Getting an Intracompany Transferee (L-1) Visa

You qualify for an L-1 visa if you have been employed outside the U.S. for at least one continuous year out of the past three years, and you are transferred to the U.S. to work as a manager, an executive, or a specialized-knowledge worker.

The U.S. company to which you are transferring must be a parent, a branch, a subsidiary, an affiliate, or a joint venture partner of your non-U.S. employer. 

You can work legally in the U.S. for your L-1 sponsor for up to three years on your first visa.

You may then apply for extensions of two years at a time, up to a maximum of seven years if you’re a manager or executive, or five years if you’re a person with specialized knowledge