Updated November 1, 2026

L-1 visa requirements: what the company and the employee must show

An L-1 needs two things. The US employer must be a parent, branch, subsidiary or affiliate of a foreign company, and both must be doing business. The employee must have worked for that foreign company for one continuous year in the last three, and come to the US as a manager or executive (L-1A) or with specialized knowledge (L-1B).

Every rule below comes from USCIS, 8 CFR 214.2(l), the USCIS Policy Manual and the State Department's Foreign Affairs Manual, checked on November 1, 2026, with the fees in force that day.

L-1A vs L-1B requirements at a glance

The job abroad and the job in the US don't have to match. The Policy Manual says someone with specialized knowledge abroad can come in as a manager, and a manager abroad can come in for a specialized knowledge role.

What must the company show?

• A qualifying relationship. The US employer and the foreign employer must be a parent, branch, subsidiary or affiliate of each other.
• Doing business in both places. Doing business means the regular, systematic and continuous provision of goods or services, not just an agent or an office. The business doesn't have to trade internationally, but it must keep doing business in the US and at least one other country for the whole L-1 stay.
• Enough business to need the role. The Policy Manual says there's no minimum level of business, but the company must be doing business in a way that needs a manager, executive or specialized knowledge employee.
• A separate legal entity. A USCIS policy alert says a sole proprietorship can't file an L-1 for its own owner, because it isn't a legal entity separate from that owner.

Evidence usually includes annual reports, audited or reviewed financial statements and tax returns, with a letter that describes the business and how the role fits its goals, per Policy Manual chapter 8.

How does the one year abroad rule work?

The employee must have worked full time for the qualifying company abroad for one continuous year within the three years before the initial L-1 petition is filed. The Policy Manual adds three details most guides skip:

• B-1 or B-2 trips don't break the year, but they don't count toward it. Subtract the days spent in the US.
• Working in the US for the same company on a work visa pauses the 3-year window. Time on H-1B or E-2 for the qualifying company doesn't count as time abroad, but the 3-year look-back stops running while you're here.
• Dependent or student time doesn't pause it. Time on L-2, or on F-1 with OPT at the company, doesn't adjust the window, and a break of more than 2 years from the company in the last 3 means you don't qualify.

A worked example (our dates, using those rules). Priya joins the company's office abroad on March 1, 2025 and spends 40 days in the US on B-1 business trips that year. Her year abroad isn't complete on March 1, 2026. It's complete 40 days later, around April 10, 2026, so that's the earliest filing date for her initial petition.

What are the L-1A requirements?

The US role must be primarily managerial or executive, not ordinary work done alongside other staff. Under 8 CFR 214.2(l)(1)(ii) and the Policy Manual there are three ways to qualify:

When USCIS looks at staff numbers, the Policy Manual says it must weigh the reasonable needs of the organization in light of its purpose and stage of development. Our L-1 interview questions guide shows how officers test these duties in person.

What are the L-1B requirements?

The employee must have specialized knowledge, which 8 CFR 214.2(l)(1)(ii)(D) defines in two ways:

• Special knowledge of the company's product, service, research, equipment, techniques, management or other interests and how they apply in international markets, or
• Advanced knowledge of the company's own processes and procedures.

The Policy Manual says this knowledge doesn't have to be proprietary or unique, and other employees at the company can have it too. It does have to be more than general industry skill, and the Foreign Affairs Manual says a skilled worker isn't enough on its own. L-1B workers don't need to be managers or earn more than others.

Working at a client's site. Under the L-1 Visa Reform Act (INA 214(c)(2)(F)), an L-1B worker placed mainly at an unaffiliated employer's worksite qualifies only if that other employer won't principally control or supervise them and the placement isn't labor for hire.

What does a new office need?

What is a blanket L, and who can use it?

A blanket petition lets a large company get its relationships approved once, then send employees with Form I-129S instead of an individual petition. Under 8 CFR 214.2(l)(4) the company and each entity must be in commercial trade or services, have a US office doing business for a year or more, have three or more domestic and foreign branches, subsidiaries or affiliates, and meet one of these:

• at least 10 L approvals in the previous 12 months
• US subsidiaries or affiliates with combined annual sales of at least $25 million
• a US work force of at least 1,000 employees

The blanket shifts the decision to the consulate. The Foreign Affairs Manual says USCIS never reviews individual blanket beneficiaries, so the consular officer (or CBP, for Canadians) checks the employee's eligibility at the interview. Blanket L is only for managers, executives and specialized knowledge professionals going to an established office. An L-1B applicant must show they're a member of a profession, such as by a bachelor's degree, or the company files an individual petition instead.

How long can you stay on an L-1?

• Totals: 7 years for L-1A and 5 years for L-1B. Time in H status counts toward the same limit.
• Promotion from L-1B to L-1A: to reach 7 years, you must have worked in the managerial or executive job for at least six months, with the change approved by USCIS in an amended, new or extended petition, per 8 CFR 214.2(l)(15)(ii).
• After the maximum: you need a year living and physically present outside the US (brief visits aside) before a new L or H petition.
• Exception: the limits don't apply if your US work is seasonal, intermittent or 6 months or less a year in total, or if you live abroad and commute for part-time work, with clear proof such as entry records and tax returns.

What does an L-1 cost in 2026?

New since September 9, 2026: under a DHS final rule of August 10, 2026, covered employers pay the $4,500 fee on all L-1 petitions, extensions included. The only filings it skips are amended petitions that don't extend L-1 status. For a regular employer that isn't covered, an initial individual paper petition comes to $2,485 before premium processing (our math: $1,385 + $600 + $500).

Can your family come, and can you seek a green card?

• L-2 family: your spouse and unmarried children under 21 can come in L-2 status, generally for the same period as you.
• Spouses can work. USCIS says spouses in L-2S status are employment authorized incident to status, and an unexpired I-94 marked L-2S works as List C proof for Form I-9. An EAD is optional.
• Dual intent. The Foreign Affairs Manual says L applicants aren't subject to INA 214(b), and seeking a green card doesn't stop you from getting or keeping L status.
• Canadians don't need a visa. With an approved blanket, they present three copies of Form I-129S and the approval notice at a Class A port on the Canada border or a preclearance station.

The visa interview checks that the petition's facts are true, so be ready to explain the company, your job abroad and your US role in plain words. Our H-1B visa interview questions cover a similar employer-sponsored interview, and TN visa requirements cover the option for Canadian and Mexican professionals.

Visaful is an AI mock interview app for US visa interviews: an AI officer asks your visa's questions out loud and shows what to fix.

This is interview practice, not legal advice. For questions about your own case, talk to an immigration attorney. Visaful is not affiliated with the U.S. government or the Department of State.