L1 Visas | Rothrock Immigration Lawyer – Naples, Boca Raton, Miami

Florida immigration attorney Carl Rothrock files L1 Visa Applications.

L1 visas allow foreign companies to transfer their executives to the U.S. to work. Florida immigration lawyer Carl Rothrock has filed numerous L1 petitions. The L1 visa allows both large and small companies to expand their business and services to the United States.  The Rothrock Law Firm has successfully filed several L1A and L1B petitions. To schedule a consult today, please call our office.

L1 Visas for Intracompany Transferee Executives or Managers

• • L1(a) visas allow a manager or executive of a foreign company to work in the United States.
  • The foreign company must have employed the L1A visa holder in an executive or managerial capacity continuously at least one year out of the past three years in the foreign country.
  • The maximum length of the L1A visa is seven years. The government grants the initial L1A visa for one year and then renews it in three year increments if a manager is starting up a new company.  If the company already exists, the government will grant the initial visa up to three years.
  • The L1A visa is flexible. The holder may travel back and forth between his or her home country and the United States. Unlike other types of visas, the holder is not required to live in the United States.
  • The L1 visa holder’s spouse and children under 21 may also accompany the visa holder. The children may attend school, and the spouse may work.
  • The L1A holder can apply for an EB1C green card after running the business for one year. The spouse and children can also get green cards.

L1 Visas for Intracompany Transferees Requiring Specialized Knowledge

• L1B visas allow professional employees with specialized knowledge to work in the U.S.
• The government issues the L1B visa for a maximum of five years. Usually, the initial L1B visa is issued for one to two years, and the extensions are issued in two year increments.
• The L1 visa holder’s spouse and children may accompany the visa holder to the U.S. The children can attend public school, and the spouse can work.
• The L1B visa is flexible. The holder may travel back and forth between his or her home country and the United States.
• If the L1B visa holder wishes to apply for a green card, he or she may apply for an EB2 or EB3 green card. This process requires labor certification.

Blanket L Visas

• The “L1 Blanket Petition Program” allows large multi-national companies to transfer several employees at the same time.
• The initial blanket L petition is good for 3 years. The petitioner can file for an extension up to seven years. The L1A or B employee can then get initial entry for up to 3 years.
• A company can file a blanket petition to bring in several employees at one time rather than individual employees one at a time. The employees must be L1A executives or managers or L1B specialized employees.

Criteria for Blanket L Petition:

In order to establish eligibility for blanket L certification, the employer must prove the following:

• Each qualifying organization of the company must be engaged in a commercial trade or services.
• The company must already have an office in the United States that has been operating for at least one year.
• The company must have at least three domestic and/or foreign branches, affiliates, or subsidiaries.
• In addition, the company must meet one of the following three conditions:
  1. The company must have obtained a minimum of 10 L-1 approvals in the 12-month period prior to filing a blanket petition or
  2. The company and its branches, subsidiaries, or affiliates must have combined annual sales of at least $25 million dollars or
  3. The company has a workforce in the United States of at least 1,000 employees.