What is the L-1 Visa? Eligibility to obtain L1 Visa?
🔹 What is the L-1 Visa?
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For intra-company transfers: lets multinational companies move employees from their overseas offices to their U.S. branches.
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Two main types:
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L-1A: For executives & managers.
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L-1B: For employees with specialized knowledge.
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🔹 L-1 Eligibility
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Must have worked at least 1 continuous year for the company outside the U.S. in the last 3 years.
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Must be transferring to the same company’s U.S. entity (parent, branch, subsidiary, or affiliate).
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For L-1A: Must be in a managerial/executive role.
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For L-1B: Must have specialized company-specific knowledge.
🔹 Duration
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L-1A: Initially 1–3 years, can extend up to 7 years max.
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L-1B: Initially 1–3 years, can extend up to 5 years max.
🔹 L-1 → Green Card
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L-1A is highly valuable because it can transition into EB-1C (Multinational Manager/Executive Green Card).
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No labor certification (PERM) required.
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Much faster than EB-2/3 routes.
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For India, still some backlog but far shorter than EB-2/3.
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L-1B holders usually must go through EB-2/3 (long wait if Indian/Chinese).
🔹 Advantages of L-1
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No annual lottery (unlike H-1B).
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Dual intent (you can apply for green card while on L-1).
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Allows spouse (L-2) to work in the U.S. with EAD.
🔹 Challenges
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Must be employed at a multinational with U.S. presence.
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USCIS is strict in reviewing "manager/executive" roles for L-1A.
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Small or new U.S. offices get more scrutiny.
📌 Timeline Example (L-1A → EB-1C)
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Work abroad 1 year → Transfer on L-1A → U.S. green card via EB-1C.
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Green card (if not backlogged): 2–3 years.
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For Indians: ~4–6 years due to EB-1 backlog (still way faster than 15–20 years in EB-2/3).
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Citizenship: +5 years.
👉 So if you start on L-1A and transition to EB-1C, total time to U.S. citizenship could be 7–10 years, even for Indians.
✅ L-1 is best suited if:
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You already work for a multinational company outside the U.S. and want a transfer.
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You’re a manager/executive (L-1A) and want a faster green card path (EB-1C).
