Interested in working in the U.S. for the same company you work for in your home country? Learn about the L-1 Visa, designed for employees with specialized skills or in executive and/or managerial roles. This visa allows the transfer of employees from a foreign company to a subsidiary, branch, or parent company in the U.S. Let's learn a little more about this visa together.
The L-1 Visa has two subcategories:
L-1 A, for employees in executive or managerial positions, and
L-1 B, for employees with specialized skills and knowledge.
Can an L visa be a path to a Green Card?
Many people wonder if the L visa is a path to permanent residency. To understand this, it's important to note that the L visa doesn't grant residency directly, but it can serve as a bridge to meet the requirements for another visa, such as the EB-1C, which leads to a Green Card.
A major advantage of the L-1A category is its ability to facilitate the transition to applying for permanent residence through the EB-1C. This allows the employer to bypass the standard labor certification process associated with other employment-based green cards. The EB-1C application focuses on the employee's international managerial or executive status and follows a process similar to that of the L-1A.
In the case of the L-1B visa, the situation differs. If an employer obtains an L-1B visa for an employee, they must consider traditional Green Card sponsorship and follow the standard labor market testing process to obtain Labor Certification before proceeding to the immigrant petition stage of the process.
How long does the L-1 Visa last and how much does it cost?
The L-1 Visa allows a authorized stay of up to 7 years in the United States, with the possibility of extensions in increments of up to three years.
For those who need a faster process, there is the option of premium processing, which involves a review in just 15 days, with an additional cost of $2,805.00 USD. It is important to note that this payment is not mandatory and is in addition to the standard application fee, which is $1,385.00 USD for Form I-129, plus $500.00 USD per applicant for the Anti-Fraud Payment.
For those who are not in an urgent situation, the following is available: regular processing, which may take 6 to 8 months. In this case, the standard application fee is the same as for premium processing: $1,385.00 USD for Form I-129, plus $500.00 USD per applicant for the Anti-Fraud Payment.
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