L-1A and L-1B intracompany transfers

Qualifying organization

The petitioner must show a qualifying parent, branch, affiliate or subsidiary relationship and the ownership and control behind it. The organization generally must be doing business in the United States and at least one other country throughout the approved stay. Common branding or commercial cooperation alone does not establish the required relationship.

Foreign employment

The employee generally must have worked abroad for a qualifying organization for one continuous year within the relevant three-year period. Confirm the exact entities, dates, payroll source, interruptions and time spent in the United States. Support the history with employment letters, payroll and tax records, organizational charts, evaluations and contemporaneous business records. Travel and prior U.S. employment can affect the calculation.

L-1A: Executive or manager

The proposed U.S. work must be primarily executive or managerial. Explain duty percentages, decision authority, staffing or essential-function management, budgets, goals, reporting lines and who performs operational work. A small company is not automatically disqualified, but the record must support a role that primarily directs or manages rather than mainly produces the company’s goods or services.

L-1B: Specialized knowledge

Describe the employee’s special knowledge of the organization’s products, services, research, equipment, techniques, management or other interests, or advanced expertise in its processes and procedures. Show how the knowledge was gained, how it differs from knowledge normally found in the industry or organization, why it matters to the assignment and which records prove it. Seniority, salary and adjectives do not substitute for specific evidence.