Move your own leaders
Bring a manager or executive from your company abroad into your U.S. business. No outside sponsor needed.
L-1A · Work visa
L-1A visaBring your company's leaders to the U.S.
A work visa that moves a manager or executive from your company abroad to a related U.S. business. There is no lottery and no yearly cap. You can apply for a Green Card while on it, and your spouse can work.
Attorney-led petitions, prepared with the Law Offices of Jacob Sapochnick.
Intracompany transfer
Move within your own company group
1 year abroad
With your company, in the last 3 years
Up to 7 years
3 years to start, then extensions
Spouse can work
L-2 spouses are work-authorized
General information about L-1A eligibility; not legal advice.
NoH-1B lottery
2,000+cases prepared
100+countries
★ 5.0on Google
80%come by referral
Since 2016in practice
NoH-1B lottery
2,000+cases prepared
100+countries
★ 5.0on Google
80%come by referral
Since 2016in practice
Why the L-1A
A visa that grows with your company.
Open a U.S. office
Use the L-1A to launch a new U.S. branch, with a first year to get it running.
Your family comes too
Your spouse can work for any employer, and children under 21 can live and study in the U.S.
Who qualifies
You may already qualify.
The L-1A rewards leadership inside a company group. What matters most is how your role and the link between the two businesses are documented.
Many people assume the L-1A is only for large multinationals. In reality, founders and small companies opening their first U.S. office may already qualify.
Executives and senior leaders
Department and function managers
Founders expanding a company to the U.S.
Companies opening a U.S. office
Multinationals relocating leadership
Managers on a path to a Green Card
Free call · No commitment
Is the L-1A a good fit for you?
Let's talk it through.
We walk you through the requirements and answer your questions. If it looks like a good match, we connect you with an immigration attorney.
Prefer writing? Send us an email
Is it a fit?
Thinking about the L-1A visa?
May be a good fit if...
- You have worked at least one year abroad with the company in the last three years, ideally as a manager or executive.
- The U.S. and foreign businesses are related, as parent, branch, subsidiary, or affiliate.
- You will manage people, or run a key function, in the U.S.
- You want to skip the H-1B lottery.
- You see the L-1A as a step toward a Green Card through EB-1C.
May not be a good fit if...
- You have not spent a qualifying year abroad with the company.
- Your role is hands-on specialist work rather than management; the L-1B may fit better.
- There is no real ownership link between the two businesses.
- You need permanent residence right away rather than a transfer visa.
How USCIS evaluates it
Six requirements, judged together.
The L-1A turns on a real link between the two businesses and a role that is truly managerial or executive. It works whether the U.S. office is already running or you are opening it. Here is what each requirement tends to look like.
A qualifying company relationship
The two businesses are the same company or related by ownership. For example: a parent, branch, subsidiary, or affiliate.
One year abroad
At least one continuous year with the company outside the U.S. in the last three. For example: full-time work shown through contracts and payroll.
A qualifying role abroad
Your year abroad was in a managerial, executive, or specialized role. For example: leading a team, a department, or the company.
A managerial U.S. role
You come to manage people or a key function, or to direct the business. For example: running the U.S. office or leading a department.
Both businesses are active
Real, ongoing business on both sides. For example: clients, invoices, and payroll, not just a mailing address.
New office readiness
For a new U.S. office only. For example: a signed lease, funding, and a plan showing growth within the first year.
Established office: generally up to three years to start. New office: up to one year to start. Both can be extended up to a seven-year maximum. Most refusals come from a thin company link or a role that looks hands-on, not from the company being small. How each requirement applies is confirmed by the Law Offices of Jacob Sapochnick.
Requirements per INA 101(a)(15)(L) and 8 CFR 214.2(l).
How it goes
From first call to your visa.
Your attorney starts with a strategy, so you both know what your case will be built on: the link between your companies, your year abroad, and your role. From there you get a clear checklist and gather only the documents that matter. No guessing, and no time spent translating or sending papers that won't be used. Once everything is in place, your attorney prepares your petition and files it with USCIS.
Timelines depend on timely document collection. Once your documents are in place, your attorney prepares the petition in about two weeks. USCIS and consulate times are set by the government.
Strategy setting
Your attorney confirms the company relationship, your year abroad, and your role, and maps what a strong L-1A needs.
Documents and evidence
You gather org charts, ownership records, payroll, and for a new office the lease and business plan, guided by the strategy. This is the part that most affects your timeline.
Case preparation
Role descriptions, the legal argument, and petition assembly by your attorney, once your documents are in place.
USCIS review
With premium processing, USCIS takes action on Form I-129 within 15 business days. Premium processing is an optional paid service; without it, standard processing times vary and are typically measured in months.
Visa interview
Once approved, you complete the visa step at a U.S. consulate, or change status if you are already in the U.S. Your attorney prepares you for the appointment.
Common questions
The things people ask most.
The U.S. company and the company abroad must be connected by ownership and control. They can be the same company with a U.S. branch, a parent and its subsidiary, or affiliates owned by the same people in about the same shares.
Both companies must keep doing business for as long as you are on the L-1A, the one abroad included. Clear ownership documents are one of the most important parts of the case.
Yes. You need at least one continuous year of full-time work for the company outside the U.S., within the three years before the petition. The role can be managerial, executive, or based on specialized knowledge.
Short business trips to the U.S. do not break that year, but time spent in the U.S. does not count toward it. For a new U.S. office, your year abroad must be in a managerial or executive role.
Yes. You need secured office space, funding, and a realistic plan for the first year. The first approval is for up to one year.
To extend, you show that the office is up and running, doing real business, and able to support your managerial or executive role.
Yes. Your spouse can work for any U.S. employer. L-2 spouses are work-authorized based on their status, and their I-94 record shows it.
Unmarried children under 21 can live and study in the U.S., but cannot work on their dependent status. You, as the L-1A employee, can only work for the company that filed your petition.
Up to seven years in total. An established office usually starts with up to three years, a new office with up to one year, and extensions are given in steps of up to two years.
Time spent outside the U.S. during that period can often be added back.
It can. The L-1A allows dual intent, so applying for a Green Card does not by itself affect your L-1A status.
Many managers and executives move to a Green Card through EB-1C, which does not need a labor certification. It generally requires that the U.S. company has been doing business for at least one year. Your attorney can map the path.
Free call
Not sure if the
L-1A is right for you?
Tell us about your plans and our team will walk you through your options, so you can see whether the L-1A, or another path, is worth a closer look. If it is, we connect you with the Law Offices of Jacob Sapochnick for a full review, before you commit to anything.
