Can I open my own US company and go on an L-1?

Yes, USCIS calls it a new office: a foreign company may send an executive or manager to open a US office. You must show secured premises, a year as an executive or manager within the last three years, and that within a year of approval the office will support an executive or managerial position. The first stay for a new office is at most one year.

Is it true L-1 needs a $25 million company turnover?

No. The chats confuse it with the blanket petition, a pre-approved route for large groups of companies. That route needs one of three: 10 L-1 approvals in 12 months, $25 million combined sales of the US units, or a US workforce of 1,000. An ordinary individual L-1 petition has no such threshold.

How long can I stay in the US on an L-1?

The first stay is up to three years (one for a new office), extensions come in steps of up to two years. The cap is 7 years for L-1A (executives and managers) and 5 years for L-1B (specialized knowledge). The chats report the visa in the passport can be shorter than the status: one L-1B visa was issued for 2 years with 3 years of status.

Can the spouse work on L-2?

Yes. Per USCIS a spouse in L-2S status is employment authorized incident to status; the proof is an I-94 with the L-2S code (issued since January 30, 2022). Filing an I-765 is optional, for those who want an EAD card. Children under 21 come on L-2.

How do I get a green card from an L-1?

For executives and managers the direct route is EB-1C: the US employer files the I-140, no PERM labor certification, provided you worked a year as an executive or manager abroad in the three years before the petition and the company has done business in the US for a year. The chats call L-1A followed by EB-1C "the most painless route" if the employer will sponsor it. L-1 is a dual-intent visa: an immigrant petition or an I-485 does not by itself break L status (8 CFR 214.2(l)(16)).

Work visa

L-1 visa: requirements, timelines and the move to EB-1C

Updated: September 25, 2026Author: Alina Kanametova

Key answer

In short

L-1 is the visa for transferring an employee from a foreign company to its US office. The USCIS condition is one continuous year with a related company within the last three years. L-1A is for executives and managers, up to 7 years; L-1B is for specialists with specialized knowledge of the company, up to 5 years. The employer files the I-129, there is no lottery and no cap, and a new US office can be opened. The family comes on L-2 and the spouse may work. For an L-1A manager the direct road to a green card is EB-1C, with no labor certification.

Warsaw Almaty Astana Belgrade Yerevan Tbilisi

901chat messages about L-1

1 yearwith the company abroad within the last 3 years (USCIS)

7 / 5 yearscap for L-1A / L-1B (USCIS)

2.9%denials among EB-1C decisions, FY2025 (USCIS)

L-1 visa requirements: five steps

Step	What	How	More
1	A year with the company abroad	one continuous year with a qualifying organization (parent, branch, subsidiary, affiliate) within the three years before admission; the chats say large employers count working days, which in practice means 14-15 calendar months	every visa category
2	The I-129 petition	filed by the US employer; large groups with an approved blanket petition use Form I-129S; under the DHS final rule of August 10, 2026, L-1 I-129 petitions sent on or after September 9, 2026 by covered employers carry the 9-11 Biometric Fee	what it costs
3	The consular visa	Russians get the visa in a third country; the chats show L-1 landing in administrative processing like H-1B and O-1 - the timings are below	administrative processing
4	Entry and the family	the spouse and children under 21 come on L-2, the spouse may work; the first stay is up to 3 years, 1 year for a new office	family
5	The green card	executives and managers - EB-1C without PERM; L-1B specialists - through the employer's PERM or on their own via EB-1A and NIW	the EB-1 visa and EB-1C

L-1A and L-1B: the difference

L-1A and L-1B compared, per USCIS
Parameter	L-1A	L-1B
Who is transferred	an executive or a manager, including one managing an essential function without direct reports	a specialist with specialized knowledge of the company's product, techniques or processes
First stay	up to 3 years, a new office up to 1 year	up to 3 years, a new office up to 1 year
Cap with all extensions	7 years	5 years
Green card	EB-1C without PERM	the employer's PERM, EB-1A or NIW

Per the USCIS L-1A and L-1B pages (updated 08/31/2026, read 09/25/2026).

From L-1 to EB-1C

Per USCIS data for FY2025, EB-1C petitions got 10,940 approvals and 329 denials - 2.9% denials among decisions (decisions are counted in the quarter issued; this is not a share of filed petitions). For comparison, EB-1A denials among decisions that year were 33.1%. The USCIS conditions for EB-1C: a year as an executive or manager with a related company abroad within the three years before the petition (or before your latest admission if you already work for the US employer), a US employer doing business for a year, no labor certification.

Administrative processing on L-1: how long people waited

Yerevan: 9.5 months
Yerevan: 16 months

Chat members' reports for 2023-2025, not State Department statistics. Per the chats, people on a renewal check went back to the US on a still-valid visa, and family L-2 visas are sometimes held longer than the employee's own.

What the chats ask about the L-1 visa

2×I am in Russia. I have Israeli citizenship (except for my child). I want to submit a petition with premium processing for the EB-2 NIW visa first, and after its approval - for the L1 visa (to open a branch of my company in the USA). Write the algorithm of actions. What are the risks and time frames?
2×L1 visa
2×L-1A visa
1×If I plan to go for an L-1 visa, where should I start?
1×What are my chances of getting approved for an O-1 or L-1 visa (as a temporary visa while waiting for my EB-2 NIW interview)? I can open a company (a branch of my Russian one or a new one) and work there.
1×After my EB-2 NIW petition is approved, can I apply for an O-1 or L-1 visa?

Community answers

Is O-1 considered a dual intent visa?: O-1 is often seen as more tolerant of immigrant intent, but formally it is not as clearly established as it is for H-1B/L-1. The decision still depends on the officer and the specific circumstances.

Real timelines named in the chats

Stage	Typically	Note
L-1/L-2: administrative processing after the interview	6 months or more	A long wait for L-1/L-2 is mentioned, with periodic standard responses from the consulate; the review also affected further processing of the immigrant visa.
L1: administrative processing under the Technology Alert List after the interview	6 months or more	An L1 case was described involving a PhD/technical field, where AP under a technology alert was already in its 6th month.
EB-1 / EB-2 NIW / other I-140s: I-140 with premium processing	15-45 days	It was stated that for some categories, a response with premium processing is expected in about 15 days, while for EB-1C and EB-2 NIW it is about 45 days.
EB-1C: I-140 - Premium Processing	expedite became available recently for this category	It was noted that premium processing was not available for all categories, and that it was introduced recently for EB-1C. No specific observations on processing duration were provided.

Rules and tips from the chats

ruleIf the achievements for EB-1/O-1 are still weak, it is worth considering alternative routes: a student visa, L-1 through an intracompany transfer, or temporary status followed by strengthening the case.
ruleIf the key goal is the spouse's ability to work, it is worth comparing EB-1, L-1, H-1B, O-1, and other options in advance. Different statuses provide different rights for dependent spouses, and this can be a decisive factor in choosing a strategy.
ruleL-1 and H-1B are a poor fit for arrangements where a sole proprietor effectively transfers himself or formally hires a close relative in a newly opened company. These options require a real corporate structure, an independent employer, and a justified business need.
tipTo maintain the ability to work or wait for an immigration process, people often consider nonimmigrant statuses such as O-1, L-1, or H-1B, and also assess which path is safer - adjustment of status in the United States or DS-260 through a consulate.

Cases from the community

L-1A · management/business · RFE

An applicant transferred within the company to a management position received a request or deadline on the case, which was then extended by about a month.

What they did: Waiting for or preparing a response within the extended deadline.

EB-1C · management/business · approved

The applicant had a previously approved immigration petition in a managerial category, filed several years ago, but did not use it.

What they did: Kept the approved I-140 as an unused immigration asset.

Questions and answers on the site

Distilled from the public community chats, anonymised; corpus as of June 2026. These are participants' observations, not legal advice and not USCIS statistics.

Frequently asked questions

Can I open my own US company and go on an L-1?: Yes, USCIS calls it a new office: a foreign company may send an executive or manager to open a US office. You must show secured premises, a year as an executive or manager within the last three years, and that within a year of approval the office will support an executive or managerial position. The first stay for a new office is at most one year.
Is it true L-1 needs a $25 million company turnover?: No. The chats confuse it with the blanket petition, a pre-approved route for large groups of companies. That route needs one of three: 10 L-1 approvals in 12 months, $25 million combined sales of the US units, or a US workforce of 1,000. An ordinary individual L-1 petition has no such threshold.
How long can I stay in the US on an L-1?: The first stay is up to three years (one for a new office), extensions come in steps of up to two years. The cap is 7 years for L-1A (executives and managers) and 5 years for L-1B (specialized knowledge). The chats report the visa in the passport can be shorter than the status: one L-1B visa was issued for 2 years with 3 years of status.
Can the spouse work on L-2?: Yes. Per USCIS a spouse in L-2S status is employment authorized incident to status; the proof is an I-94 with the L-2S code (issued since January 30, 2022). Filing an I-765 is optional, for those who want an EAD card. Children under 21 come on L-2.
How do I get a green card from an L-1?: For executives and managers the direct route is EB-1C: the US employer files the I-140, no PERM labor certification, provided you worked a year as an executive or manager abroad in the three years before the petition and the company has done business in the US for a year. The chats call L-1A followed by EB-1C "the most painless route" if the employer will sponsor it. L-1 is a dual-intent visa: an immigrant petition or an I-485 does not by itself break L status (8 CFR 214.2(l)(16)).

Where next

Consulates Russians travel to

Warsaw Almaty Astana Belgrade Yerevan Tbilisi Istanbul Tashkent Bishkek Ankara Prague Paris

Sources

This page is reference, not legal advice; rules and fees change - verify on uscis.gov.