L-1 Visa Attorney in Chicago — Intracompany Transferee
The L-1 Intracompany Transferee Visa allows multinational companies to transfer qualifying employees from a foreign office to a U.S. office. At Liberum Law, our L-1 visa attorneys in Chicago represent both companies and individual transferees in L-1A and L-1B visa applications.
The L-1A visa is for managers and executives being transferred to a U.S. office. Eligible employees must have worked for the company abroad for at least one continuous year within the preceding three years and be coming to the U.S. in a managerial or executive capacity. L-1A holders may stay for up to seven years and have a streamlined path to an EB-1C green card.
The L-1B visa is for employees with specialized knowledge — knowledge of the company’s products, services, research, equipment, techniques, or management that is not readily available in the U.S. labor market. L-1B holders may stay for up to five years.
For companies establishing a new U.S. office, the L-1 New Office visa allows the transfer of a manager or executive to launch operations. Initial approval is for one year, with extensions available upon demonstrating that the new office is operational and the employee continues to serve in a qualifying role.
Our L-1 visa services include assessing eligibility for L-1A versus L-1B classification, preparing detailed petitions documenting the qualifying relationship between U.S. and foreign entities, demonstrating the employee’s managerial, executive, or specialized knowledge role, blanket L petition preparation for qualifying multinational organizations, and L-1 extensions, amendments, and change of employer petitions.
Contact our L-1 visa attorneys at Liberum Law for a free consultation on your intracompany transfer needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the L-1 visa?
L-1 is the intracompany transferee visa. It allows multinational companies to transfer executives, managers (L-1A), or employees with specialized knowledge (L-1B) from a foreign office to a related U.S. office (parent, branch, subsidiary, or affiliate).
What are the L-1 requirements?
The transferee must have worked for the related foreign entity for at least 1 of the last 3 years in a qualifying role. The U.S. and foreign entities must have a qualifying corporate relationship (common ownership and control). For new U.S. offices ("new office L-1"), additional requirements apply.
What is the difference between L-1A and L-1B?
L-1A is for executives or managers (initial 3 years, max 7 total). L-1B is for employees with specialized knowledge of the company's products, services, or processes (initial 3 years, max 5 total). L-1A approval rate is generally higher; L-1B has stricter "specialized knowledge" scrutiny.
Can I open a new U.S. office on L-1?
Yes — the "new office L-1" allows a company to send an executive or manager to establish a U.S. office. Initial validity is only 1 year, and renewal requires showing the U.S. office is operational and supporting the L-1 role. New office L-1 cases require detailed business planning.
Does L-1 lead to a green card?
L-1A holders frequently qualify for EB-1C (multinational manager/executive) green cards — one of the fastest paths to permanent residence (no PERM, no waiting list for most countries). L-1B holders typically use EB-2 or EB-3 through PERM.
