How to Get an L-1 Visa in the US and an L-2 Visa for Your Family

An L-1 visa lets an international company transfer an executive or a specialized-knowledge employee to its US office, and the L-2 visa brings the spouse and children along. The main filter is one year of work at the group's foreign company within the last three years. Without it, no L-1, no matter how the US company is set up. Below: requirements for the employee and the company, the difference between L-1A and L-1B, opening a new office, fees and timelines, work rights for an L-2 spouse, and why petitions get denied.

What Are L-1 and L-2 Visas

L-1 is a work visa for transferring an employee within an international group of companies. The employee moves from a company outside the US to the parent, subsidiary, affiliate, or branch of the same group inside the US. The business has to keep operating in the US and in at least one other country for as long as the employee holds L-1 status.

There are two categories. L-1A is for executives and managers, L-1B is for employees with specialized knowledge. With L-1A, the employer can later file an EB-1C green card petition for the executive without PERM labor certification.

L-2 goes to the spouse and unmarried children under 21. Their authorized stay matches the L-1 holder's and is set by the date on their I-94, not by the visa stamp in the passport. An L-2 spouse can work for any employer without a separate permit.

L-1 is a nonimmigrant category with dual intent. The consul won't ask you to prove ties to your home country, and filing for a green card doesn't cost you L status. For a broader comparison, see our overview of 6 legal ways to move to the US.

Who Qualifies for an L-1 - Requirements for the Employee and the Company

L-1 fits a business that already operates outside the US and is opening or growing a company here. The employee needs one year at the group's foreign company in a managerial role or a specialized-knowledge role. The US position doesn't have to match the old one. The exception is L-1A for a new office, where that one year abroad has to be in a managerial role specifically.

The foreign company has to run a real business, with employees and revenue. If there's no such company, or it exists only on paper, L-1 won't work. Citizens of treaty countries such as Turkey or Poland might look at the E-2 investor visa instead.

How the Year of Work Abroad Is Counted

You need one continuous year of full-time work within the last three years. A few things matter when counting it:

• the year is counted as of the date the first petition is filed;
• the work has to be full-time;
• time spent working in the US during that year doesn't count;
• short trips to the US on B-1/B-2 don't break the streak, but those days get subtracted.

Without that year at a group company, L-1 isn't going to work. Look instead at the O-1 talent visa or the EB-1A green card, which weigh professional achievements and don't require company tenure.

Corporate Relationship and Transferring a Business Owner

The foreign company and the US company must be linked in one of these ways:

• parent and subsidiary;
• branches of the same company;
• affiliates owned and controlled by the same person or group of people in roughly equal shares.

Saying the companies are part of one group doesn't prove anything on its own. USCIS looks at both the ownership share and who actually controls the business.

A business owner can transfer themselves on an L-1 too. The petition then comes from a separate company, even a single-owner one, because a sole proprietorship can't petition for its own owner. An owner or a major shareholder also has to show that the US assignment is temporary and that they'll return to the position abroad afterward.

L-1A and L-1B Categories - What's the Difference

The category depends on actual duties, not the job title. Officers look at the work abroad and at what the person will do in the US.

L-1A - Executive or Manager

L-1A is for people who mostly manage. If the job description is full of day-to-day operational tasks, USCIS will see a doer with a fancy title, not an executive. For L-1A, you show that the employee:

• manages the company, a division, or a key function;
• makes strategic decisions;
• hires and fires, or influences personnel decisions.

Direct reports aren't always required. A function manager qualifies for L-1A without them, as long as they manage the function rather than perform it themselves. A first-line supervisor counts as a manager only if the people reporting to them are professionals.

L-1B - Specialized Knowledge

L-1B is for employees with advanced knowledge of this specific company's products, technology, or internal processes. The knowledge doesn't have to be unique or secret. You need to show it isn't common across the industry, and that handing it to someone else would take a long time or a lot of money.

There's no US labor market test for L-1B. You don't have to prove there's no qualified specialist in America, not for a standard petition and not for a new office.

There's a limit for IT outsourcing. L-1B isn't granted if the employee will mostly work at a third-party client's site and take direction from that client, or effectively gets leased out as staff. For an IT specialist at an international company, L-1B is one option among several covered in our guide to relocating to the US for IT professionals.

L-1 for Opening a New Office in the US

If the US company is just starting out, the bar is higher. USCIS weighs the track record abroad against whether the US operation will actually get off the ground. A new-office petition gets approved for one year at most. The filing shows:

• secured US premises, leased or owned;
• the office's scale, structure, and financial goals;
• the size of the investment and the foreign company's ability to pay the employee;
• the structure of the foreign company.

The regulation never uses the words "business plan," but that's exactly the document that shows all of it.

For L-1A, the office has to be able to support a managerial position within a year of the petition's approval. The company hires people, and the applicant manages them. In this case, the year of work abroad has to be in a managerial role.

For L-1B at a new office, you show the premises, the link between the US and foreign companies, and the money to pay the employee and get started. The year abroad can be in a specialized-knowledge role too.

The extension comes after a year. For that, you show how the company operated during the year, its payroll, staff duties, and financial position.

How to Get an L-1 and L-2 Visa - the Process Step by Step

First, the employer gets the petition approved by USCIS. Then the employee and family get their visas at a consulate, or, if they're already in the US, change status without leaving.

The I-129 Petition

The I-129 petition is filed by the US employer, or by a foreign company that has a US legal entity, no earlier than 6 months before the job starts. The current edition of the form is dated September 9, 2026 (09/09/26 on the form). USCIS still accepts the edition dated February 27, 2026 (02/27/26 on the form) through November 8, 2026; starting November 9, it rejects the old form. The petition needs documents proving the corporate relationship, a letter from the foreign employer with work dates and duties, and a description of the US position.

Blanket L and Form I-129S

Blanket L is for large groups that transfer people regularly. The company gets one blanket petition approved, then prepares Form I-129S for each employee. The employee presents it at the consulate along with a copy of the approval. Blanket conditions:

• the company is engaged in trade or provides services;
• the US office has been operating for at least a year;
• the group has 3 or more branches, subsidiaries, or affiliates in the US and abroad;
• and one of the following - 10 or more approved L petitions in the last 12 months, at least $25 million a year in sales from the US entities, or 1,000 or more employees in the US.

Under blanket L, only specialized knowledge professionals qualify for L-1B. The consul decides independently and denies borderline cases. Moving between companies on the approved list for the same duties doesn't require a new petition.

Consular Stage - DS-160 and the Interview

After the petition is approved, the employee and family members each fill out a DS-160 and schedule an interview. For the consul, an approved petition is only preliminary evidence. If they decide the grounds for L-1 aren't there, they'll refuse under 221(g) and send the petition back to USCIS for review.

Two things changed at this stage in fall 2025:

• starting October 1, 2025, an interview is mandatory for every L-1 and L-2 applicant, including children under 14; there's no interview waiver for L;
• starting July 15, 2026, applicants book their interview in their country of citizenship or residence, or, if that post doesn't issue visas, at a post the State Department designates instead; fees paid for a slot booked elsewhere aren't refunded.

Where you're routed depends on your citizenship, and some applicants are sent to a post outside their home country when the local one doesn't handle these cases. The list of posts changes, so check it before booking. Proclamation 10998, in effect since January 1, 2026, blocks visa issuance, including L, for nationals of a number of countries; check the current list before you apply.

Canadian citizens don't get an L-1 visa. They can file the petition right at the border.

If the Applicant Is Already in the US

You can change status to L-1 without leaving the US if the entry was lawful, there was no unauthorized work, and the I-94 hasn't expired. Those who entered visa-free (Visa Waiver, ESTA) can't change status. The change-of-status request goes into the same I-129 petition, and the family files Form I-539. The US doesn't issue the L-1 visa stamp itself; for travel, you get it at a consulate.

Our lawyer can check the company and the role against these criteria and prepare the I-129 petition; more on the L-1 and L-2 visa service page.

How Much Does L-1 Cost and How Long Does It Take in 2026

The first petition is approved for up to 3 years, or up to 1 year for a new office. After that, extensions come in steps of up to 2 years. The cap is 7 years for L-1A and 5 years for L-1B, and time spent in H and L status counts together. Past the cap, you need a year living outside the US.

If an L-1B employee gets promoted to a managerial role, the 7-year cap kicks in once they've worked in that role for at least 6 months and USCIS has approved it.

There's no way to predict standard USCIS processing time for the petition, and no guaranteed deadline. With premium processing, a decision comes in 15 business days, including for a blanket petition.

USCIS fees per the G-1055 fee schedule, September 9, 2026 edition:

A small employer is a company with up to 25 full-time-equivalent employees in the US, counting affiliates. The $500 fee doesn't apply when switching between L-1A and L-1B. Form I-129S is free at USCIS.

At the consulate, the L visa fee is $205, plus a reciprocity fee if one applies to your citizenship. For blanket L, the consulate also collects $500, and, if the employer meets the conditions below, another $4,500.

The $4,500 fee (the 9-11 Response and Biometric Entry-Exit Fee) applies only to large employers - 50 or more employees in the US, where more than half hold H-1B, L-1A, or L-1B status. Since September 9, 2026, these companies pay it with every L-1 petition, including extensions. Small businesses and new offices usually don't fall under this fee. Attorney fees aren't included in any of these amounts.

L-2 Visa for the Family - Spouse's Work, Children, and Renewals

L-2 goes to the spouse and unmarried children under 21. Visas are issued at the consulate on each person's own DS-160, and L-2 status is granted at entry. If the family travels after the L-1 holder, the consul checks that the holder still maintains status.

Spouse - Work Without a Separate Permit

An L-2 spouse can work for an employer, start a business, or switch jobs without a separate permit. Before November 2021, that required an EAD card. Since November 12, 2021, USCIS treats the spouse as authorized to work based on status alone, and since January 30, 2022, USCIS and CBP issue an I-94 marked L-2S. Employers accept it as proof of work authorization under List C of Form I-9.

An EAD is now optional, filed through Form I-765 under category (a)(18). You attach your own I-94 showing L status, the L-1 spouse's I-94, and the marriage certificate.

Children - School Until 21

L-2 children attend school and college without a student visa, but they can't work. L-2 status ends at 21 or at marriage, whichever comes first, and after that the child needs a status of their own.

Renewal, and What Happens If the L-1 Holder Loses Their Job

The family's status doesn't renew itself. The employer extends L-1 through I-129, while the spouse and children in the US file their own I-539, one for the whole family, and can attach the receipt for the filed I-129. Premium processing doesn't speed up I-539. If the family leaves the US, they come back on an L-2 visa and get a new period tied to the fresh L-1 approval.

For EAD renewal applications filed since October 30, 2025, there's no automatic extension of the card while it's pending, so the old advice to file I-765 early to avoid a work gap no longer holds. The spouse's right to work rests on status, so file the L-1 extension and I-539 well before the date on the I-94. If the I-94 expires before a decision comes on I-539, work out how to prove work authorization with a lawyer before that date.

L-2 depends on the L-1 holder's status and job, not on the visa stamp in the passport - an expired visa stamp doesn't end status. If the L-1 holder loses their job, they and their family generally have up to 60 days to change status or leave. On September 11, 2026, DHS proposed eliminating that 60-day period; so far it's only a proposal.

Documents for L-1 and L-2

Every claim in the petition needs paper behind it. An employer's letter with nothing to back it up doesn't prove much.

Position and Specialized Knowledge of the Employee

For L-1A, you prepare:

• a letter from the foreign employer with work dates and duties;
• an org chart showing reports and their positions;
• the employment contract, appointment order, and pay records;
• a description of the future US position.

For L-1B, the main question is how the employee's knowledge differs from what's standard for the industry. The package includes a description of the company's products, technology, or processes the employee knows, plus proof of it - involvement in key projects, internal training records.

Corporate Relationship and Business Activity

The relationship is documented with:

• the formation documents of both companies;
• stock certificates or ownership records;
• annual reports, financial statements, bank statements;
• for a new office, the lease and the business plan.

Family Documents for L-2

For the spouse and children, you prepare:

• the marriage certificate, and, if either spouse had a previous marriage, proof it ended;
• the children's birth certificates;
• a copy of the petition approval (I-797) and the L-1 holder's I-94.

There's no proof-of-cohabitation requirement on the official lists.

Reasons for RFEs and Denials in L-1

Since August 5, 2026, USCIS can deny a petition outright, without a Request for Evidence (RFE), if mandatory documents are missing from the filing. The RFE response window is now capped at 12 weeks, and a Notice of Intent to Deny (NOID) gets 30 days at most, with the exact deadline printed on the notice itself. USCIS treats any response, even a partial one, as a request to adjudicate, so you get one shot and it has to be complete.

The L-1A Role Doesn't Look Managerial

USCIS checks whether the employee manages or actually does the operational work. If the description is full of day-to-day tasks, expect an RFE or a denial. A detailed org chart, named reports with their titles, and specific decisions the person made themselves all help. For a function manager, you describe the function itself and who inside it does the hands-on work.

L-1B Knowledge Described in General Terms

A "strong Java developer with fintech experience" describes a skill that's common across the industry, and that doesn't qualify for L-1B. You show which of the company's products and internal processes the employee knows, where they learned them, and why handing that knowledge to someone else would take a long time or a lot of money.

Corporate Relationship Isn't Documented

Mistakes in the ownership structure and unclear ownership are a common cause of RFEs, and now, without the mandatory documents, a straight denial is possible too. You trace the ownership chain down to the ultimate owners, with percentages and who actually controls both companies.

New Office Without a Convincing Plan

A boilerplate business plan and unconvincing numbers are grounds for denial. The plan needs hiring by position, a source of funds, and a clear logic for how the office will be able to support a manager within a year.

Tenure and Inconsistencies Across Documents

The year of employment is proven with the contract, appointment orders, and payroll records. Mismatched dates, titles, or ownership shares across the I-129, the corporate documents, and the employer's letter trigger extra scrutiny, including at the consulate, so everything gets cross-checked before filing.

After Entry - L-1 Status, Extensions, and the EB-1C Green Card

The visa stamp gets you in. How long you can stay and work in the US is set by the status the CBP officer grants at the border, with a period noted on the I-94. That period can't run past the petition's expiration.

Keeping L-1 Status

To keep your status, you need to:

• work for the company named in the petition, in the stated position;
• not move to another employer without a new petition (under blanket, you can move between companies on the approved list);
• maintain the corporate relationship;
• file the extension through I-129 ahead of the date on the I-94.

Significant changes to the position or to the company's structure can require a new petition.

Green Card Through EB-1C

Filing for a green card doesn't stop you from extending L-1 or entering on it. EB-1C is the closest fit for executives and managers. The I-140 petition is filed by the US employer, who has to have been doing business in the US for at least a year; no PERM labor certification is required. The employee needs one year abroad in an executive role within 3 years of the petition, or, if they're already working in the US for the group, within 3 years of their last entry.

An approved L-1A doesn't guarantee EB-1C approval. Premium processing for I-140 costs the same $2,965, but the decision takes 45 business days. For L-1B, the path to a green card usually runs through EB-2 or EB-3 instead. More on the petition for an international company executive on our EB-1 visa page.

Start with two checks. Does the employee have a continuous year at the group's foreign company, and is the corporate relationship backed by documents on ownership and control? If both hold up, the real work from there is describing the position and the business precisely in I-129.