L-1 Visa 2026: L-1A and L-1B Intracompany Transfers, Fees and the EB-1C Green Card

If you have worked for a multinational company abroad for at least one continuous year in the last three, that company can transfer you to its US office on an L-1 visa. There is no lottery, no annual cap and no minimum salary set by law. Your spouse can work in the US from day one.

For managers at a company in Lagos, Bengaluru, Manila or São Paulo with a US branch, that makes the L-1 one of the most practical US work routes. The L-1A version for managers and executives also leads to one of the fastest employment green cards, EB-1C, which needs no labor certification.

The trade-off is scrutiny. USCIS and consular officers look hard at whether you are truly a manager, whether your "specialized knowledge" is really special, and whether a new US office is a real business. This guide covers the rules, costs and the common reasons L-1 cases fail.

In this guide

1. L-1 Visa at a Glance
2. L-1A vs L-1B
3. Who Qualifies
4. New Office L-1 Petitions
5. Blanket L Petitions
6. Costs and Fees
7. How to Apply: Step by Step
8. Family: L-2 Spouses and Children
9. The EB-1C Green Card Path
10. Common Refusal Reasons
11. Frequently Asked Questions
12. Before You Apply

L-1 Visa at a Glance

L-1A vs L-1B

Who Qualifies

The company relationship

The US employer and the foreign employer must be related as a parent, branch, subsidiary or affiliate. The company must be doing business, meaning regularly providing goods or services, in the US and in at least one other country for the whole time you are in L-1 status. A dormant office or a mailbox doesn't count.

Your work history

You must have worked full time for the qualifying foreign company for one continuous year within the three years before the petition. Short business trips to the US don't break the year, but time spent in the US doesn't count toward it.

L-1A: managers and executives

You must be coming to work in a managerial or executive role, and your year abroad must have been in a managerial, executive or specialized-knowledge role.

• People managers supervise other professionals or managers, and have authority to hire, fire or recommend those actions.
• Function managers manage an essential function of the organization, such as a product line, without necessarily supervising a large team. These cases need especially clear evidence.
• Executives direct the organization or a major part of it, set goals and policy, and answer mainly to top executives or a board.

L-1B: specialized knowledge

Specialized knowledge means special knowledge of the company's products, services, research, equipment, techniques or management, or an advanced level of knowledge of its processes. It must be distinct or uncommon compared with what other workers in the industry know. General technical skill that many people have, such as standard programming, is not enough on its own.

New Office L-1 Petitions

A company opening its first US office can bring a manager or specialist on a new office L-1. The initial approval is only one year. The company must show:

• It has secured physical premises for the US office
• The transferee meets the one-year abroad rule
• For L-1A, the office will support a genuine managerial or executive role within one year
• The size of the investment, the business plan and the financial ability to pay the transferee and start operations

The extension after year one is where many new office cases fail. USCIS wants evidence that the US office is actually operating, with staff, revenue and a structure that lets the L-1A holder manage rather than do day-to-day work.

Blanket L Petitions

Large companies can get a blanket L approval, which lets their employees apply for L-1 visas directly at a US consulate without a separate USCIS petition each time. The company generally needs a US office doing business for at least a year, three or more domestic and foreign branches, subsidiaries or affiliates, and either $25 million in US sales, 1,000 US employees or 10 L-1 approvals in the past 12 months. L-1B specialists under a blanket must be "specialized knowledge professionals", which normally means they hold a degree.

Costs and Fees

The petition is the employer's filing, and in practice employers normally pay these fees. Be wary of anyone who asks you to pay a third party for an L-1 "job" at a company you have never worked for. That is not how the L-1 works.

How to Apply: Step by Step

1. Confirm the corporate relationship with documents: ownership records, share certificates, annual reports.
2. Document your year abroad: payslips, tax records, an employment letter, organization charts showing your role.
3. Describe the US job in detail: duties with time percentages, who you supervise, where you sit in the US org chart.
4. File Form I-129 with USCIS, or apply at the consulate if your employer has blanket L approval.
5. After approval, book a visa interview at a US embassy or consulate (Canadians can apply at the border).
6. Enter the US and check your I-94 record is correct.
7. Track your time. Plan extensions early, and start the green card process well before you hit the 5- or 7-year limit.

Documents checklist

• Passport and resume
• Employer letter from the foreign company confirming your role, dates and salary
• Payslips and tax records for the qualifying year
• Foreign and US organization charts
• Evidence of the corporate relationship
• Evidence the US company is doing business: leases, contracts, invoices, bank statements, tax returns
• For new offices: business plan, lease, proof of investment

Family: L-2 Spouses and Children

Your spouse and unmarried children under 21 can join you in L-2 status. Since 2022, L-2 spouses are treated as authorized to work incident to status, and their I-94 record is annotated to show that. Most spouses no longer need to apply for a separate work permit, which makes the L-1 one of the most family-friendly US work visas. Children can attend school but cannot work.

The EB-1C Green Card Path

EB-1C is the green card category for multinational managers and executives. Its big advantage: no PERM labor certification and no test of the US job market. The employer files Form I-140 directly.

To qualify:

• You worked abroad for the related company for at least one year in the three years before entering the US as a nonimmigrant (or before the petition, if you are abroad), in a managerial or executive role
• You are coming to work in a managerial or executive role for the same or a related employer
• The US employer has been doing business for at least one year

EB-1C cases look at managerial capacity even more closely than L-1A cases. Function manager claims and small companies get extra attention.

Visa availability matters. EB-1 has long waits for applicants born in India and China, and shorter or no waits for most other countries. Check the monthly visa bulletin. L-1B holders usually need PERM and an EB-2 or EB-3 petition; our EB-3 sponsorship guide explains that process. Unlike the TN, the L-1 allows dual intent, so a green card case does not undermine your L-1 status.

Common Refusal Reasons

• "Manager" in title only. You supervise no one, or only junior non-professional staff.
• Vague specialized knowledge that sounds like general industry skills.
• Missing or broken qualifying year, for example because part of it was spent in the US or with an unrelated company.
• Weak new office evidence: no real premises, no business plan, too little investment.
• US office not doing business at extension time.
• Inconsistent job descriptions between the petition, the interview and your resume.
• Staffing arrangements where an L-1B worker is placed at a client's site under the client's control, which is restricted.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do I need to work abroad before getting an L-1?

At least one continuous year of full-time work for the related foreign company within the three years before the petition. Time spent working in the US doesn't count toward that year.

Can my spouse work on an L-2 visa?

Yes. L-2 spouses are authorized to work incident to status, shown on their I-94. Children in L-2 status can study but not work.

Can a small company use the L-1?

Yes, including a company opening a new US office. Small and new offices face more scrutiny, so the business plan, premises and evidence of real operations need to be strong.

What happens when I reach the L-1 time limit?

You must leave the US and spend at least one year outside the country before you can qualify for a new L or H status, unless you have changed to another status or obtained a green card. Plan the green card process early.

Is EB-1C faster than other green cards?

Often yes, because it skips PERM labor certification. But visa bulletin waits for applicants born in India and China can still be long, and USCIS scrutiny is heavy.

Can Canadians apply for L-1 at the border?

Yes. Canadian citizens can present an L-1 petition at a port of entry or preclearance station, similar to the TN process. See our TN visa guide for how border applications work.

Before You Apply

• Check that your work history meets the one-continuous-year rule and gather proof now.
• Ask your employer for accurate organization charts and a detailed US job description.
• Read the official USCIS pages for L-1A managers and executives and L-1B specialized knowledge.
• If you lack the corporate link, compare options such as the O-1 visa.