L-1 INTRACOMPANY TRANSFEREE VISA
L-1 Intracompany Transferee Visa Lawyers
Move your best people across borders. Inside your own company.
As L-1 visa attorneys, we help multinational companies transfer managers, executives, and specialized-knowledge employees into the United States, and help those employees move without losing their place in the business. L-1A or L-1B, an established office or a brand-new one, a single case or a blanket program: we build the qualifying relationship and the evidence that make an intracompany transfer work.
THE BASICS
What is an L-1 intracompany transfer?
The L-1 visa lets a company move a qualifying employee from a business abroad to a related business in the United States. It exists because global companies need to place trusted leaders and specialists where the work is, without hiring strangers to run critical operations. Unlike the H-1B, the L-1 is not subject to an annual lottery, and it does not turn on a specific university degree. It turns instead on two things: a genuine corporate relationship between the two entities, and an employee who has spent time inside that organization abroad. The company is the sponsor, and the company's structure is the case.
TWO TRACKS
L-1A managers and executives vs L-1B specialized knowledge
L-1A: Managers & Executives
The L-1A is for employees coming to the US in a managerial or executive capacity: people who direct the organization, a department, or a function, or who manage other professionals rather than perform the front-line work themselves. L-1A status can generally be held for up to seven years, and it is the category most closely tied to a green card, because L-1A managers and executives often qualify for the EB-1C multinational manager green card.
L-1B: Specialized Knowledge
The L-1B is for employees with specialized knowledge: a deep, particular understanding of the company's products, services, research, systems, or processes that is not commonly held and not easily transferred to someone else. It is a fact-heavy category, because "specialized" has to be shown, not asserted. L-1B status can generally be held for up to five years.
THE CORPORATE LINK
The qualifying relationship
An L-1 only works if the US company and the foreign company are genuinely related: as parent and subsidiary, as affiliates under common ownership and control, or as a branch of the same organization. USCIS looks closely at ownership and control, not just a shared name or a friendly partnership. Both entities generally must be doing business (actively, regularly, continuously) for the duration of the transfer. We document the corporate structure carefully, because a weak or unclear relationship is one of the most common reasons an L-1 fails.
THE EMPLOYEE REQUIREMENT
The one-year-abroad rule
The transferring employee generally must have worked for the qualifying company abroad in a managerial, executive, or specialized-knowledge role for at least one continuous year within the three years before the transfer. This is where many otherwise-strong cases stumble: a recent hire, a gap in employment, or time already spent in the US can all affect whether the one-year requirement is met and how it is counted. We check this first, because if the year abroad is not there, the L-1 is not the right tool yet.
TWO SPECIAL CASES
New-office L-1 and blanket L
Opening a US office
A company expanding into the United States for the first time can use the new-office L-1 to send a manager, executive, or specialist to get the operation off the ground. Because there is not yet an established US business, USCIS applies extra scrutiny (a business plan, secured premises, and a realistic path to supporting the role are typically expected), and the initial approval is usually shorter, with extension depending on how the office develops.
Blanket L for larger organizations
Large multinational organizations that transfer people regularly can seek a blanket L petition, which pre-approves the qualifying relationship so individual employees can be processed more quickly rather than filing a full petition each time. It is a program built for volume and predictability, and we help qualifying companies set it up and use it well.
TIMING & FAMILY
How long the L-1 lasts, and your family
Beyond the new-office case, L-1 status is generally granted in increments and extended up to the category maximum: up to seven years for L-1A and five for L-1B. Spouses and unmarried children under 21 can accompany the L-1 worker in L-2 status, and L-2 spouses have historically been eligible for work authorization. Because the L-1A limit and the EB-1C green card fit together so naturally, we usually map the permanent-residency step from the start for managers and executives.
THE LONGER ARC
From L-1A to a green card.
The L-1A and the EB-1C are close cousins. Both ask whether someone is truly a manager or executive within a multinational organization, so a well-built L-1A case often lays much of the groundwork for an EB-1C multinational manager green card, a first-preference employment category that does not require PERM labor certification. The overlap is real, but it is not automatic; the standards differ in the details. We build the L-1A with the EB-1C in view, so the permanent step is a continuation rather than a restart.
WHY DELGADO PURDY LAW
L-1 counsel that reads the corporate structure first.
One of our founding partners has spent her career on the business and investor side of immigration, and you work with an experienced immigration attorney directly on every L-1 case. We serve companies and transferees in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French, from offices in Boynton Beach, Lake Worth, and Atlanta. We build the qualifying relationship, the role, and the evidence so the transfer holds up and the green card stays in reach.
COMMON QUESTIONS
L-1 questions we hear most often.
L-1A is for managers and executives: people who lead the organization, a department, or a function. L-1B is for employees with specialized knowledge of the company's products, services, or processes. L-1A status can generally be held longer (up to seven years) and ties naturally to the EB-1C green card; L-1B is capped shorter (up to five years) and turns on proving that the knowledge really is specialized.
The L-1 moves an existing employee within a single multinational company, so it requires a qualifying corporate relationship and time worked abroad, but no annual lottery and no specific degree requirement. The H-1B is for a specialty occupation with any qualifying US employer, requires a degree in the field, and is subject to the cap and lottery. Which one fits depends on your company structure and your role.
It can, if the US business and the foreign business are genuinely related as parent, subsidiary, affiliate, or branch, and both are actively doing business. USCIS looks hard at ownership and control, not just a shared brand. We review the corporate structure early, because the relationship is the foundation of the whole case.
Generally, yes. The transferring employee usually must have worked for the qualifying company abroad in a managerial, executive, or specialized-knowledge capacity for at least one continuous year within the three years before the transfer. How prior time in the US affects that count can get technical, so we check it at the outset.
Yes. The new-office L-1 is built for exactly that. Because there is not yet an established US operation, USCIS applies extra scrutiny (a business plan, secured premises, a realistic path to supporting the role) and usually grants a shorter initial period, with extension depending on how the office develops. We prepare new-office cases with that heightened review in mind.
A blanket L is a program for large multinational organizations that transfer people regularly. It pre-approves the qualifying relationship so individual transferees can be processed more efficiently instead of filing a full petition each time. Not every company qualifies, but for those that do it can save significant time.
Spouses and unmarried children under 21 can join the L-1 worker in L-2 status, and L-2 spouses have historically been eligible for work authorization. The specifics of how and when that authorization is documented have changed over time, so we confirm the current rules for your case.
Yes, and for L-1A managers and executives the path is especially clean: the EB-1C multinational manager green card asks many of the same questions as the L-1A and does not require PERM labor certification. L-1B holders can also pursue permanent residency, usually through other employment categories. We plan the green-card step from the beginning.
Outside the new-office case, L-1A status is generally granted and extended up to seven years total, and L-1B up to five. New-office approvals usually start shorter and depend on the office's growth for extension. We map the full timeline so extensions and the green-card step are never last-minute.
READY WHEN YOU ARE
Bring your people here, the right way.
Schedule a consultation with one of our attorneys. We will review your corporate structure, the role, and the employee's history abroad, and tell you whether the L-1 fits, and how it connects to a green card.