Before you can become a lawful permanent resident of the U.S., you will need an immigrant visa. And abogado inmigracion houston can help you gain one. Your visa classification is what enables you to apply for a green card if you choose to appeal. A green card shows that the holder is a lawful permanent resident of the U.S and that the holder is eligible to live and work anywhere in the country. A green card is a path to becoming a United States citizen if you decide to pursue it.
If you do not intend to become a permanent resident of the U.S., you can still visit, work, or go to school here. However, you will need a non-immigrant visa that demonstrates your purpose in the country. With the non-immigrant visa status, you can use it to apply for permanent residency, but there are exceptions, and your attorney can advise you on how to gain a non-immigrant visa that could lead to a green card.
Overview Of L1 Visas (Intra Company Transferees)
The U.S has specialized immigration policies that allow qualified foreign employees to get transferred to an American-based office of a multinational company. The L1 visa is a non-immigrant employment visa kept for international workers wishing to move to the United States company that already exists under the same corporate structure as that of their current employer. To qualify for this employment visa, applicants must meet the criteria below;
- Transfer to a U.S based company that has a qualifying relationship with the current employer.
- Work for a qualifying petitioning employer.
- Plan to return to home country at the end of the L1 visa term
- Have completed a minimum of one-year employment aboard
There is two categories of L1 visas, the L-1 A visa and L-1B visa. L1A visa designed for executives and managers, and it is generally valid for seven years. L1B visas are for non-immigrants employees with some level of expertise in a specific field, and the visa is valid for a maximum period of five years. Contact abogado de inmigracion near me for your L1 visa filing.
Requirements For L1 Visa
There are various stipulations attached to acquiring an L1 visa. Which include;
- The worker has been employed continuously for at least 12months within three years, advancing the time of L1 visa application.
- The worker is an executive, manager, or in a position involving specialized knowledge.
- The worker seeks to enter the U.S temporarily.
- The company outside of the United States is the same entity in the U.S in some form (it could be; the parent company, affiliate, branch, subsidiary, etc.)
- The worker must continue to occupy the position of manager, executive, or of specialized expertise.
There are no salary specification requirements to attain an L1 visa. Instead, the worker will only prove to either act in an executive or managerial capacity.
Spouse and minor children of L1 beneficiaries may receive L1 visa status. An L1 visa beneficiary may become a student in the United States. And also may work in the United States.
Benefits Of L1 Visa For Foreign Workers
The L1 visa status is in two subcategories- the executive and managers L1 A visa and the worker with specialized skills L1B. And each has its requirements, stay duration, and benefits.
Comparing L1 visa to other work visa classifications, you will see that; it all depends on one’s immigration situation and that the L1 visa has more benefits than others work visas classifications lack;
Benefit # 1 Relatively Low Requirements
There are other work visas available to foreign experts who plan to work in the United States, and many of them have very abrupt requirements that are complex to achieve
For instance, an O-1 visa requires applicants to present extraordinary ability through an international award or substantial salary. How about the TN visa, which is only available for applicants from Canada and Mexico, the same with E2 visa classification that requires applicants to invest a substantial amount to the United States enterprise.
When comparing all these work visas classifications to that of the L1 visa classification which you only need to be a manager, executive, or specialized skills, you will agree that an L1 visa has low requirements.
Benefit #2 No Job Offer Required
The overwhelming aspect of acquiring H1b or TN classification is finding an entity willing to sponsor your visa. Not like that with the L1 visa
Benefit #3: No Annual Limits
The L1 visa and H1b may sound similar, but they are different. The h1b visa has a strict annual cap on how many h1b petitions are issued each year. On the other hand, the L1 programs have no yearly cap or limitation. That means your petition hardly could get denied.
The benefits of L1 visas are numerous, and there is more assurance in getting your visa petitions approved without any cap placed on them. Contact l1 visa attorney for more detail.
