When a company is beginning to develop a market in another country, it is often necessary to have some employees with extensive experience, proprietary knowledge and specialized skills work in the newly established location. For this reason, many companies require the flexibility to transfer employees globally. The L-1 visa was specifically designed to facilitate the needs of such global intra-company transfers for both small and large companies.

There are two L-1 Visas available that allow a foreign company to temporarily transfer a qualified worker to a US-based facility. The L-1A Visa is for Executives and Managers and can be renewed for a period of up to 7 years, and the L-1B Visa is for Workers with Specialized Knowledge and can be renewed for up to 5 years. Eligible workers for an L1 Visa must have worked for the foreign company for a minimum of one year. This status is also available to a foreign national worker who is coming to the United States to open a new office that has no previous US presence. However, the authorized stay is only granted for one year, after which the company must prove it is achieving what it set out to do.

The L1 visa does allow for "dual intent". Even though it is a non-immigrant category, eligible applicants are not required to demonstrate a certain minimum level of ties to their home country or that they have no intent to ultimately immigrate to the United States. Additional benefits of the L-1 visa include the applicants spouses ability to work and that there is no limit to the number of L1 visas issued. Also, while an L1-visa employee must intend to leave, they may get started on the permanent residency process and getting a perm green card is often considered easier. A foreign national who enters in L-1A Visa status is not required to undergo the labor certification process, which is almost always a time-consuming and costly process. They are considered to be of such a high caliber of worker that the Department of Labor believes a test of the labor market unnecessary allowing applicants to move directly to applying to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service with an immigrant petition for an alien worker and an application to adjust status.

The USCIS (formerly the INS) scrutinizes L visa petitions closely, professional consultation with an experienced immigration attorney is recommended. Haynes Immigration Law Firm in Washington, DC is dedicated to the practice of immigration law and specializes in L1 Visa and national immigration services.