L1 Visa
L1 is a visa which establishes a certain non-immigrant work status for foreign workers to enter the United States of America legally. It is granted to the employee of a company which has either a sister, parent or child company in the United States of America. The L1 visa applicant should have worked at least for one year with this foreign company. The L1 visa holder can work in the US without any restrictions.
The L1 visa is a great opportunity for an employee to take along his or her spouse and children on an L2 visa. The spouse too is allowed to work on the basis of the L2 visa. The dual intent doctrine also allows the L1 visa holder to use his stay inside the USA as a step towards acquiring a green card.
There are two subcategories for the L1 visa. These are the L1A and the L1B visas. The former has a validity of seven years and the latter is valid for five years. It is required that the employee should leave after this stipulated time. The former visa holder has then to stay away for a year and work for that same company in any of its branches or affiliates overseas before reapplying for L1.
There are two categories in L1. These are the regular L1 visa and the Blanket L1 visa. In the first case the USCIS is the approving authority. The second category is for some employers who fulfill certain conditions. In the second case the company has already been cleared by the USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) with the blanket L1 visa. In this case the company can give a copy of the blanket petition which has been approved to the employee with necessary documents and the visa will be given by the US Consulate or Embassy.
The initial process for the L1 visa begins with the F-129 form. This has to be done with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. All the necessary documents have to be attached with the application. These documents will establish the fact that the company in the United States and in the foreign country from where the visa is being sought is related as sister, parent or child Company.
The approval is granted in the form of a Notice of Action. This is in received as Form I-797. This document is crucial for applying for a visa through a consulate in the foreign country. The spouse and children of the L1 applicant are given L2 visas. This allows the spouse to work in the United States and the children to attend school. Everyone in the family is then entitled to a Social Security number after some formalities.
The main thing to be decided by the visa officer in the US Consulate is whether he is satisfied with the legitimacy of the company both in the USA and in the foreign country. The Consulate also has to be convinced about the legitimate qualifications and experience of the employee seeking the L1 visa. L1 visas have no quota and the success rate for candidates is almost 80%. India is the foremost user of the L1 visa. The visa fee for L1 is $ 320.