Applying for an L1 Visa for the USA from India

Are you a professional employee or a business owner looking to expand your business in the USA? You need to get a L1 visa for the USA, which is also a temporary worker visa for a short period. Before applying, you should know everything about L1 visa for USA, US L1 visa Requirements, US L1 Visa Process, US L1 visa Fees for India and many more.

Itzeazy is the best USA visa agent in India. We have a team of experienced visa consultants to help and guide the visa application process.

L1 Visa USA from India

L1 is a non immigrant visa category for employees or workers with skills and specialized knowledge to transfer them to US  for their company work. To apply for an L1 visa, the employee must have worked for at least one year in the previous three years for an overseas subsidiary, parent, affiliate, or branch office of the US company to which they are transferring. For this time, the employee must have worked as a manager, executive, or specialized skill worker.

Types of L1 Visas:

The L-1 visa is divided into two categories: 

• L1A visa: Allows executives, managers, and business owners to stay in the United States for up to seven years.
• L1B visa: Allows employees with specialized knowledge to stay in the United States for up to five years.

There are two types of procedures to apply for L1 visa:

• Regular L-1 Visa: To obtain a regular L-1 visa, an individual must apply and receive approval from the USCIS by filing a petition,
• Blanket L-1 Visa: Candidates eligible for a blanket L-1 visa can simply provide a copy of the pre-approved blanket petition along with the necessary documents, as the USCIS has already determined the company’s eligibility.

US L1 visa Requirements

Both the employer and the employees must meet the eligibility requirements for the L1-B Visa. The requirements are listed below:

For Employer

The qualifying employers must meet the following L1-B visa requirements:

1. Qualifying Relationship with a foreign affiliate, company, or branch that is acceptable.
2. The employer currently owns a business or may own a business in the United States.
3. If the employer intends to transfer an employee with the goal of establishing a new business in the United States, the following requirements must be met by the employer:

• To start a business, you must have a physical location.
• The ability to pay for the employee is a requirement.

For employee

1. He/she must have worked for a qualifying organization board for at least one continuous year within the last three years (before entering the US).
2. To be eligible, the employee must have held a managerial or executive position
3. The employee must travel to the United States to work in a managerial or executive capacity for a qualifying organization, such as a branch of the employer.
4. The holder of this visa must intend to leave the country once their stay is over.

For business owner

1. Companies with a global presence.
2. Local authorities have approved firms.
3. Companies with a bright future.

The requirements for L1 visa for USA may be a hassle full for you because the requirements are different for the employee, the employer, and the owner of the business. So if you do it on your own it may be puzzling you.

Documents required for L1 visa for USA

1. Complete the DS-160 visa application form.
2. Form DS-160 and L-Supplement copy
3. Form I-797, Notice of Action for Employees

Documents from the American company:-

1. Lease of the Office Space
2. Certificates of Stock
3. Account statements
4. Accountancy reports
5. Employer’s Income Tax Return (Form 1120) (if applicable).
6. Form 941 – Quarterly Employer Report (if applicable).
7. Explanation of the Company’s Operations.
8. Invoices, Bills of Lading, commercial contracts, letters of credit, and other similar documents
9. Letterheads for businesses.
10. Statements from the bank.

Foreign company documents:-

1. The Articles of Incorporation
2. The previous three years’ Income tax returns.
3. License for business.
4. So hurry and place your order. Organization chart, transferee’s position, the total number of employees
5. Company brochure or product description
6. Documents pertaining to commercial transactions.
7. Transactional data.
8. Letterheads that include the company logo, name, and address.

US L1 visa Fees for India

Here is the fee structure for a USA L1 visa:

Fee Type	Amount (in USD)
Visa Application	$205
Fraud Prevention and Detection	$500
Border Security Act Fee (if applicable)	$4,500.00

For more information on the USA L1 visa fees, you can visit the official website.

How to apply for an L1 visa for the USA from India?

To apply for an L1 visa for the USA, the following steps must be followed:

1. Fill up Form I-129: You must file a petition on Form I-129 with USCIS or United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.
2. Receive Form I-797: Once the petition is approved by USCIS you will receive a Form I-797 for the approval of an L1 visa to the USA.
3. Fill up the form DS-160: You need to fill up this online form under the non-immigration section.
4. Pay Application Fee: As per your visa type, you need to pay the fee.
5. Book an appointment: Before visiting the visa application center, you need to schedule an appointment.
6. Get your required documents ready: Make sure you have all your mandatory documents.
7. Attend the visa interview: You need to visit the particular USA embassy/consulate for document verification and interrogation about your plan to travel to the US.
8. Wait for Processing: After the Interview wait for the USA embassy/consulate to process your visa application which may take several days to months depending on your visa type.
9. Get Your US Visa: If your application is approved, your US visa will be delivered to you by post at the current location.

L1 visa processing time:

The L1 visa processing time is generally 2 to 6 months from the submission of the application. Individual petitions take slightly longer than blanket petitions, but the difference is minimal. There’s an option for premium processing, where employers paying for it can receive a response on their petition’s approval or denial within 1 to 3 weeks.

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FAQ’s

Q1: What is the use of L1 visa?

A1: An L1 visa is a nonimmigration temporary visa especially for the employee or the business owner to travel to the US for the expansion of their business.

Q2: What is the stay period with L1 visa?

A1: Initially the stay period is 3 years, but it can be extended up to 7 years for managers and executives and 5 years for skilled workers.

Q3: What is the processing time for an L1 visa?

A3: Generally it takes 2-6 months to process your L1 visa.

Q4: On what basis can an L-1 visa be denied?

A4: L-1 visa may be denied if the reviewing officer believes that the company filing the petition is not qualified or if the company’s subsidiary, branch, or affiliate does not meet the necessary qualifications.

Q5: Can the spouse of an L1 visa holder work in the U.S?

A5: Yes, the spouse of an L1 visa holder can work, but their employment is tied to the duration of the L1 visa holder’s authorized stay.