L-1 Visa Guide 2026: Transferring to the US With Your Company (L-1A vs L-1B)

The L-1 visa lets a multinational company move an employee from an office abroad to a related US office. You generally need one continuous year of work for the company abroad in the last three years, and you must be coming as a manager or executive (L-1A) or as someone with specialized knowledge of the company (L-1B). There is no cap and no lottery.

Key points

• L-1A (managers and executives): up to 7 years. L-1B (specialized knowledge): up to 5 years.
• New office petitions get only 1 year at first, and the US office must be able to support a managerial role within that year.
• As of October 2026, the I-129 L fee is $1,385 paper or $1,335 online ($695 for small employers and nonprofits), plus other fees that can bring the USCIS total close to $7,000 before premium processing.
• Since September 9, 2026, the $4,500 Pub. L. 114-113 fee also applies to extensions filed by employers with 50+ US employees and more than half on H-1B or L status.
• L-1A is a common route to an EB-1C green card, which needs no labor certification.

Who qualifies

According to USCIS, the employer must:

• Have a qualifying relationship with the foreign company: parent, branch, subsidiary or affiliate.
• Be doing business (or about to do business) in the US and in at least one other country, for the whole time the employee is in L-1 status. The business must be real and active, but it does not have to trade internationally.

The employee must:

• Have worked for a qualifying organization abroad for one continuous year within the three years before admission.
• Be coming to work in an executive or managerial role (L-1A) or in a role that uses specialized knowledge (L-1B).

Time spent in the US during those three years does not break the continuity, but it also does not count toward the one year.

L-1A vs L-1B

	L-1A	L-1B
Role	Executive or manager, including “function managers” who manage an essential function rather than people	Specialized knowledge of the company’s products, services, research, systems, techniques or procedures
Initial approval	Up to 3 years (1 year for a new office)	Up to 3 years (1 year for a new office)
Extensions	Up to 2 years at a time	Up to 2 years at a time
Maximum total	7 years	5 years
Green card link	EB-1C multinational manager or executive (no PERM)	Usually EB-2 or EB-3 with PERM
Offsite placement	Allowed under normal rules	Restricted: the worker must not be controlled by the client and the job must not be “labor for hire” (USCIS L-1B page)

L-1B petitions draw more requests for evidence because “specialized knowledge” is a judgment call. Strong petitions explain what the knowledge is, why it is uncommon inside and outside the company, and how long it takes to learn.

New office petitions

A company opening its first US location can still use the L-1. USCIS requires that:

• The company has secured enough physical premises for the new office.
• For L-1A, the employee was a manager or executive for one continuous year in the three years before filing.
• The US office will support a managerial or executive position within one year of approval.

New office approvals last only one year. The extension petition must show the office is actually operating, with staff, revenue and a structure that supports the manager.

Blanket L petitions

Large companies can get a blanket L approval and then send individual employees to a US consulate with Form I-129S instead of filing a separate petition with USCIS each time. To qualify, the company must:

• Be engaged in commercial trade or services.
• Have a US office doing business for at least one year.
• Have three or more domestic and foreign branches, subsidiaries and affiliates.
• Meet one of these: 10 or more L-1 approvals in the past 12 months; US subsidiaries or affiliates with combined annual sales of at least $25 million; or a US workforce of at least 1,000.

Under a blanket, L-1B workers must also be “professionals.” Canadian citizens can generally present L-1 petitions at the border.

L-1 fees in 2026

All USCIS figures are from the G-1055 fee schedule, edition 10/07/26.

Fee	Amount	Who pays it
I-129 L petition	$1,385 paper / $1,335 online	All petitioners
I-129 L (small employer or nonprofit)	$695	Employers with 25 or fewer full-time-equivalent employees, and nonprofits
Asylum Program Fee	$600 ($300 small employers, $0 nonprofits)	All petitioners
Fraud Prevention and Detection Fee	$500	Initial L petitions, change of employer, and new entities under a blanket
Pub. L. 114-113 fee	$4,500	Employers with 50+ US employees and more than 50% in H-1B, L-1A or L-1B status, through September 30, 2027
Premium processing (optional)	$2,965	15 business days
I-129S (blanket)	$0 plus applicable fees	Blanket L employees

The State Department also charges a visa application fee at the consulate. Check the current amount on the embassy’s website.

The extension fee change

A DHS final rule published August 10, 2026, effective September 9, 2026, extended the $4,500 Pub. L. 114-113 fee to L-1 extension petitions filed by the same employer, where the employer meets the 50-employee and 50% tests. Before this, the fee applied mainly to initial petitions and change-of-employer cases. The G-1055 now says the fee applies unless the petitioner is filing an amended petition that does not seek an extension.

Process step by step

1. Confirm eligibility. The company checks the corporate relationship and the employee’s year abroad.
2. File Form I-129 with USCIS (or use the blanket approval and I-129S).
3. Optional premium processing for a decision within 15 business days.
4. Visa interview at a US consulate in the employee’s country of nationality or residence. Since September 2025, most applicants must attend an in-person interview.
5. Enter the US and receive an I-94 showing L-1 status and the approved end date.
6. Extend before the I-94 expires, if needed.

Dependents (spouse and unmarried children under 21) apply for L-2 status. Spouses in valid L-2 status can work without a separate work permit; USCIS issues I-94s marked “L-2S” as evidence.

From L-1A to an EB-1C green card

The EB-1C category is for multinational managers and executives. It skips the PERM labor certification. The general requirements are:

• One year of managerial or executive employment abroad with a related company in the three years before the petition (or before entering the US to work for the same employer).
• A US job offer in a managerial or executive role.
• The US employer has been doing business for at least one year.

The I-140 fee is $715 paper or $665 online, plus the $600 Asylum Program Fee ($300 for small employers). Premium processing for EB-1C (E13) takes 45 business days, not 15. In the October 2026 Visa Bulletin, EB-1 was current for most countries, with backlogs for China and India. See our employment-based green card comparison.

L-1B holders usually move through EB-2 or EB-3 with PERM, which takes longer, and the 5-year L-1B limit can run out before a green card arrives.

L-1 vs H-1B

The L-1 avoids the H-1B lottery but only works if you have a year with the company abroad. It is tied to one employer group, and it has a hard 5- or 7-year limit. The H-1B allows employer changes and can be extended past six years with green card progress, but it needs a lottery win for most new workers.

Both visas allow “dual intent,” which means a pending green card application does not by itself make you ineligible.

This is general information, not legal advice. L-1 petitions turn on corporate structure and job duties, so work with a licensed US immigration attorney.

What to do next

• Confirm your dates of employment abroad add up to one continuous year in the last three.
• Ask HR whether the company has a blanket L approval.
• Budget for the full fee stack, including the $4,500 fee if your employer meets the 50/50 test.
• Follow fee changes on our updates page and the US hub.