Best Suited For
- Multi-national company transferring executive or specialized knowledge employee (L-1B) to the U.S.
- Family unwilling / unable to wait for EB-5 investment green card
- L-1A
- Entrepreneur or high-level executive with immigration (green card) intention
- L-1B
- Person possessing truly unique, specialized knowledge not easily attainable in the U.S.
Background
The L visa allows foreign executives, managers and people possessing specialized knowledge to be transferred into the U.S. subsidiary. Executives and managers can pursue the L-1A visa; employees possessing specialized skills can pursue the L-1B visa. The L visa can lead to green card. For L-1A visa, the direct green card path is the EB-1C. For L-1B visa, the direct green card path can be either EB-2 or EB-3.
Basic Requirements and Suggestions
- S. company and foreign company have qualifying relationship for at least one year
- L-1 transferee has been employed abroad for at least one year
- Think Big! L-1A petition should demonstrate how the U.S. operation will have workforce and revenue to support the need for an L-1A high-level executive
- Think Special! L-1B petition should demonstrate how the knowledge is truly unique to the employment and not readily available in the U.S.
Pointers to Success
- For L-1A, we recommend having a sizable U.S. workforce at time of renewal
- For L-1B, we recommend showing the specialized skills cannot be obtained or trained within the U.S.
Benefits
- Foreign company and U.S. company can be in different industries
- Spouse may work
- Children may attend public school
- Faster green card compared to EB-5
- L-1A can lead to EB-1C green card in about 2 – 3 years (some countries of birth may have longer wait time, such as China and India)
- L-1B can lead to EB-2 / EB-3 green card in about 2 – 3 years (some countries of birth may have longer wait time, such as China and India)
Considerations
- Successful L-1 renewals and EB-1C green card application will require U.S. company to engage in large scale operation, hiring many U.S. employees and generating high level of sales
- Total investment may exceed the minimum requirement of the EB-5, although the green card wait-time is considerably shorter
- Subject to IRS FATCA… contact us to consult with one of our FATCA & CRS experts
Application Process
- L-1
- Set-up U.S. enterprise and bank account
- Begin initial start-up process (lease agreement; inventory; payroll; business insurance; etc.)
- See how Green Maple can provide you with resources to set-up and start-up!
- Apply within U.S.
- Total process 2 – 5 months
- EB-1C
- Apply within U.S.
- Total process about 18 months (some countries of birth may have longer wait time, such as China and India)
- EB-2 / EB-3 (for L-1B)
- Apply within U.S.
- Total process about 18 months (some countries of birth may have longer wait time, such as China and India)
Success Cases
- Families with U.S. born children seeking U.S. education while parents legally remain in America
- Hollywood entertainment and production companies
- Global franchises and restaurant chains
- High tech companies
- Professional services in law, accounting, medical industries
- Multiple publicly traded companies and Fortune 500s
- Individuals with extraordinary abilities in sports, entertainment, business and others
- Careful and strategic planning for visas and green cards
We have helped families, entrepreneurs, start-up operations, multi-national companies, and Fortune 500s with a variety of different types of visas and green card options. Using our experience, we can competently advise clients on the best paths and the strategies with highest chances to succeed.
Contact Green Maple today to schedule a consultation.
See what our clients say about working with us!