Intracompany transfer
Move to your company’s US office
If you have worked for your company abroad for a year, it may be able to move you to a related US office. L-1A is for managers and executives. L-1B is for people with specialized company knowledge.
- Employer needed
- Yes, a related company
- Time abroad
- 1 year in last 3
- Longest stay
- 7 years L-1A, 5 L-1B
- Legal fee
- Quoted on request
What you get
Keep your employer and move your work to the US
The L-1 lets a company move you from one of its offices abroad to a related office in the US. You keep working for the same group. You do not need to find a new US employer.
Your spouse and unmarried children under 21 can come with you in L-2 status. Your spouse is allowed to work because of that status.
If you are a manager or executive, the L-1A can also lead toward a green card through EB-1C, which is for multinational managers and executives. That is a separate filing with its own rules.
A partner-firm attorney confirms your eligibility before anything is filed. No one can promise approval. Only USCIS decides.
Two types
L-1A or L-1B
Both need the same company link and the same year abroad. The job is what differs.
| L-1A | L-1B | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it is for | Managers and executives | People with specialized knowledge of the company’s products, services, research, tools, methods or processes |
| First stay | Up to 3 years (1 year for a new office) | Up to 3 years (1 year for a new office) |
| Extensions | Up to 2 years at a time | Up to 2 years at a time |
| Longest total stay | 7 years | 5 years |
| Green card link | May fit EB-1C | No direct link. Other routes may fit. |
Stay limits from USCIS L-1A and L-1B pages, updated 08/31/2026.
The rules
What has to be true
These come from USCIS and 8 CFR 214.2(l). Every item must be met.
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The two companies are related
The US employer and the company abroad must be a parent, branch, subsidiary or affiliate of each other.
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Both are really doing business
The company must provide goods or services in a regular, ongoing way in the US and in at least one other country while you are on the L-1.
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You worked abroad for one full year
You worked for the company group abroad for one continuous year within the three years before you come to the US. Short trips to the US, and time in the US working for the group, do not break that year. But that time in the US does not count toward the year.
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Your job abroad was at the right level
Your year abroad was in a managerial, executive or specialized knowledge role. For a new US office on an L-1A, it must have been managerial or executive. Your US job does not have to be the same work.
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Your US job is at the right level
You will work in the US as a manager or executive (L-1A) or in a specialized knowledge role (L-1B).
Special cases
New offices and blanket petitions
Opening a new US office
The company must show it has secured enough physical space. For L-1A, your year abroad must have been as a manager or executive, and the US office must be able to support a manager or executive role within one year. For L-1B, it must show it can pay you and start doing business. Your first stay is up to one year, then the company files to extend.
Blanket L petitions
Large groups can get one approval that covers their related companies. They need a US office doing business for a year, three or more related offices, and either 10 L approvals in the past 12 months, $25 million in combined US sales, or 1,000 US workers. Then you apply for your visa at a consulate with Form I-129S within six months.
Blanket L-1B is narrower
Under a blanket petition, L-1B is only for specialized knowledge professionals. Others need an individual petition.
Canadian citizens
Your employer can file an individual L-1 petition with you at certain US-Canada land border ports or at a US preclearance station in Canada.
The process
How an L-1 case usually goes
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Attorney review
A partner-firm attorney checks the company link, your year abroad, and whether your job fits L-1A or L-1B.
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The US company files
The US employer files Form I-129 with USCIS. With a blanket petition, you may skip this step and go straight to the consulate with Form I-129S.
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USCIS decides
VariesProcessing times vary. The company can pay for premium processing, where USCIS acts within 15 business days.
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Visa and travel
If you are outside the US, you apply for an L-1 visa at a US consulate, then travel. Your family applies for L-2.
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Extend on time
Before your stay ends, the company files to extend, up to 2 years at a time, until you reach the limit.
What it costs
Government fees and our legal fee
USCIS fees as of September 2026. The employer usually pays these.
| Fee | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Form I-129 for L | $1,385 | Small employers and nonprofits pay $695. |
| Asylum Program Fee | $600 | Small employers pay $300. Nonprofits pay $0. |
| Fraud Prevention and Detection Fee | $500 | For a first L approval or a new employer. Under a blanket petition, it is paid to the State Department at the consulate. |
| 9-11 Response and Biometric Entry-Exit Fee | $4,500 | Only for employers with 50 or more US workers where more than half are in H-1B or L-1 status. Since September 9, 2026 it applies to all their L-1 petitions, except amendments that do not extend your stay. Under current law it applies to petitions filed through September 30, 2027. |
| Premium processing (optional) | $2,965 | USCIS acts within 15 business days. |
| Our legal fee | Quoted on request | Flat fee, set before you sign. Includes second-attorney review and an RFE response if one comes. |
Government fees from USCIS Form G-1055, edition 09/09/26. State Department visa fees are separate. Fees change, so your attorney checks them again before filing.
How we help
Attorney-led filing, with two attorneys on every petition
Green Card Guide is not a law firm. Licensed attorneys at an independent partner firm do all legal work, under a separate agreement. A lead attorney builds the case and a second attorney reviews it before it is filed.
For L-1 cases, the attorneys work with your company on the company link, the job description and the evidence of your year abroad. You get a flat legal fee before anyone signs, with no hourly billing. Visa stamping support is included.
Frank, our extraordinary ability partner, does not cover the L-1. It covers only O-1A, O-1B, EB-1A, EB-1B and EB-2 NIW. Companies moving many people can look at our business programmes.
FAQ
Questions people ask us
It has to be one continuous year within the three years before you come to the US. Time spent in the US in lawful status for the same company group, and short business or holiday trips, do not break that year. They also do not count toward it.
Yes. The US job does not have to be the same work you did abroad. It must still be a manager, executive or specialized knowledge role, and your background must fit it.
Yes. Spouses in valid L-2 status are allowed to work because of that status.
You have up to 60 days in a row, or until your approved stay ends if that is sooner, without losing status just because the job ended. You get this once per approved stay, and you cannot work during it unless something else allows it.
It can be. L-1A managers and executives may qualify for EB-1C, which has its own rules. L-1B holders usually need another route, such as employer sponsorship through PERM. A partner-firm attorney can tell you which fits.
Regular processing times vary, so check the USCIS processing times page. With premium processing, USCIS acts within 15 business days. That means an approval, a denial, or a request for more evidence or notice of intent to deny. It does not mean approval.
Sources · checked September 2026
- USCIS: L-1A Intracompany Transferee Executive or Manager (updated 08/31/2026)
- USCIS: L-1B Intracompany Transferee Specialized Knowledge (updated 08/31/2026)
- eCFR: 8 CFR 214.2(l) (definitions, new office, blanket petitions, Canadian citizens)
- eCFR: 8 CFR 214.1(l) (60-day grace period)
- USCIS Form G-1055, Fee Schedule, edition 09/09/26 (PDF)
- USCIS: G-1055 Fee Schedule page and alerts
- USCIS: How Do I Request Premium Processing? (updated 03/23/2026)
- USCIS: Case Processing Times
This page is general information, not legal advice. Rules and fees change; a partner-firm attorney confirms what applies to you before anything is filed.
