Intracompany Transfer (L-1)

This visa classification is available for an employee of a company. Only those companies that exactly meet the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) definitions of a parent, branch, subsidiary or affiliate quality to petition for an L-1 intra-company transferee visa.

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There are provisions to allow a new office to open in the United States provided that evidence is submitted to the INS to prove that the new office has a suitable place to do business, a qualifying business structure, and that the employer has the ability to pay the employee and to begin doing business in the United States.

A key qualification for all employees is employment abroad by a qualifying foreign employer for one continuous year within the last three years preceding the time of the employee’s application for admission into the United States. Intracompany transferees are executives, managers and employees with specialized knowledge.