L-1 Intracompany Transfers
L-1 moves executives, managers and employees with specialized knowledge from a company abroad to a related U.S. operation. The visa turns on two things that are easy to assume and hard to prove: that the two companies are genuinely related in the way the regulations require, and that the employee really worked abroad in a qualifying role for at least one continuous year in the past three.
What we work on
The corporate relationship
Parent, subsidiary, affiliate or branch—shown with ownership records, not just a shared name. We look at who owns what, who controls what, and whether the paperwork on both sides of the ocean says the same thing.
The qualifying year abroad
Payroll, contracts, organization charts and duties that show managerial, executive or specialized-knowledge work. Titles are not enough; a "manager" who mostly performs the work personally is a common denial.
New-office petitions
When the U.S. company is less than a year old, USCIS expects a lease, a business plan, financing and a staffing plan that will support a managerial role within a year. The first approval is for one year, and the extension is where many cases struggle. We plan for the extension at the first filing.
Beyond L-1
L-1A often leads to EB-1C for permanent residence; L-1B does not. We map that path early so the U.S. role is structured with the next petition in mind.
How the case moves forward
Map
Confirm the entities, ownership and the employee's history.
Substantiate
Collect corporate, payroll and role evidence on both sides.
File and renew
Prepare the petition and, for new offices, the extension that follows.
Four elements of our approach; specific service terms are set out in the engagement agreement.
We find the strengths, not just file the materials
We do not write from the folder you send us. We go through your record, ask questions and look for evidence you did not know counted.
Guidance on strengthening your record
Where the record is not yet ready and the plan is realistic, we may advise some clients, at no charge, on how to build it legitimately before filing.
Approve-or-refile option
For eligible clients whose signed engagement agreement includes this option, we will prepare and refile a denied petition without an additional attorney fee, subject to the agreed scope and conditions. Government filing fees and third-party costs are not included unless expressly agreed.
RFE responses included
For full-representation petitions, an RFE response is included when specified in the engagement agreement; stand-alone review services are separate.
Questions we hear often
Practical answers to frequently asked questions. Individual circumstances can affect the best course of action.