L-1 visa: How firms can transfer foreign staff to launch projects in US

US Commerce Secretary says firms setting up locally can use L-1 visas to bring staff and launch operations while training American workers

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Monday urged companies to manufacture within the United States if they want access to its domestic market, offering support through L-1 visas to bring in employees for project launches.

 

“The Department of Commerce will have the ability to assist you in getting L-1 visas so that you can bring your employees in to launch the project. You'll train American workers over time, but you can bring your people here and we will set that infrastructure for you,” Lutnick said.

 

Speaking at the SelectUSA Investment Summit in National Harbour, Maryland, he said the country was encouraging companies to set up operations locally rather than rely on overseas production.

   

“If you want to successfully sell in the United States, build here. Build here. If you want to access our markets..., hire our workers and do it here,” he said.

 

Lutnick described earlier trade patterns as a phase where the US transferred knowledge abroad while manufacturing moved elsewhere.

 

“We sort of outsourced production everywhere else in the world, but with advanced manufacturing, we can bring it back,” he said.

 

“Our trade agenda has made it clear. If you build here, and you hire here, and you strengthen our industrial base, we will help you. We will assist you and we will protect you. So that's what America first means,” he added.

 

What is the L-1 visa?

 

The L-1 visa is a non-immigrant category in the United States for intracompany transfers. It allows multinational firms to move certain employees from overseas offices to work in the US for a temporary period.

 

Companies often use this route to transfer key staff to manage operations, oversee projects, or provide specialised expertise while maintaining global operations.

 

The visa has two subcategories:

 

L-1A visa: For managers and executives transferred to a US office linked as a subsidiary, branch, affiliate, or parent company

L-1B visa: For employees with specialised knowledge of the company’s products, processes, or technology

 

Eligibility requirements

 

According to US Citizenship and Immigration Services, both the employee and employer must meet certain conditions. For employees, this includes working for a qualifying multinational organisation linked to the US employer, applying for a managerial, executive, or specialised knowledge role, and having completed at least one continuous year of employment with the company within the three years preceding the application, outside the United States.

 

Executive and functional manager roles

 

Both fall under the L-1A category but differ in scope:

 

• Executives lead the organisation or a major part of it, set goals, and take strategic decisions

• Functional managers oversee a key function or department, even if they do not directly supervise staff

 

US authorities assess the classification based on documentation submitted with the application.

 

Employer requirements

 

For sponsoring employers:

 

• Must have a qualifying relationship with the overseas entity, such as a parent, subsidiary, affiliate, or branch

• Must be actively operating in the US with a physical office

• Must provide a valid job offer and file a petition with immigration authorities

 

Family of L-1 Workers

 

The transferring employee may be accompanied or followed by their spouse and unmarried children who are under 21 years of age. Spouses and children may seek admission in the L-2 nonimmigrant classification and, if approved, generally will be granted the same period of stay as the employee, according to USCIS.

 

Application process

 

The process involves both the employer and the employee.

 

For employers:

 

• File Form I-129 with supporting documents

• Pay the required government fees

 

For applicants:

 

• Complete Form DS-160 online

• Pay the visa application fee

• Schedule and attend a visa interview at a US embassy or consulate