Facts about L-1 Work Visas
There are many ways to get into the United States. Because of the many opportunities the country presents, people can apply to various types of visas in order to visit, work, or even become a resident of the United States of America. One such visa is the L-1 visa, which is a working visa and is a non-migrant visa. It is only valid for a short amount o time, depending on the reciprocity schedule of the country of origin of the applicant. According to AmLaw Global the maximum amount of years allowed for an L-1 visa is seven years.
Just as with any visa application, those who wish to avail of the L-1 visa should first check whether they are qualified or not. The L-1 visa is only available for employees of companies that are operating in both the US and abroad, with the employee having worked with the subsidiary, affiliate, parent, or branch office of the US company for at least a year within the last three years. There are generally two types of L-1 visas that are available for employees, the L-1A for managers or executives and the L-1B for specialized-knowledge staff.
The L-1A visa is available for those who hold executive and management positions. Legal definition of these positions can be very strict for purpose of L-1A visa. A detailed description of the duties of the management and executive positions is often required, specifically asking the executive or manager to hold supervisory responsibility for a professional staff or the company’s key function, subdivision or department. These are the only people who are qualified for an L-1A visa good for three years but can be extended two more years for a maximum of seven years. For the L-1B, those who are qualified should have knowledge of company products and services, systems, management, research, procedures, and proprietary techniques. Those who are given L-1B visas can extend their stay until 5 years only. In order to qualify again for an L-1 visa, the employee should be employed 1 year outside the United States.