An L-1 visa is a temporary visa issued to individuals who are transferring from one company location to another. These visas enable companies to transfer foreign employees into US facilities for a specified period of time. As you search for information on an L1 visa Houston TX, consider the following.
Purpose
This visa was created to encourage investment in the US. Multinational companies often have employees throughout the global marketplace, and these employees may need to visit facilities within the US for a period of time. This was challenging with other visa types, so in 1970, Congress created the L-1 visa.
Term
L-1 Visas are issued to employees who have worked with the company for at least one year. These visas are only granted for a period of 5-7 years, based on the visa type.
Availability
US employers must petition for these visas, and they are only available for upper-level employees, such as managers and executives, and individuals with specialized or advanced knowledge about specific company practices. The visa holders may also bring their spouses and any children under 18 years of age with them to the US. In addition, multinational companies can bring as many employees into the US as they need as long as the company and employee meet the requirements.
Intent
Many work visas require the petitioners to state whether hey intend to live in the US permanently. However, L-1 visa holders do not have to prove that they may seek permanent residency in the future.
Blanket Petitions
Some companies have to file petitions for each employee they wish to bring into the US, but other companies have blanket petitions that allow employees of approved companies to apply for their visas at their local consulate.
If you are working for a multinational company and have specialized skills, consider spending some time at your company’s US office through the L-1 visa program.
