What Is An L-1 Blanket Visa?

An L-1 visa is a visa that allows for the temporary transfer of a foreign worker that is an executive, manager, or falls into the specialized knowledge category, to the United States to continue working for the same employer or its parent, branch, subsidiary, or affiliate. It is a nonimmigrant visa. There are two types of L-1 procedures:

• L-1 Individual Visa—allows for the transfer of a single individual.
• L-1 Blanket Visa—allows for the transfer of multiple employees together

An L-1 blanket visa petition is an option that allows a company to transfer many employees to the Unites States quickly and on short notice. Often large, multinational corporations will file a blanket L-1 visa petition in order to obtain L-1 visas for their employees that are transferring to offices in the United States. Using an L-1 blanket petition, a company can file a single petitioner, and the company may be qualified to transfer a certain number of executives and managers to the U.S. on L-1 visas. This eliminates the need to file individual visa petitions for each employee.

Once an L-1 blanket petition has been approved, the qualified employees take the appropriate paperwork and other required evidence to a U.S. Consular Office to apply for their L-1 visa. Applicants can also apply for an L-2 visa for their spouses and dependent children.

L-1 Blanket Visa Requirements

In order to qualify to file for an L-1 blanket visa, there are certain requirements and criteria that must be met by the company, including:

• Each of the qualifying organizations of the company must be engaged in commercial services or trade
• The company must have an office in the U.S. that has been doing business for at least a year
• The company must have at least three (3) foreign and domestic branches, subsidiaries, or affiliates
• The company and other qualifying organizations must also:
• Have obtained at least 10 L-1 visas in the past year
• Have combined annual sales of at least $25 million
• Have a United States workforce of at least 1,000 employees.

Contact An Experienced Visa Attorney

If your company is looking to transfer employees to the U.S., you may want the help of an experienced immigration attorney. At Serving Immigrants, Inc., we have the experience and the knowledge to guide you through the application process. Contact us online or call us at (305) 907-6151 to schedule a strategy session.