L Visas (L-1A and L-1B) for Temporary Workers
The L-1A and L-1B visas are 2 types of work visas that are available for temporary intracompany transferees who work in managerial positions or have specialized knowledge.
Who is eligible?
The L-1A and L-1B visas may be issued when an employer files a petition to obtain authorization for qualified employees to be allowed to work and live in the United States.
- The L-1A visa is for intracompany transferees who work in managerial or executive positions in a company that is located outside the United States.
- The L-1B visa is for intracompany transferees who work in positions that require specialized knowledge.
L-1A Classification
Using the L-1A visa process, a company can transfer a qualified executive or manager to the United States to an existing or a newly created subsidiary.
To qualify for the L-1A Intracompany Transferee Executive or Manager, you must:
- Generally have been working for a qualifying organization abroad for one continuous year within the three years immediately preceding his or her admission to the United States and
- Be seeking to enter the United States to provide service in an executive or managerial capacity for a branch of the same employer or one of its qualifying organizations.
Executive capacity generally refers to the employee’s ability to make decisions of wide latitude without much oversight.
Managerial capacity generally refers to the ability of the employee to supervise and control the work of professional employees and to manage the organization, or a department, subdivision, function, or component of the organization. It may also refer to the employee’s ability to manage an essential function of the organization at a high level, without direct supervision of others. See section 101(a)(44) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended, and 8 CFR 214.2(l)(1)(ii) for complete definitions.
Note: To be eligible to qualify for L-1A classification, the employer must meet the General Qualifications of the Employer.
L-1B classification
To qualify for the L-1B Intracompany Transferee Specialized Knowledge classification, you must:
- Generally have been working for a qualifying organization abroad for one continuous year within the three years immediately preceding his or her admission to the United States and
- Be seeking to enter the United States to provide services in a specialized knowledge capacity to a branch of the same employer or one of its qualifying organizations.
Specialized knowledge means either special knowledge possessed by an individual of the petitioning organization’s product, service, research, equipment, techniques, management, or other interests and its application in international markets, or an advanced level of knowledge or expertise in the organization’s processes and procedures (See 8 CFR 214.2(l)(1)(ii)(D)).
Note: To be eligible to qualify for L-1B classification, the employer must meet the General Qualifications of the Employer.