What tips should I keep in mind?

L-1A has a 7-year maximum stay; L-1B has 5 years. L-1A holders are eligible for EB-1C green card (no PERM required). L-2 spouses can apply for EAD and work in any job.

L-1 Visa Cost Estimator

Estimate the total cost of an L-1A (manager) or L-1B (specialized knowledge) intracompany transfer visa.

L-1 Type(L-1A for managers/executives, L-1B for specialized knowledge)

Company Employees in US(Affects fraud prevention fee)

Premium Processing?(15 business days vs 3-6 months)

Include Family (L-2)?(Spouse and children)

Number of Dependents(Spouse and children)

Results

Visualization

How It Works

The L-1 visa allows multinational companies to transfer managers/executives (L-1A) or employees with specialized knowledge (L-1B) to a US office. There is no cap or lottery. L-1A holders may qualify for EB-1C green cards, making this a popular path to permanent residency.

The Formula

Total Cost = I-129 Fee + Fraud Fee + ACWIA Fee + Premium (optional) + Attorney + Dependent Fees

Variables

I-129 — Base petition form fee ($460)
Fraud Fee — Mandatory $500 fraud prevention and detection fee
ACWIA — $4,500 fee for employers with 50+ employees (certain conditions)
Premium — Optional $2,805 for 15-business-day processing

Example

L-1A for a large company with premium processing and 2 dependents: $460 + $500 + $4,500 + $2,805 + $5,000 lawyer + $920 dependents + $1,000 dep lawyer = $15,185 total.

Tips

L-1A has a 7-year maximum stay; L-1B has 5 years.
L-1A holders are eligible for EB-1C green card (no PERM required).
L-2 spouses can apply for EAD and work in any job.
Blanket L petitions are available for larger companies (faster processing).
The employee must have worked abroad for the company for at least 1 year.