--- title: The L-1 Intra-Company Transferee Visa description: The L-1B visa facilitates the transfer of key employees from a foreign corporation to a U.S. branch, parent, subsidiary or affiliated entity. --- [ info@pollakimmigration.com](mailto:info@pollakimmigration.com)[ 954-250-8335](tel:954-250-8335) [BOOK YOUR MEETING ](https://www.pollakimmigration.com/contact-us/) # The L-1 Intra-Company Transferee Visa Posted by [ Michael Pollak ](https://www.pollakimmigration.com/blog/author/michael-pollak) August 1, 2009 ****** The ["L-1" or "intra-company transfer" visa](https://www.immigrationgucl.com/non-immigrant-visas/) facilitates the transfer of key employees from a foreign corporation to a U.S. branch, parent, subsidiary or affiliated entity. This visa allows a U.S. company to bring in top-level managerial, executive or specialized knowledge employees for a temporary period. The employee must have worked for the foreign company for at least one of the past three years, or six months for a blanket "L" scenario, and must work for the U.S. company in a similar position. The position must be in one of the three classes: manager, executive, or specialized knowledge. However, the position need not be classified under the same status as it would be overseas (for instance, what is considered a "specialized knowledge" position overseas could be classified as "manager" position in the United States. The foreign entity may pay the employee's salary but the U.S. company must control the employee's performance of work. Authority to engage and terminate the employee is strong evidence of control. There are no numerical limits on the L visa and the spouse of an L visa holder may apply for work authorization. The L visa is initially valid for up to three years in the case of an existing business and up to one year where a new business is established in the United States. There is a five-year limit on L-1B employees with specialized knowledge staying in the United States and a seven-year limit for L-1A managers and executives. Consular posts generally see an increase in L-1 applications after the H-1B cap is reached. However, there is no legal reason why aliens eligible for H-1B status cannot legitimately seek out other type of visas, including L visas. Tags: - [Visas](https://www.pollakimmigration.com/blog/topic/visas) [ Share on Facebook ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.pollakimmigration.com/blog/bid/11133/the-l-1-intra-company-transferee-visa) [Share on Twitter ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://www.pollakimmigration.com/blog/bid/11133/the-l-1-intra-company-transferee-visa&text=The%20L-1%20Intra-Company%20Transferee%20Visa) [ Share on Linkedin ](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://www.pollakimmigration.com/blog/bid/11133/the-l-1-intra-company-transferee-visa&title=The%20L-1%20Intra-Company%20Transferee%20Visa) ## Related Posts ![DHS Proposes a Weighted Wage Selection Process for the Upcoming H-1B Lottery Program](https://www.pollakimmigration.com/hubfs/AI-Generated%20Media/Images/H1b%20visa-1.png) October 3, 2025 ### DHS Proposes a Weighted Wage Selection Process for the Upcoming H-1B Lottery Program On September 24, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a proposed rule in the Federal Registrar introducing a weighted selection process for H-1B cap-subject pe... [ Read More ](https://www.pollakimmigration.com/blog/dhs-proposes-a-weighted-wage-selection-process-for-the-upcoming-h-1b-lottery-program) ![The $100,000 H-1B Presidential Proclamation Leaves Us with More Questions than Answers](https://www.pollakimmigration.com/hubfs/AI-Generated%20Media/Images/H1b%20visa-1.png) September 30, 2025 ### The $100,000 H-1B Presidential Proclamation Leaves Us with More Questions than Answers On September 19, 2024, President Trump issued a Presidential Proclamation requiring employers of H-1B specialty occupation employees to pay a $100,000 fee prior to the employee ent... [ Read More ](https://www.pollakimmigration.com/blog/100000-h1b-trump-presidential-proclamation) ![4 Tips to Improve H-1B Approvals in 2019](https://www.pollakimmigration.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/file-13281347-4.jpg) February 22, 2019 ### 4 Tips to Improve H-1B Approvals in 2019 Can you believe that H-1B Season is upon us! Each year, I say it seems like yesterday we filed last year’s H-1B Cap Cases. This year is particularly true as we are still responding... [ Read More ](https://www.pollakimmigration.com/blog/4-tips-to-improve-h-1b-approvals-2019) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Michael Pollak", "url" : "https://www.pollakimmigration.com/blog/author/michael-pollak" }, "dateModified" : "2025-01-03T12:36:48.730Z", "datePublished" : "2009-08-01T05:00:00.000Z", "headline" : "The L-1 Intra-Company Transferee Visa", "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.pollakimmigration.com/blog/bid/11133/the-l-1-intra-company-transferee-visa", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "//www.pollakimmigration.com/hubfs/Pollack-2017/Image/Pollack-orange-logo.png" }, "name" : "Pollak PLLC" } } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "LegalService", "department" : [ { "@type" : "LegalService", "address" : { "@type" : "PostalAddress", "addressCountry" : "US", "addressLocality" : "Addison", "addressRegion" : "TX", "postalCode" : "75001", "streetAddress" : "5057 Keller Springs Rd, Suite 300" }, "email" : "info@pollakimmigration.com", "hasMap" : "https://www.google.com/maps/place/Pollak+PLLC/@32.958844,-96.8230226,17z/data=!4m6!3m5!1s0x864e993b29f864ef:0x4b23f3951a7aaedd!8m2!3d32.958844!4d-96.8230226!16s%2Fg%2F11c7_xxcf1?hl=en&entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDcyMy4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D", "name" : "Pollak PLLC - Addison Office", "telephone" : "+1-214-307-5510", "url" : "https://www.pollakimmigration.com/areas-we-serve/dallas" }, { "@type" : "LegalService", "address" : { "@type" : "PostalAddress", "addressCountry" : "US", "addressLocality" : "Fort Lauderdale", "addressRegion" : "FL", "postalCode" : "33304", "streetAddress" : "2598 E Sunrise Blvd, Suite #2104" }, "email" : "info@pollakimmigration.com", "hasMap" : "https://www.google.com/maps/place/Pollak+PLLC/@26.1373128,-80.1111488,17z/data=!4m6!3m5!1s0x88d9015e5c8534cb:0x87dca60227fd9933!8m2!3d26.1373128!4d-80.1111488!16s%2Fg%2F11y7d84z5g?hl=en&entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDcyMy4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D", "name" : "Pollak PLLC - Fort Lauderdale Office", "telephone" : "+1-214-307-5510", "url" : "https://www.pollakimmigration.com/areas-we-serve/fort-lauderdale" } ], "description" : "Pollak PLLC is a trusted immigration law firm with over 100 five-star reviews, serving business owners, executives, investors, and professionals seeking employment- and investment-based immigration solutions. With decades of combined experience, our team assists clients with EB-5, E-2, E-3, L-1, H-1B, EB-2, EB-3, EB-1, and related visa strategies, offering tailored legal counsel and deep knowledge of U.S. immigration law. Our team lead by attorney Karen Lee-Pollak provides complete immigration solutions to corporations, small businesses, investors, and families interested in obtaining immigrant and non-immigrant visas to live and work in the United States", "email" : "info@pollakimmigration.com", "logo" : "https://www.pollakimmigration.com/hubfs/pllc_pollak_logo_orange.jpg", "name" : "Pollak PLLC", "sameAs" : [ "https://www.facebook.com/KarenPollakImmigration/", "https://emigrate2usa.co.za/united-states/addison/immigration-service-providers/pollak-pllc", "https://chambers.com/law-firm/pollak-pllc-usa-spotlight-120:23034001", "https://www.lawinfo.com/lawfirm/texas/addison/pollak-pllc/51d718df-eb5a-4846-b223-115a23966e2a.html", "https://www.lawline.com/lawyer/karen-lee-pollak", "https://www.instagram.com/pollakimmigration/?hl=en", "https://lawyers.uslegal.com/attorney/pollak-pllc-79506212/", "https://www.bbb.org/us/tx/addison/profile/immigration-lawyer/pollak-pllc-0875-91319139", "https://www.eb5investors.com/directories/immigration-attorneys/karenlee-pollak/", "https://greencardbyinvestment.com/lawyer/karen-lee-pollak", "https://www.youtube.com/user/immigrationgucl", "https://nextdoor.com/pages/pollak-pllc-addison-tx/", "https://www.yelp.com/biz/pollak-addison", "https://www.avvo.com/attorneys/75001-tx-karenlee-pollak-62210.html" ], "telephone" : "+1-214-307-5510", "url" : "https://www.pollakimmigration.com/" } ```