L-1A Visa

What is L-1A Visa?

If you HAVE a US office for your company

The L-1A dual immigrant visa enables a U.S. employer to transfer an owner, executive or manager from one of its affiliated foreign offices to one of its offices in the United States. Dual Intent means that you come as a non-immigrant and then can apply for immigration if you are successful as an executive in the USA.

After the first year you can apply for a Legal Permanent Residence (EB1C Green Card) If you have DO NOT HAVE US Office for your company

If a foreign company does not yet have a U.S. office you can send an owner, executive or manager to the United States with the purpose of opening a new office.

The Employer must be a branch office of the foreign company The Employee must:

Generally have been working for a qualifying organisation abroad for one continuous year within the three years immediately preceding his or her admission to the United States; and
Be seeking to enter the United States to provide service in an executive or managerial capacity for a branch of the same employer. Executive capacity generally refers to the employee’s ability to make decisions of wide latitude without much oversight.

Establishing a New Office

For foreign employers seeking to send an employee to the United States as an executive or manager to establish a new office, the employer must also show that:

The employer has secured sufficient physical premises to house the new office;
The employee has been employed as an executive or manager for one continuous year in the three years preceding the filing of the petition; and
The intended U.S. office will support an executive or managerial position within one year of the approval of the petition. We recommend creating at least 5-7 US based jobs.

Period of Stay

Qualified employees entering the United States to establish a new office will be allowed a maximum initial stay of one year. This can be renewed for a total of 7 years.
All other qualified employees will be allowed a maximum initial stay of three years. This can be renewed for a total of 7 years.

Family of L-1 Workers

The transferring employee may be accompanied or followed by his or her spouse and unmarried children who are under 21 years of age.
Spouses of L-1 workers may apply for work authorisation. If approved, there is no specific restriction as to where the L-2 spouse may work.

Eligibility for Legal Permanent Residence. (Green Card)

If you are able to sustain and maintain consistent profits and employment levels of 5-8 employees you can apply for Legal Permanent Residence (Green Card) after your first year.

Steps

Establish a US Office owned at least 51% by the foreign entity. (We can help)
Lease an Office. (We can help)
Draft a Business Plan of what business you will be conducting in the United States. The business can be very different from your native country as long as the ownership is same. (We can help)
Transfer at least $25,000 as working capital for the new enterprise.
Apply for L1A. If you pay an extra $2,500 to the US government you get a decision in 15 days or less. (We can help)
You can go to the embassy to get your visa or if already in the United States do a change of status.