirements, expected costs and timeframes, and application procedures in this guide.
The L-1 Visa: What Is It?
The United States has a non-immigrant visa category called the L-1 for intracompany transfers. International corporations can relocate some of their staff members from their overseas offices temporarily to the United States.
Under the L-1 visa, multinational corporations frequently choose to send essential employees to the United States. The L1 visa enables them to supervise the projects, and marriage operations and exchange the specialized knowledge while preserving the company’s global presence.
Eligibility for L-1 Visa
Both the employer (sponsor) and the employee (visa applicant) must fulfill particular eligibility requirements to be eligible for an L-1 visa. The following are the standard prerequisites for L-1 visa eligibility as suggested by the US Area Immigration Services:
Regarding the Worker (L-1 Applicant):
Work Experience with an Approved Organization
The worker needs to be employed right now by a multinational company that meets the requirements and has ties to the American employer. The organization needs to be a branch office, affiliate, subsidiary, or parent company of the US entity.
Qualifications for the Position
Employees must be traveling to the United States to work in a managerial or executive capacity to qualify for L-1A (Managers/Executives). This usually entails managing a crucial function or supervising a sizable section of the company’s operations.
To get the L-1B visa, the employee must have specialized knowledge of the company’s services, technology, products, or procedures. Advanced knowledge that is uncommon among other industry workers is called specialized knowledge.
A One Year of Employment
The foreign company for which the employee worked must have been their employer for at least a year in the three years before the filing of the L-1 visa application. This employment must have taken place outside of the United States.
Regarding the Employer/Sponsor:
Relationship Qualification.
There should be a qualifying relationship between the foreign employer of the visa holder and the US employer. This helps in covering the relationships with affiliates, subsidiaries, parents, and branch offices. The organizations ought to exhibit a notable degree of ownership or control by the same parent company.
Doing Business in the United States
The employer must be based in the United States, operate a business there, and possess a physical office or facility where the worker will be employed. When opening a new office, the U.S. organization needs to show that it has a strategy in place to uphold the worker’s position.
Offer of Employment
In addition to being willing to submit an L-1 petition to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on the employee’s behalf, the U.S. employer must make a legitimate employment offer to the worker.
Cost of an L-1 Visa
The type of L-1 visa (L-1A or L-1B), whether you are filing a new petition or an extension, and whether premium processing is required are some variables that can affect the cost of an L-1 visa.
Form I-129, the Petition for Nonimmigrant Worker must be filed with USCIS for a fee of $1385 in general ($695 for smaller employers and nonprofits).
An additional $500 anti-fraud fee might be essential in some cases depending on the situation and the employer. If the premium processing is desired then an extra cost of $2805 is required.
Timeline for L-1 Visa
The processing time for an L-1 visa may differ depending on the USCIS serviccenterre where the petition was filed. Generally speaking, L-1 visa processing times are substantially quicker than those of other work visa classifications.
Here, you can find out how long it currently takes to process L-1 visas at particular USCIS service centers.
For an additional fee (discussed above), some applicants may also be qualified to request “premium processing” of their Form I-129. USCIS will normally process your L-1 visa application within 15 to 45 calendar days if it is approved.
Procedure for L-1 Visas
Both the sponsoring employer and the L-1 visa applicant must adhere to a set procedure to apply for an L-1 visa. The following guide will help you in applying for an L-1 visa:
Role of Sponsoring Employer:
Place I-129 in the file.
The US employer must submit Form I-129, which is the petition for a nonimmigrant worker to the USCIS. A thorough job description, documentation of the qualifying relationship between the foreign employer and the U.S. entity, and eligibility and qualification verification for the beneficiary are typically included in this petition.
The US employer must submit Form I-129, which is the petition for a nonimmigrant worker to the USCIS.
Pay the filing fees to the government.
The employer is responsible for paying any additional fees, such as the premium processing or anti-fraud fees, that may apply in addition to the mandatory filing fees for Form I-129.
Role of the L-1 Visa Applicant:
Finish the DS-160 application.
The visa applicant must fill out Form DS-160, the “Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application,” on the Consular Electronic Application Center (CEAC) website after the Form I-129 petition is approved.
Cover the Visa Application Fee
The applicant must pay the necessary visa application fee to the U.S. Embassy or consulate where the visa interview will be held after submitting Form DS-160.
Set Up and Attend the Visa Interview
The applicant can make an appointment at the American embassy or consulate in their nation of origin for a visa interview after that. Certain documents are necessary for the L1 visa interview including proof of your job offer and the current passport.
To know more about the L1 Visa, remain in touch with US Area Immigration Services!
