L-1A Visa Attorney

The L-1A visa lets a multinational company transfer an executive or manager from a foreign office to a parent, subsidiary, affiliate or branch in the United States, including a brand-new U.S. office. Capitol Law Partners represents companies expanding into the United States and the executives who lead them. We establish the qualifying corporate relationship, document managerial or executive capacity, build the new-office case where needed, and manage extensions, blanket petitions and the transition to an EB-1C green card.

What an L-1A visa attorney does for you

Confirms the qualifying relationship between the foreign and U.S. entities and that both are actively doing business.
Tests the duties abroad and in the United States against the regulatory definitions, and advises when an L-1B, H-1B or E-2 would be stronger.
Prepares the Form I-129 with L supplement, the support letter, organizational charts and corporate exhibits.
Builds new-office petitions, including premises, business plan and staffing projections.
Advises on blanket L petitions for companies with frequent transfers.
Handles extensions, amendments, L-2 dependents and consular interviews, and responds to Requests for Evidence.
Plans the EB-1C green card so the L-1A timeline and the immigrant petition fit together.

Who qualifies for an L-1A visa

Qualifying organization

The U.S. petitioner must be a parent, subsidiary, affiliate or branch of the company that employed the transferee abroad. Common ownership and control is the test, and both entities must be doing business, meaning the regular, systematic and continuous provision of goods or services, for the entire period of the transfer.

One continuous year abroad in the last three

The employee must have worked for the foreign qualifying entity for at least one continuous year within the three years immediately before the petition is filed, in a managerial, executive or specialized knowledge capacity. Time spent in the United States working for the same group does not count toward the year, but it does not break the three-year window either.

Managerial or executive capacity

A manager directs the organization, a department or an essential function, supervises and controls other supervisory, professional or managerial employees or manages a function at a senior level, has authority over hiring, firing and personnel actions, and exercises discretion over day-to-day operations. A first-line supervisor of non-professional staff is not a manager for L-1A purposes. An executive directs the management of the organization or a major component, sets goals and policies, has wide latitude in discretionary decision-making and receives only general supervision from higher executives, a board or shareholders. Both the past role abroad and the intended U.S. role must meet one of these definitions.

New-office L-1A

If the U.S. entity has been doing business for less than one year, the petition is a new-office case. The company must show that it has secured sufficient physical premises, that the transferee has worked for one year abroad in an executive or managerial role, and that the U.S. operation will support an executive or managerial position within one year, backed by a business plan and evidence of the foreign company's financial ability. A new-office L-1A is approved for one year; the extension must show that the business is operating and that the transferee is genuinely managing it.

Validity, extensions and the seven-year maximum

Established-office petitions can be approved for up to three years, with extensions in two-year increments to a total of seven years in L-1A status. Time spent in H status counts against the limit, and time spent outside the United States can be recaptured. After seven years, the transferee must generally spend one year abroad before qualifying again, unless the employment in the United States was intermittent or for less than six months a year. L-1 is a dual-intent category, so pursuing a green card does not undermine the visa.

Blanket L petitions

Companies that meet size and activity thresholds and have three or more branches, subsidiaries or affiliates can obtain an approved blanket L petition. Individual transferees then apply at a consulate with Form I-129S, without a separate USCIS filing for each person, which shortens the timeline for frequent transfers.

Path to the EB-1C green card

The EB-1C multinational manager or executive category mirrors the L-1A requirements and does not require a labor certification. The U.S. company must have been doing business for at least one year, and the employee must have worked abroad for the group for one of the three years before entering the United States. We plan the EB-1C from the start so the record built for the L-1A supports the green card.

Process and timeline

Assessment of the corporate structure, the employee's history and the U.S. role.
Corporate preparation. Formation of the U.S. entity if needed, lease, bank account, ownership documents and business plan.
Petition filing. Form I-129 with USCIS. Premium processing commits USCIS to act on an I-129 petition within 15 business days; standard processing times vary.
Visa issuance or change of status. Transferees abroad attend a consular interview; those already in the United States in another status may change status.
Extension. One year after a new-office approval, or at the end of the initial period for established offices, with updated corporate and staffing evidence.

Evidence and documents

Articles, share registers, stock certificates and ownership charts for both entities.
Tax filings, financial statements, bank records, contracts and invoices showing both entities doing business.
Organizational charts before and after the transfer, with names, titles and reporting lines.
A detailed description of the duties abroad and in the United States, with the percentage of time spent on each.
Payroll records and employment letters confirming the one year abroad.
For new offices: lease, business plan, hiring plan, evidence of funding, and the foreign company's financials.

Common problems

Most L-1A Requests for Evidence and denials come from a handful of issues: a role described in generic terms that reads as hands-on work rather than management, a small U.S. staff that makes USCIS doubt the position is primarily managerial, an ownership chain that is not fully documented, a new-office business plan without a realistic staffing path, or a miscount of the one year abroad. At consulates, cases can be delayed under section 221(g) for verification, and blanket L applicants, whose eligibility is decided by the consular officer, can be refused if the role is not clearly explained. We draft to the regulatory definitions, quantify duties, and build the record so that the manager's role is evident on paper.

Why Capitol Law Partners

We work with companies from Turkey, Europe, Latin America and elsewhere that are opening or growing a U.S. presence, and we handle both the immigration and business side: entity formation and structuring, L-1B specialized knowledge transfers, E-2 investor visas where the treaty applies, and ongoing business immigration programs.

Cagatay Ersoy, founder and managing partner of Capitol Law Partners, is a graduate of Columbia Law School and focuses on employment-based immigration, including L-1, E-2, H-1B, EB-1C and EB-2 NIW matters, alongside business and trademark law. Our attorneys and staff work in English, Turkish, Spanish, Portuguese and French. We represent multinational employers from our offices in Washington, DC, Northern Virginia and New York, with an Istanbul office supporting companies expanding from Turkey.

Learn more about the L-1A visa

Start your L-1A case

Send us a description of your corporate structure, the executive or manager you plan to transfer, and your plans for the U.S. operation. We will tell you whether the L-1A fits, what the petition needs and how long it should take. Schedule a consultation or call +1 (202) 440-2272.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a new company with no U.S. office use the L-1A?

Yes, through a new-office L-1A petition. The foreign company must show it has secured physical premises in the United States, that the transferee served for at least one year abroad in an executive or managerial role, and that the U.S. operation will grow to support a managerial or executive position within a year. The initial approval is for one year, and the extension depends on showing real operations and staffing.

What counts as a qualifying relationship between the two companies?

The U.S. entity must be a parent, subsidiary, affiliate or branch of the foreign employer. Subsidiaries and affiliates are defined by ownership and control, for example a company owned and controlled by the same parent, or by the same group of individuals in roughly the same proportions. Franchise, licensing or contractual relationships alone do not qualify. We document the chain of ownership with share registers, articles and financial records.

Do I have to supervise employees to qualify as a manager?

Not necessarily. The regulations recognize a function manager who manages an essential function at a senior level without directly supervising staff, as long as the role is primarily managerial and the person exercises discretion. In practice, USCIS looks hard at these cases, so the function, its importance and the day-to-day duties must be documented in detail. Managers who do supervise must oversee professional, supervisory or managerial employees rather than non-professional staff.

How long can I stay in the United States in L-1A status?

The maximum is seven years. Established-office petitions are approved for up to three years initially, new-office petitions for one year, and extensions are granted in two-year increments. Time spent in H-1B status counts toward the seven years, while time spent outside the United States can be recaptured. L-1 is a dual-intent category, so you can pursue the EB-1C or another green card while in L-1A status without jeopardizing it.

Can my spouse work on an L-2 visa?

Yes. L-2 spouses are employment authorized incident to status and may work for any employer without first obtaining a separate work permit, provided their admission record carries the L-2S annotation. Unmarried children under 21 hold L-2 status, may attend school and cannot work. Dependents can change or extend status alongside the principal transferee, and their status ends when the L-1A ends.

What is a blanket L petition and does my company qualify?

A blanket L petition is a USCIS approval covering a group of related companies so that individual transferees can apply directly at a consulate with Form I-129S rather than through separate petitions. The group must be engaged in commercial trade or services, have a U.S. office that has operated for at least one year, have three or more related entities, and meet a threshold based on recent L approvals, combined U.S. sales or U.S. workforce size.

How does the L-1A lead to the EB-1C green card?

The EB-1C multinational manager or executive category uses requirements that closely track the L-1A: a qualifying relationship, one year of managerial or executive employment abroad in the three years before entering the United States, and a managerial or executive position in the U.S. company. No labor certification is required. The U.S. company must have been doing business for at least one year, so new-office transferees typically file the I-140 after the first L-1A extension.

What is the difference between the L-1A and the L-1B?

The L-1A is for executives and managers and allows up to seven years. The L-1B is for employees with specialized knowledge of the company's products, processes or procedures and allows up to five years. The L-1B does not lead to the EB-1C, so specialized knowledge employees usually move to a green card through PERM-based EB-2 or EB-3. Choosing the right category at the start avoids a wasted petition.

Drop us a message today!

L-1A Visa Attorney: Intracompany Transferee Lawyers