L-1 NON-IMMIGRANT VISA
L-1 NON-IMMIGRANT VISA
Orlando L1 Immigration Visa Lawyer Rules. The term global economy means different things to different people. Here, in Orlando, our economy has been and will forever be global. It seems like anytime you enter a restaurant, a shopping mall, a place of worship, or anywhere large numbers of people gather, the number of accents or languages you come across is staggering.
Many of these people are not casual visitors, but foreign nationals who have come to the United States to find employment, or have been brought here by their companies who have branches in other countries. There are several different visas provide by the United States Citizenship and Naturalization Service that make this possible.
According to Attorney Joe Knape, one of the most common types of employment visas is the L-1 visa. An L-1 visa is considered a non-immigrant visa and is only valid for a short amount of time. Depending on the country the employee is coming from, with extensions, the visa may be good for up to seven years. An L-1 visa is used by companies that have locations both in the United States and abroad. If the company has an employee located in their foreign office whose services they require in the US, they can bring that employee over to work in this country using the L-1 visa.
There are some prerequisites that must be met before applying for the visa. First of all, the employee that will be coming to this country must have worked for the company for at least one continuous year in the previous three years before applying to come to the US. In addition, there are certain criteria that must be met for the non US and US companies. The two companies must be:
- A parent company and a subsidiary of the same company
- A branch and headquarters relationship
- Sister companies that have a mutual parent
- Affiliates that are owned by the same people, who have approximately the same percentage of ownership
If the foreign company is expanding to the United States, it may also apply for L-1 visas to send employees to the United States to help establish a new location.
If a person is sent over to the United States from another country, what about the spouse? Can they get work? Spouse’s qualify for the L-2 visa, which allows for finding a job without restrictions.
An L-1 visa is also considered to be a dual intent visa, meaning that the person may be coming to this country to work for a foreign company, but they are also coming over intent on qualifying for a green card, and perhaps permanent residence in the United States.
If your company is interested in bringing employees into the United States using an L-1 visa, the application process can be confusing. There are ways to simplify the process if you are planning on bringing multiple people over to this country. For more information on the process and to start the application, make an appointment to see Immigration Specialist Attorney Joe Knape.
L-1 Non Immigrant Visa Attorney in Orlando, Joe Knape has the background and experience to help you get your L-1 Visa and maintain it while your employees are in the United States.
Attorney Joe Knape can be reached for a Free Consultation at 407-508-7774.