USA L-1 visa legally for a period of 6 months

The registration process begins with your application on the website through the “Let's discuss the details” form.

After receiving your application, Mircare specialists will contact you to discuss your prospects for obtaining an L-1 visa. As part of this consultation, you will be able to ask questions to an expert and learn all the features of applying for a visa.

If a related company does not exist in the United States, then one must be opened. It is necessary that there be an appropriate relationship between a company outside the US and in the US: it may be a representative office (branch), one of the companies must own at least 50% of the other company, or the company may have a common owner or group of owners.

Documentation will be required for both the Russian and American companies. – For a US company: business plan, certificate of incorporation, receipt of employer number, lease agreement, audit reports, tax returns, description of activities, bank statements, commercial contracts, bank guarantees, company letterhead, photographs and office plan. – For a Russian company: certificate of registration, articles of association, tax returns for the last 3 years, balance sheet for the last 3 years, auditors’ reports, photographs of the office, office plan, documents from government bodies, organizational charts, documents confirming the number of employees, publication materials about the company’s activities, contracts, bank guarantees, bank statements and other documents confirming the conduct of activities, a description of the position of the transferred employee. We carefully ensure that all details are taken into account and check documents for compliance with US legal requirements.

After carefully checking the package of prepared documents, we submit the petition to the United States Immigration Service (USCIS). They may approve the petition, request additional documents, or notify of their intention to deny. If necessary, we provide additional documents.

We will prepare you for the interview with the immigration officer, which is a mandatory part of the process.

If the application is approved, the applicant will have an L-1 visa affixed to his passport, which allows him to enter the United States. If you are already in the United States, then if the petition is approved, your status will automatically change.

An L-1 visa can be obtained by a senior or mid-level executive of a company located outside the United States. This executive is transferred to a U.S. company affiliated with a foreign company to perform management activities. Affiliation of companies can be established either through a legal entity or through an individual (a controlling founder common to two companies).

No, the L-1 visa itself does not qualify you for a green card. This is a temporary work visa for executives and specialized employees. However, under certain conditions, it is possible to apply for an EB-1c immigrant visa, which leads to a green card, but this requires a separate petition and the fulfillment of certain conditions.

If you receive an L-1 visa, you have the right to bring your family members (spouse and unmarried children under 21 years of age) to the United States. Family members receive the same rights as the principal applicant on the visa, that is, the right to temporarily live, work, and study in the United States for the duration of the principal applicant's status.

Contact Mircare for advice. We will advise on the purchase of an existing company in the USA or its share.

The affiliation of companies is confirmed by documents establishing the ownership of each of them. Affiliation can be established through an individual (if there are common controlling founders in the US and foreign companies) or through a legal entity (when the US company is a subsidiary of a foreign enterprise).

To obtain an L-1 visa, the applicant must demonstrate work experience as a senior or mid-level manager for at least 1 year in the last 3 years prior to filing the petition. This can be done by providing copies of employment contracts, orders appointing the applicant to a managerial position, certificates of payment of wages and confirmation of tax withholding at the source of payment (certificate in form 2-NDFL).

An affiliated company may be a foreign enterprise located and operating outside the United States. Affiliation is created when a foreign and US company have common controlling shareholders (or a single majority shareholder), or when a US company is a subsidiary of a non-US company. Companies with low turnover or “dormant” enterprises that do not actually conduct commercial activities are not suitable here. Also, the affiliated company must have at least 8-10 employees.

An L-1 visa can be obtained if you open your own company in the United States or purchase an existing business (or franchise). The initial investment in case of opening a new company is from $80,000. In the case of purchasing an existing franchise (in which, in order to obtain a visa, the investor acquires a controlling stake in an American company, but the selling party remains in the share and helps in the management in the future), you must expect an amount of $300,000 or more.

An L-1 visa can also be obtained if an employee is transferred to an executive position from a foreign company to an existing U.S. affiliate.

If you open a new company, an L-1 visa is issued for a period of 1 year, but when purchasing a ready-made business or franchise, this visa can be issued for 3 years at once (if the company has at least 6 employees).

1) the American company has been active commercially for more than 1 year; 2) an American company has a staff of 6 (or better yet 8) people with a two-level management system (manager-deputies-employees); 3) the foreign company must continue to conduct commercial activities throughout the period of validity of the visa.

The maximum period of residence in the United States on an L-1 visa with all possible extensions is 7 years. After 7 years of living in the United States on an L-1 visa, you must either leave the country or apply for another status (visa).

L-1 visas are not subject to any restrictions.

L-1A is intended for foreign company executives who are being transferred to a management position in a U.S. affiliate. L-1B is intended for foreign specialists who have unique knowledge, without which the normal functioning of a company in the United States is impossible.

No, citizenship does not matter.

L-1 status does not require working for a company in the United States on a permanent basis, but it assumes that the applicant will devote most of his time to this work, otherwise questions may arise from the immigration service. It is necessary to understand that in order for you to be issued an L-1 visa at all, the American company “must need” you as an existing employee or manager. If there is no need to work full-time in an American company (for example, you just need to periodically enter the country for meetings, trainings, conferences, concluding contracts, etc.), then you do not need an L-1 visa, it is enough to apply for a business visa category B -2.

Yes, an individual entrepreneur can qualify for an L-1 visa if his business meets the criteria for this visa: it has been operating for at least one year, has at least 8 employees, meets certain profit targets and is willing to invest a certain amount.

7 years is the maximum period of stay in the United States on an L-1 visa. It will no longer be possible to extend your visa. But you can leave the United States for one year and then file a new L-1 petition based on the same company where you worked for 7 years in L-1 status.

Yes, at the same time, it is better to entrust the issue of drawing up a business plan in case of receiving an L-1 to immigration lawyers, since USCIS has unspoken requirements, if not followed, there is a possibility of a refusal.