As a Rhode
island L -1A Visa Attorney, and L1-B Visa Attorney James Howe has an in depth
understanding of the Immigration and Naturalization Process.
There are two kinds of L visas:
L-1A for employees in an executive or managerial position, and
L-1B for employees in a specialized knowledge capacity
The L-1 visa is a non-immigrant work visa for employees in a
specialized knowledge capacity or an executive or managerial
position who are being transferred from a foreign company to a U.S.
subsidiary, branch, affiliate or parent of the original foreign
company. There are no limits to the number of L-1 visas that the US
Immigration Service can issue per year and the petitioning company
does not have to obtain a prevailing wage approval or file any
documents with the Department of Labor. L-1 visa aliens may possess
dual intent, allowing them to apply for a permanent residency
concurrently with the L application. L-1A aliens do not need to go
through the labor certification process when applying for permanent
residency, however, L-1B aliens do.
There is currently a premium processing option, which for an
additional $1,000 in filing fees, the US Immigration Service will
commit to process the application within 15 calendar days from
receipt of the application. Processing the application does not mean
that there will necessarily be a final decision after 15 days, but
that there will be a response after this time. This response may be
a visa approval, a denial or it may also include a request for
additional documentation from the petitioner or the employer.
Click
here for more information on premium processing.
Employees who are being transferred from a foreign subsidiary,
branch, affiliate or parent of a U.S. company
who are in a specialized knowledge capacity or an executive or
managerial position and
have been employed for at least one continuous year during the past
three years, with the foreign subsidiary, branch, affiliate or
parent of the U.S. company applying for them.
L-1 visas may be granted for an initial period of up to 3 years and
may be renewed for a maximum of 7 years for an L-1A and a maximum of
5 years for an L-1B. Any time spent under an H-1 visa status will
count towards this maximum.
However, for L-1A's, if after the 7 year period, the employee
resides at least one complete year abroad, the clock starts counting
again and the alien may be granted another 7 years in L-1A status.
There is no time limit for aliens who reside intermittently in the
U.S., or an aggregate of six months or less per year.
This visa may be extended from the initial 3 year period in terms of
2 year periods up to the 7 year maximum for L-1A, or 5 year maximum
for L-1B.
Spouses and unmarried children under 21 are allowed as dependents
under an L-2 visa. L-1 dependents are allowed to legally live and
study in the U.S. without any additional permits, and the spouse of
the L-1 visa holder may obtain work authorization.
Petitioner Company's Information:
Articles of organization for foreign and U.S. company affiliates
Company brochures with description and addresses
Number of employees of parent company and affiliate
Financial Statements of both U.S. and foreign affiliates
Documentation showing evidence of connection between the affiliates
Letter of Support from Employer
Alien's title, and detailed job description with any special skills
relevant to the position
Salary and benefits offered
Name and title of person who will be signing petition
Alien employee information:
Copy of Beneficiary's Passport
Copy of Alien's U.S. visa and I-94 (if alien already in the U.S.)
Alien's resume or work history
Alien's Diplomas and transcripts
Alien's pay stubs or tax forms showing at least one year within the
past three years of prior engagement with foreign affiliate
Stage One:
Obtain documentation as evidence in support of petition.
For small companies, we can also help organize a company affiliate
in the United States if necessary, including the following steps:
Application with the Secretary of State
Application with IRS for Tax ID No.
Stage Two:
Prepare and file Petition with the US Immigration Service along with
the US Immigration Service filing fees for form I-129
Stage Three:
Obtain Petition Approval from the US Immigration Service -
Processing time for the US Immigration Service is approximately
30-90 days or receipt of notice requesting additional documentation
or evidence to support application. In the latter case, we will work
with the client to provide the additional information to the US
Immigration Service and we will prepare a response with the
appropriate analysis and legal argument. This last scenario would
increase the amount of time required to complete the process and may
also increase the legal fees due, depending on the amount of
additional work required.
(Note: Congress has directed the US Immigration Service to establish
a process for reviewing and acting upon petitions on behalf of L
non-immigrants within 30 days after the date a completed petition
has been filed, however the US Immigration Service is seldom able to
comply with this requirement.)
For more information regarding Immigration Law in
Rhode Island.
Click here:
Immigration Law - Frequently Asked
Questions
Contact us by
Email or call us today at (401) 788-0600 to speak with a
someone from our firm..
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