If your company is seeking to relocate some of its offices to America, or establish a permanent headquarters, then consider an L1 Visa to ensure this process occurs smoothly for your business as well as employees. If you are initiating intracompany transfers, this is also the residency pathway for employees in managerial positions who have specialized knowledge.

What is the L1 Visa?

The ultimate goal of the L-1 visa is for providing assistance to multinational companies with expanding interests into the United States. This visa also allows for medium-sized businesses that may want to expand their operations internationally into the U.S. market. As a result, businesses are required to develop and submit a specific type of L1 Visa Business Plan in order to be considered for this type of visa.

What are the L1 Visa business plan requirements?

An L-1 Visa business plan is an essential operating document that is submitted with the application in collaboration with your L1 visa lawyer. It must contain accurate information as per the requirements of the L-1A Intracompany Transferee Program.

While most plans contain key information, such as an Executive Summary, Market Analysis, Personnel Plan, and 5-Year Financial Projections, the L1 business plan centers on the nature of your business, its location(s), and the role of the potential transferee(s) to the United States. Therefore, while including the aforementioned information is helpful, it is important to craft this plan towards the intended audience and purpose.

Key requirements as set forth by the USCIS include:

• The foreign and U.S. offices shall be operated by the same company.
• The U.S. office can take many forms, as a subsidiary, branch, parent office, or affiliate of a foreign parent company.
• The foreign and the US company must be related in some way and shall both be a viable operation.

What is the difference between the L-1A Visa and L-1B Visa?

While both L1A and L1B visas are eligible to apply for permanent residence, there are some key differences. L1A visas grant stays up to 7 years, while if you’re an employee with specialized skills or knowledge, then an L1-B visa allows a stay for up to 5 years. For either visa, the applicant shall have worked for their employer for a minimum of 1 year in the past 3 years outside the U.S.

To apply for an L1 A visa you must:

• Obtain a transfer offer from your employer
• Complete the file form DS-160
• Have your employer file form I-129
• Submit the application fee, and supporting documentation

Furthermore, applicants must show that they are employed in a managerial or executive position as outlined by the USCIS.

On the other hand, L1 B visas are for those employees with specialized knowledge and skills which are defined further within 8 CFR 214.2.

Your L-1 Visa business plan writing partners

Reach out today to speak with one of our experienced business plan writers.  We would be happy to assist with your application, and help craft a winning L1 Visa business plan.