Updated August 11, 2026

US-L1A

Residency through business

The L-1A visa to the UnitedStates for an executive

The transfer of an owner or executive to the American office of their own company: citizenship makes no difference, and after a year of work the path to a green card through the EB-1C category opens up.

Get a preliminary assessment Check the company

The conditions under section 101(a)(15)(L) and the USCIS guidance
Working since 2004
We build the corporate structure to the USCIS requirements

An L-1A visa in a passport and corporate documents

no thresholdThere is no minimum investment

up to 7 yearsThe term of the status with renewals

3-6 monthsTo the status

01 / About the program

How the L-1A visa works

L-1A is the transfer of an executive from a foreign company to a company related to it in the United States. The law sets no minimum size of investment: what matters is the corporate link between the companies, the real activity of both and the applicant’s managerial role. Citizenship plays no part — a fundamental difference from the E-2 visa.

Citizenship makes no difference

No treaty countries and no second passport. For citizens of Russia and Belarus L-1A often turns out to be a more direct route to the United States than E-2.

A working company abroad is required

The foreign company must have been carrying on business for at least a year, and the applicant must have worked in it as an executive for at least a year out of the last three.

A new office means a visa for a year

If the American company is only opening, the first visa is issued for one year. By renewal the office must have premises, staff and turnover.

It leads to a green card

After a year of the American office working, the EB-1C category opens up — permanent status for an executive with no queue for labour certification.

02 / What you get

What the L-1A visa gives you

No investment and no thresholds

The law does not require a fixed sum to be invested. The money goes into developing your own office, not into proving a right to a visa.

Any citizenship

Treaty countries, as for E-2, are not needed here. It suits business owners from Russia, Belarus and other countries with no treaty with the United States.

The road to a green card

The EB-1C category for executives runs without labour certification and on a shorter timeline than most work categories.

A status for the family

A spouse and children under 21 receive L-2 status. The spouse has the right to work in the United States for any employer.

Up to seven years of status

Renewals totalling up to seven years — enough to grow the office and move to a permanent status.

An existing business works

If you already have a company with turnover and staff, the basis for the visa is essentially ready — the link and the role just have to be set up properly.

A preliminary assessment

Check your company

Set out who is applying with you. With the calculation we tell you whether your company fits the category and show the budget for the scenario and the timeline by stage.

Who is applying for the status?

Get the calculation

about a minuteno calls and no obligationsconfidential

An assessment of the company against the USCIS requirements
The budget for the chosen office scenario
A plan of action: where to start

An L-1A visa and the company’s corporate documents

03 / Why people apply

Why people arrange the L-1A visa

L-1A is taken by owners and senior managers of working companies who need a status in the United States without a second passport and without a large compulsory investment.

Moving without a second citizenship

The main reason for choosing it over E-2: there is no need first to obtain a Grenadian or Turkish passport and wait three years.

Expanding the business in the United States

Opening an American office solves tasks of market, settlements and clients — the visa becomes a consequence, not the goal.

A path to permanent status

EB-1C after a year of the office working is one of the fastest routes to a green card for an entrepreneur.

Work for the spouse

The spouse gets the right to work for any employer and the children study in American schools.

No capital is frozen

The money goes into the operating activity of the office rather than being blocked in a fund or an account.

A logic the consul understands

A company with a history and staff looks more convincing than an enterprise created for a visa.

04 / Travel

What the visa gives you for travel

L-1A is a non-immigrant visa: it allows you to live and work in the United States, but it is not a permanent status. At the same time it is the one that most often becomes a step towards a green card.

Mode 01

The United States for the term of the status

Residence and work in the American company for the whole time the status is in force. The overall limit is seven years.

Mode 02

Work only in your own company

The status is tied to the employing company. Working for an outside employer is not allowed — unlike a spouse on L-2.

Mode 03

The move to a green card

After a year of the American office working, the EB-1C category opens up. The application is filed while L-1A is still in force.

Mode 04

The rest of the world on your own passport

You travel to third countries on your passport of citizenship: that is what sets the visa regime, not the American visa.

Sources: section 101(a)(15)(L) of the US Immigration and Nationality Act and the USCIS rules on intracompany transfers. The requirements as to the corporate link and the managerial role are checked as at the date of filing.

05 / The composition of the application

Who gets the status with you

L-2 status extends to the executive’s immediate family. Open a row to see the conditions.

Any citizenship; a treaty country is not required
An executive position in the foreign company for at least a year out of the last three
A managerial, not an operational, role in the American office
The companies are related: parent, subsidiary, branch or affiliate

In a registered marriage
Has the right to work in the United States for any employer

Unmarried
Study in schools and universities in the United States
After 21 they move to a ground of their own

They are not covered by L-2 status
Separate grounds are found for them
We go through it individually

06 / Cost

What the L-1A visa costs

There is no compulsory investment threshold: the budget is set by the upkeep of the American office and the fees. The number of people in the application does not change the amount.

A new office in the United States · the first visa for a year

There is no threshold in money

There is no threshold in money

Holding period The whole time the status is in force

The foreign company has worked for at least a year and continues to operate
The applicant has worked in it as an executive for at least a year out of the last three
The American office needs premises, a hiring plan and proof of funding
The first visa is issued for one year
By renewal the office must genuinely work: staff, turnover, reporting

An existing office in the United States · up to three years at once

There is no threshold in money

There is no threshold in money

Holding period The whole time the status is in force

The American company has worked for more than a year and has staff and turnover
The corporate link is confirmed: common control or a shareholding
The visa is issued at once for up to three years, with renewals up to seven
The requirements as to the applicant’s managerial role are the same

Scenario

The main applicant

Spouse

Children under 21

Parents and other relatives

The law sets no minimum investment. The budget is made up of the upkeep of the American office, the USCIS and consular fees, preparing the corporate documents and support. This is a preliminary calculation, not a decision of a state authority.

07 / Comparison

L-1A against other American visas

An entrepreneur in the United States has several paths. Here are the main parameters side by side.

	L-1A	E-2	EB-5	O-1
Citizenship requirement	Any	A treaty country	Any	Any
Investment threshold	None	from $100,000	$800,000	None
Leads to a green card	Yes, through EB-1C	No	Yes	Yes, through EB-1A
The maximum term of the status	7 years	Indefinite with renewals	Permanent	3 years with renewals
Processing time	3-6 months	2-4 months	2-4 years	2-4 months

For citizens of Russia and Belarus L-1A is usually shorter in time than E-2, because it requires no second citizenship. The data are given as at the date this page was updated.

Full program comparison →

10 / How it works

How the L-1A visa process works

STEP 1

Checking the company and the role

We look at the foreign company: how long it has worked, the turnover, the staff, your position and your powers. Without a confirmed managerial role the visa does not get through.

STEP 2

The corporate structure

We set up the link between the companies: parent, subsidiary, branch or affiliate. The link must be documentarily flawless.

STEP 3

The American company

Registration, the account, the premises, the lease. For a new office USCIS looks at how real the plans are, not at intentions.

STEP 4

The business plan and hiring

A plan for the first year: the reporting structure, the hiring plan, the financial model. That is what explains why an executive is needed.

STEP 5

The petition to USCIS

Form I-129 with the L supplement is filed. Premium processing is possible — a decision within 15 working days.

STEP 6

The visa at the consulate

Once the petition is approved we apply for the visa. The interview is built around the company, your role and the plans for the office.

STEP 7

Renewals and EB-1C

A new office is renewed after a year where the work is real. From that same point the green card application under EB-1C can be prepared.

A step-by-step plan of the process

The same seven steps as a document: what is prepared at each stage, which documents the company needs and what applications are most often refused on.

Download the step-by-step plan

The L-1A visa is issued under section 101(a)(15)(L) of the US Immigration and Nationality Act.

The USAExecutive transferBusiness

Check the company

11 / Our role

Why people arrange the L-1A visa with us

On L-1A what is checked is not the person but the construction: the link between the companies, the executive’s role and the viability of the office. A mistake in the structure costs a refusal.

We build the corporate link

Shareholdings, control, ownership documents. USCIS looks at that first, and it is where do-it-yourself applications most often fall apart.

We prove the managerial role

The reporting structure, the powers, confirmations from the foreign company. An owner who does the operational work themselves does not fit the category.

We prepare the plan for the office

The premises, the hiring, the funding, realistic turnover. For a new office that is the decisive part of the case.

We take it through to EB-1C

The visa is an intermediate step. We plan the move to a green card from the outset and make sure the office meets the requirements of the category.

12 / Team

Who runs the L-1A visa process

The application is run by a permanent team: the programme lawyer, a corporate structure specialist and a family coordinator.

Viktoria LebedevaManaging Director, Private ClientsThe strategy and the structure of the group of companies

Karim NaserHead of Istanbul OfficeThe petition, the documents and preparation for the interview

Yan NovakWealth Structuring AdvisorThe taxes of the companies and the owner

Sofia MendesInvestment Migration ExpertCoordinating the family and contact at every stage

15 / Materials

Useful materials on L-1A

Materials on transferring an executive: the requirements for the companies, the role and the office in the United States.

The main materialPresentation

The L-1A visa for an executive

The presentation gathers the essentials: the requirements for the companies and the position, the scenarios for a new and an existing office, the family composition, the documents and how the work is done.

Inside:

which companies fit the category
how the managerial role is confirmed
how a new office differs from an existing one
which family members receive the status
which documents will be needed
how to move to a green card under EB-1C
how work with BRIDGES is organised

PDF · free · current as of August 2026

The time in business, the turnover, the staff, the ownership structure and your role — what USCIS will check.

The list for both companies and for the family, marking what has to be translated and certified.

We calculate the budget: the upkeep of the office, the fees, preparing the petition and the support.

All the materials are updated regularly by our team and are used when supporting BRIDGES clients.

16 / News

What has changed on the L-1A visa

2024-04-01

The USCIS fees for employer petitions were raised, form I-129 and premium processing among them.

2025-01-01

USCIS tightened its checks on new offices: by renewal, proof of real activity, hiring and turnover is required.

Worth having

Download the L-1A visa checklist

The short document we give clients before the start: the requirements for the companies and the role, the office scenarios, the cost structure and the stages — in one list, with nothing padded.

Inside the document

The requirements for the companies and the managerial role
A new office and an existing one: how they differ
The current conditions for 2026

We will send it after a short form - no call or obligation.

17 / Questions

Answers to common questions

No. Unlike E-2, L-1A does not require citizenship of a treaty country. For citizens of Russia and Belarus it is usually a more direct route: there is no need first to obtain a second passport and wait three years.

The law sets no compulsory threshold. The money goes into developing your American office: rent, staff, equipment, turnover. USCIS looks not at the sum but at whether the activity is real.

The foreign company must have worked for at least a year and continue to operate after the transfer. Between it and the American company there must be a corporate link: parent, subsidiary, branch or an affiliate structure under common control.

At least a year of work in the foreign company in an executive position within the last three years, and a managerial role in the American office. An owner who does all the operational work themselves does not fit the category.

For a new office the first visa is for one year, then renewals of two years each, totalling up to seven. If the American company has already worked for more than a year, the visa is issued at once for up to three years.

Yes. After a year of the American office working, the EB-1C category for executives opens up: it runs without labour certification and is usually faster than other work categories. The application is filed while L-1A status is in force.

Yes. The spouse receives L-2 status and has the right to work in the United States for any employer. Children under 21 study in schools and universities.

The real work: the premises, the staff hired, the turnover, the reporting and the fact that you genuinely direct the office rather than doing all the work yourself. Renewing a new office is the riskiest moment, and we prepare for it from day one.

3-6 months in the ordinary course. With premium processing USCIS answers within 15 working days, but preparing the corporate pack still takes most of the time.

The status is tied to the company: if the office closes or stops working the visa is lost. That is why from the outset we build the office as a working division, not as a formality for a visa.

INITIAL ASSESSMENT

Tell us what outcome your family needs

We will design a solution for your case, choose the country and the right status, and take the whole process through to the result.

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Anna Kovalevskaya, lead lawyer at BRIDGES GLOBAL

Anna KovalevskayaLead lawyer, citizenship and residency, 12 years of practice