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United States : L - 1 Visa
An L-1 visa is a visa document used to enter the United States for the purpose of work in L-1 status. It is a non-immigrant visa, and is valid for three years. L-1 visas are available to employees of an international company with offices in both a home country and the United States, or want open a new office in the United States while maintaining their home country interests.. The US office must be a parent company, child company, or sister company to the foreign company.
Spouses of L-1 visa holders are allowed to work, without restriction, in the US, and the L-1 visa may legally be used as a stepping stone to a green card under the doctrine of dual intent.
Types of L-1 Visas
The L-1 visa has two subcategories:
- L-1A for executives and managers, L-1A status is valid for up to 7 years,
- L-1B for workers with specialized knowledge., L-1B status is valid for up to 5 years.
There are two types of L-1 procedures:
- Regular L-1 visas, which must be applied for and approved for each individual by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
For a regular L-1 visa, the company must file a petition with the USCIS and each petition is evaluated on its own merits. it has already been determined by USCIS that the company qualifies for the issuance of Intracompany Transferee visa, so the individual visa applicant need only file a copy of the approved blanket petition, along with documents supporting their personal qualifications, with the U.S. consulate or embassy having jurisdiction over their place of residence proving the applicant's qualifications
On completing the maximum allowable period in L-1 status, the employee must be employed outside the United States for a minimum of one year before a new application is made for L or H status.
Blanket L-1
Blanket L-1 visas which are available to employers who hire large numbers of Intracompany Transferees every year. This visa is designed for companies who have a high volume of intra-company employees that need to transfer from one parent, subsidiary, branch, or affiliate office to another.
The significant benefit of obtaining a Blanket L1 visa is that the employee can apply for his/her L1 visa directly at the embassy or consulate in their home country rather than have the application processed by USCIS. Not only does this result in significant time savings, but also financial savings for the company.
To qualify for a L1 Blanket visa, the company must have an office that has been doing business in the US for more than one year; has 3 or more domestic and foreign branches, subsidiaries, or affiliates; and have combined US annual sales of $25 million, US workforce of 1,000, or received approval of at least 10 L petitions in the last 12 months
I. Benefits of the L1 Visa
- You may legitimately come to the U.S. as an L1 intra-company transferee and at the same time, lawfully seek to become a permanent resident
- You can freely travel in and out of the U.S. while on a valid L1 visa
- Your dependents can live with you in the U.S.
- Your spouse can apply for a work permit by filing Form I-765 and engage in employment
II. To be eligible to sponsor an L1 visa, the following conditions must be met:
Requirements for L-1 visa:-
- A qualifying relationship must exist between the U.S. company and the foreign company abroad
- Both the foreign company and the U.S company must remain open, active and viable for the entire duration of your employment in the U.S. Failure to maintain required levels of operation results in the loss of L1 status
If you would like to make an application under this immigration category or would like to speak with us regarding your eligibility for this program please call North American Immigration services(india)pvt.Ltd. during office hours Monday to Saturday 9:30 am to 5:30 pm at 91-11-4160 5455 / 4160 5456, 91-93122 33065. Other query must be sent to visainfo@vsnl.net / visainfo_1998@yahoo.com.
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