Question: What is an L1 Visa?

Answer: And L1 Visa is a visa for an intra-company transferee. An intra-company transferee is a person who worked for a company abroad in an executive, managerial, or "specialized knowledge" position, which the INS has created specific definitions for each of these terms. The transferee must have worked at the company abroad for at least one year within the three years prior to coming to the US, and they must be coming to the US to work for a related (either parent, subsidiary, affiliate, or branch) company in one of those three types of positions. They can stay up to 7 years max. in an executive/managerial position and up to 5 years max. for a specialized knowledge position.

Question: What is a Blanket L1 and what are its requirements?

Answer: The Blanket L1 is a procedure in which large company or corporation can pre-qualify to transfer L1 employees. With an approved Blanket L1 the company has the ability to transfer employees to the US quickly and on short notice without having to file a brand new petition. A special form is sent to the US consulate abroad to grant the individual an L1 visa to enter. The employee requirements for a Blanket L1 are the same as a regular L1 except for those under the Specialized-knowledge position. Those that are specialized - knowledge workers must be considered professionals to be on a Blanket L1. Employers have basic requirements that they must meet before applying for a Blanket L1. They must have a US office for at least one year. They must have three or more branches, subsidiaries, or affiliates. They must also have one of the following: A US annual sales of $25 million, A US workforce of 1000, and at least 10 L1 petition approvals in the past year.

Question: If one is on a L-2 (dependent visa), is it possible to obtain a work permit based on this status?

Answer: In January of 2002, the law changed allowing L2 dependents to obtain work authorization. An L2 holder may apply for the Employment Authorization Card (EAD) form an INS Service Center.

Question: How does one go about obtaining a temporary visa to come to the US?

Answer: There are a few ways and reasons one could obtain a temporary visa and enter the US such as: coming in as a visitor/tourist, coming in on business, as a student, or employee, etc. These type of "non-immigrant" visas are issued at US embassies and consulates located in most countries. An issuing officer at one of these embassies or consulates, must be convinced that the applicant will not remain in the US after the expiration of the issued visa. The applicant must demonstrate with strong personal and professional evidence that their intent is to leave the US within the allotted time frame. Note that by carrying a visa does not automatically guarantee entry into the US. An immigration officer at the port of entry makes the final decision.