Intra-Company Transfers


At The Law Offices of Samuel S. Sorota, we take pride in providing effective legal services to our clients.

Obtaining an L-1 Visa for Intra-Company Transfers


This is a specially designed visa that enables the transfer of executives and managers or professional employees with specialized knowledge within international companies. The executive or employee would be transferred from a foreign affiliated office to the U.S. office. In addition, foreign companies who do not yet have a U.S. office may under this visa category, send an executive or employee to help establish one.


Qualifications for an L-1 Intra-Company Transfer Visa


The L-1 visa is broadly divided into two. L-1A for executives and managers and L-1B for professional employees. Although the L-1 visa is available for all businesses ranging from multinationals to small businesses, it is often easier for larger companies to get approved.


To qualify under the L-1 category, the employer must:

- Show a qualifying relationship between the foreign company and the U.S company.

- Currently be, or will be doing business as an employer in the United States and in at least one other country for the duration of the beneficiary’s stay.


In addition, the employee, executive or manager must:

- Generally have been working for the foreign company for one continuous year within the three years immediately preceding the application.

- Intend to enter the United States to provide service in an executive, managerial or specialized knowledge capacity to the U.S. branch of the foreign company. For this purpose, the U.S. Company may be the parent, subsidiary or affiliated company of the foreign company.


Preparing the application for a L-1 visa is important as errors or insufficient information could lead to denial. For this reason, it is important to have the guidance of an experienced Intra-Company Transfer Immigration Lawyer to help you through the process.


For many years, our law firm has served clients – both big and small businesses in Miami, the rest of Florida and all over the country - who wish to transfer staff to work in the U.S. We understand that this can be a tedious task and we’re eager to assist you. If you would like to take advantage of our free consultation to find out more about the L-1 visa process, please give us a call at (305) 652-7777 to schedule an appointment.