L-1A visa
L-1A visa: move to your company’s US office as a manager or executive
L-1A lets a company move a manager or executive from an office abroad to a related US office. It can also set up a later EB-1C green card.
Last checked October 2026 · Sources
- Time abroad
- 1 continuous year in last 3
- First stay
- 3 years (1 for a new office)
- Longest total stay
- 7 years
- Legal fee
- Quoted on request
Quick answer
What is the L-1A visa?
L-1A is a work visa for managers and executives moving to a related US office. You need one continuous year of work for the company group abroad in the last three years. The first stay is up to 3 years, or 1 year for a new office. Extensions come 2 years at a time, up to 7 years in total.
- The US and foreign companies must be parent, branch, subsidiary or affiliate.
- Both must keep doing business, in the US and at least one other country.
- Your spouse in L-2S status can work.
- L-1A managers and executives may later fit EB-1C, a green card.
The rules
Who qualifies for L-1A?
Every item must be true. These come from 8 CFR 214.2(l) and the USCIS L-1A page.
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A qualifying relationship
The US employer and the company abroad are a parent, branch, subsidiary or affiliate of each other. Ownership and control decide this.
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Real business in both places
The group must provide goods or services in a regular, ongoing way in the US and in at least one other country for your whole stay. An agent or empty office does not count.
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One continuous year abroad
You worked full time for the group abroad for one continuous year within the three years before filing. Short business or holiday trips to the US do not break that year, but they do not count toward it.
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A manager or executive role in the US
A manager mainly manages a team, department or key function and has real authority over people or the function. An executive mainly directs the organization or a major part of it and sets its goals. Supervising only non-professional staff is not enough by itself.
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Your background fits the job
Your year abroad was managerial, executive or specialized knowledge work. The US job does not have to be the same work.
Special cases
New office, blanket L and Canadians
These rules change the evidence and the filing route.
| Case | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| New US office (doing business under 1 year) | Show secured office space. Your year abroad must have been managerial or executive. Show the office will support a manager or executive role within one year. First approval is up to 1 year. To extend, show a year of real business, staffing and finances. | 8 CFR 214.2(l)(3)(v), (l)(7), (l)(14)(ii) |
| Blanket L petition | Large groups get one approval for their related companies. They need a US office doing business for 1 year and 3 or more related offices. They also need one of these: approvals for 10 L workers in the past 12 months, $25 million in combined US sales, or 1,000 US workers. You then take Form I-129S to a consulate within 6 months of its date. | 8 CFR 214.2(l)(4), (l)(5) |
| Canadian citizens | The employer can file an individual L petition with you at a Class A port on the US-Canada land border or at a US preclearance station in Canada. | 8 CFR 214.2(l)(17) |
The process
How an L-1A case goes
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Attorney review
A partner-firm attorney checks the company link, your year abroad and whether the US role is truly managerial or executive.
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The employer files Form I-129
The US company files with USCIS. Under an approved blanket petition, you may go straight to the consulate with Form I-129S.
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USCIS decides
15 business days with premiumPremium processing is available. USCIS then acts within 15 business days. Acting can mean an approval, a denial or a request for more evidence.
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Visa and entry
If you are outside the US, you get an L-1 visa at a US consulate, then travel. Family apply for L-2.
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Extend on time
The employer files to extend before your stay ends, up to 2 years at a time.
What it costs
L-1A fees as of October 2026
USCIS fees from Form G-1055, edition 10/01/26. The employer usually pays them.
| Fee | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Form I-129 (L) | $1,385 | $695 for small employers and nonprofits. |
| Asylum Program Fee | $600 | $300 for small employers. $0 for nonprofits. |
| Fraud Prevention and Detection Fee | $500 | For a first L approval, a new employer, or a blanket L worker moving to a different entity. |
| Pub. L. 114-113 fee (9-11 Biometric Fee) | $4,500 | Only for employers with 50 or more US workers where more than half are in H-1B or L-1 status. Applies to petitions filed on or before Sept. 30, 2027. |
| Premium processing (optional) | $2,965 | USCIS acts within 15 business days. |
| Our legal fee | Quoted on request | Flat fee, set before you sign. Handled by partner-firm attorneys. |
Sources: USCIS Form G-1055 and the premium processing page. State Department visa fees are separate. For regular processing times, check USCIS processing times.
Green card
From L-1A to a green card through EB-1C
L-1A and EB-1C use similar ideas: a related company, a year abroad and a manager or executive role. EB-1C is a separate filing on Form I-140.
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Dual intent is allowed
L-1 is a dual intent visa. You can hold L-1 status and seek a green card at the same time, as long as you plan to leave if your stay ends (8 CFR 214.2(l)(16)).
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Your year abroad can still count
If you are in the US working for the same group, EB-1C looks at the three years before you entered as a nonimmigrant (8 CFR 204.5(j)(3)).
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The US employer needs a track record
For EB-1C, the US employer must have been doing business for at least one year. See our EB-1C page.
FAQ
Questions people ask
Up to 7 years in total. The first stay is up to 3 years, or 1 year for a new office, then extensions of up to 2 years each.
You cannot be readmitted in L or H status until you have lived outside the US for one year. Time in H status counts toward the 7 years. Seasonal or intermittent work, or 6 months a year or less, is an exception (8 CFR 214.2(l)(12)).
Yes. USCIS treats spouses in valid L-2S status as allowed to work because of that status. A work permit is optional. This rule covers spouses, not children.
Yes, under the new office rules, if it is related to a company abroad that employs you. The first approval is only 1 year, and the extension must show real business and staff.
One common route is EB-1C, a green card for multinational managers and executives. A partner-firm attorney checks whether your role and company fit.
You may have up to 60 days in a row, or until your stay ends if sooner, once per approved stay (8 CFR 214.1(l)(2)). You cannot work in that time unless something else allows it.
Plan the transfer and the green card together
A partner-firm attorney checks the company link, your role and your EB-1C timing before anything is filed. Green Card Guide is not a law firm, and no one can promise approval.
Sources · checked October 2026
- USCIS: L-1A Intracompany Transferee Executive or Manager (updated 08/31/2026)
- eCFR: 8 CFR 214.2(l) Intracompany transferees
- eCFR: 8 CFR 214.1(l) Period of stay and 60-day grace period
- eCFR: 8 CFR 204.5(j) Multinational executives and managers
- 8 U.S.C. 1184(c)(2)(D) and (E) (Cornell LII)
- USCIS Form G-1055 Fee Schedule, edition 10/01/26 (PDF)
- USCIS: How Do I Request Premium Processing? (updated 03/23/2026)
This page is general information, not legal advice. Rules and fees change; a partner-firm attorney confirms what applies to you before anything is filed.
