L1 Visa Lawyer in Nigeria

Need Help With Your L1 Visa?

We have successfully helped numerous Nigerian corporations with L1 visa applications. If need guidance reach out to us for expert support. Our team of lawyers is here to address any questions you may have regarding your application.

Nigerian Emigration

For Nigerian emigration matters, please call +2342013306361 or +44 (0) 3316300929

Other Immigration and Emigration Matters

For immigration/emigration to/from other countries, please call:

US –  +1 844 290 6312

Ireland –  (+353) 061 518 025

UK –  (+44) 333 4149244

Understanding L1 Visas

An L-1 visa is given to individuals who have held managerial, executive, or knowledge-based positions outside of the United States and who are now seeking to immigrate to the country in order to work in a connected U.S. organisation in the same capacity. Many foreign businesses relocate their leaders, managers, or staff members who operate in positions requiring specialist expertise to the United States using a L visa. L-1 visas are only granted to those working for the concerned company.

The United States of America has different immigration procedures that make it possible for qualified foreign workers to relocate to an office of a multinational corporation that is located in the United States. An L1 visa is a non-immigrant employment visa that is intended for overseas employees who are planning to migrate to the United States in order to work for a firm that operates under the same corporate structure as their present place of employment in Nigeria.

What are the Types of L1 visas?

Overview

There are two main types of L1 visas. L-1A permits are intended for administrators and other high-ranking supervisors. These visas typically have a validity period of up to seven years. L-1B visas are for non-management workers with specialised knowledge or professional abilities. A L-1B visa has a maximum validity of five years.

L1 A Visa

The L1A visa category is intended for intra-company executives who are being transferred to positions in the United States of America. In order to qualify for an L1A visa, applicants must demonstrate that they have been consistently employed by a foreign corporation in an executive or management position at an overseas location for at least one year over the preceding three years. In addition, the L1A visa makes it possible for a firm that does not yet have a presence in the United States to send an executive or manager there in order to create a business presence there. A L1A visa is originally given for a period of one year for a new firm in the United States or three years for a US company that has been in operation for more than one year, with extensions possible in increments of two years, with a maximum stay of seven years allowed in total.

L1 B Visa

L1B visas are intended for professional workers who have specialised knowledge. An individual who holds confidential information about a company’s product and who goes to the United States in order to share this information with newly hired workers in the United States is an example of specialised knowledge. This individual may also be responsible for training new workers in the United States. In addition, businesses that do not now have a location in the United States may utilise the L1B visa to transfer an employee with specific expertise to the United States in order to assist them in establishing a location there. The original validity period of an L1B visa is three years, with the possibility of one extension of an additional two years, for a total stay of up to five years.

In either scenario, the U.S. corporation and the foreign company must be connected to one another in a certain manner, for example by having a parent-to-subsidiary connection or by having an associated employer.

Eligibility Requirements for L1 Visa

Overview

An applicant must demonstrate that they satisfy all of the following requirements in order to be considered for an L1 work visa:

• Work for a qualifying employer;
• Transfer to a U.S.-based company with which the current employer has a qualifying relationship;
• Have completed at least one year of employment abroad;
• Intend to depart the United States at the end of the L1 visa term.

Applicant Required Documents

The applicants need to provide:

• The visa interview letter
• The visa registration confirmation page on form DS-160
• Form DS-160 and L supplemental copy
• The receipt for the DS-160 visa application charge
• A passport that is valid for at least six months beyond its expiration date
• Any outdated passports you possess
• Recent copies of your resume or CV
• Two recent photographs in colour of your visage
• A copy of the submitted I-129 petition to USCIS
• The USCIS I-797 approval notice
• A letter from your employer requesting an L1 visa from the consulate.
• Education credentials
• Payment notifications
• taxable income records
• Job description
• Organisational schematics that depict your position within the company.
• Reference letters from supervisors, coworkers, and others
• Employment confirmation letter from the overseas employer
• Board resolution or appointment papers confirming the transfer
• Other documentation demonstrating the transferee’s capacity to perform executive duties.
• If you have specialised knowledge, you should register patents and trademarks for your organisation.

L1 Visa Foreign Corporation Documents

The documents needed are:

• Corporate authorization
• Business licence
• Stock certificates
• Certified reports
• Financial statements from a company’s three most recent Income tax filings
• Transactional documents (contracts, invoices of cargo, letters of credit)
• Business promotional materials such as a company leaflet or product overview.
• Organisational chart, including the total number of employees and the transferee’s position.
• Detailed explanation from the authorised representative of the company’s ownership and management
• Company letterhead containing the company’s name, logo, and address.

US Company Documents for L1 Visa

The documents needed are:

• Certificates of Stock Articles of Incorporation.
• Account audits.
• Business financial statements.
• Business licence and promotional materials Corporate bylaws.
• Business description and comprehensive business strategy.
• Organisational chart, showing the overall number of workers and your new position.
• Lease of a business premises with a detailed declaration from an authorised representative outlining ownership and control of the firm.
• Evidence of the original investment, a bank statement.
• Return of corporate income tax, if any.
• Form 941, Employer’s Quarterly Report, if any.
• Business letterhead.

Benefits of L1 Visa

The key benefits of having your L 1 visa are:

• Low requirements: in order to be eligible for an L-1 visa, all that is required of you is to be a manager, executive, or specialist employee working for a global corporation. This paves the way for many individuals who, under normal circumstances, would not qualify for other types of work visas.
• No yearly limits: the number of L-1 visas that may be issued in a given year is not capped at any point. This implies that even if there are no more visas available, your petition will not be denied even though there are none left.
• Long duration of stay: Those who are granted an L-1A visa will have the opportunity to remain in the United States for an initial length of three years. They are then allowed to extend their stay for up to a maximum of seven years, which is longer than the limit of six years for an H-1B visa and the maximum of five years for a J-1 visa.
• Educational requirements The fact that you are not required to have a degree to qualify for an L-1 visa is one of the most advantageous aspects.

L1 Visa Application Process

Step 1: I-129, Petition for Nonimmigrant Worker

Your company must sponsor your L-1 visa application, just as it must be for any other employment-based visa category. An I-129 will be submitted on your behalf by your employer. The application must be submitted no later than 6 months before the commencement of your job but no later than 45 days before that date.

I-129 Proof of Support:

• The completed I-129 must be accompanied by the following paperwork:
• If you are already in the US, you must provide proof that your status has remained legal.
• Evidence showing you have worked for the company for at least a year in an executive or management position at one of its overseas offices specifics on the responsibilities and credentials you propose for the position
• Evidence showing you’ll have an executive or management role in your prospective employer
• If you’re utilising premium processing, an I-907 form
• Additionally, your company must prove that they can pay your salaries.

USCIS will notify your employer through an I-797 Notice of Action if the I-129 petition is accepted. The form will be used as one of the supporting papers when you apply for a visa overseas.

Step 2: DS-160 Visa Application

If you are in Nigeria when your I-129 is granted, you will next continue to apply for a visa using the DS-160, which is filed and electronically uploaded to the DOS website. The consular officials processing your visa application will evaluate your responses to the interview questions and the data you supplied on the application to determine if you qualify for an L-1 nonimmigrant visa.

You must print and save the application form confirmation page after completing your DS-160 since you will need it when you go for your interview. An appointment for your visa interview must also be made.

In addition, as part of the DS-160 filing requirements, you must attach your picture. It is crucial that the picture adheres to these Department of State photo specifications in terms of its size, colour, format, and proportions. Additionally, you will need a passport that is valid for at least six months after the date of your interview.

Step 3: Interview

For your visa interview, you must go to the U.S. embassy or consulate in Nigeria. You should check with the consulate in Nigeria for further details since the procedure varies significantly across various consulates and embassies. You will also undergo a digital fingerprint scan without ink as part of the application procedure.

L-1 Visa Application Processing Time

The I-129 usually takes up to six months for approval. Depending on the volume of cases at the immigration or consular office processing your application, it can take longer.

If there are mistakes or omissions in the application you submitted, this might also delay the processing of your L-1 visa request. After filing your petition, the USCIS may issue you an RFE. You may probably endure a longer wait or perhaps a refusal if you don’t present all of the first proof as asked. This is why it’s crucial to produce all of the required paperwork right away.

If you can’t wait six months, you may use a service called “premium processing” to speed up the L-1 visa application procedure. You must submit an I-907, Request for Premium Service, to do this. If the request is granted, it will ensure that your application will be finished in 15 calendar days. The filing fee for Form I-907 is $2,500.

L1 Visa Renewal

The L-1A visa has a three-year initial validity period. Up to two extensions, each extending an additional two years, could be requested and approved. Those who have an L-1A visa are thus able to remain in the nation for a total of seven years. An L-1B visa renewal may only be given for a maximum of five years in total. Processing of your L1B petition usually takes 30 to 90 days after submission, but in certain cases, depending on the volume of cases being handled by the particular service centre, it might take up to 6 or 8 months.

L1 Visa Denial: Reasons and Solutions

Specialised Knowledge

The evaluation of specialised expertise is becoming one of the most common reasons for denying an L1 visa, and it is also one of the most frequent causes. You will need to offer proof not just that the specialised expertise is very beneficial to the organisation but also that it cannot be delivered by an American worker. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) may decide that the visa application must be refused if this cannot be shown. The solution is to provide proof of having the expertise.

Salary Standards

When the salaries that are suggested for the L1 visa applicant are much higher or lower than the criteria for that industry in the United States, this is another main reason why an L1 visa is refused. Employers need to do a rigorous analysis of the prevailing pay in their respective industries and locations within certain states.

Documents Submitted Incorrectly

The application form is somewhat lengthy, and it will take some time to compile all of the required documentation. On the other hand, if your application contains even a single straightforward error or oversight, your visa request can be denied. It might be that the job title is erroneous, that the job specifications are inconsistent, that the application was sent to the wrong location, or that the delivery method was improper.

Because of this, many persons who apply for L1 visas decide to seek the assistance of a legal professional who specialises in immigration law. IAS can provide an L1 visa lawyer to overcome this problem. Call us on +2342013306361 or on +44 (0) 3316300929.

How Can IAS Help?

A refusal of an L1 visa may be highly frustrating, and it can also cost companies unneeded delays and additional expenses.

It is usually advised that the original application be given the full attention it deserves in order to boost the chances of fulfilling qualifying requirements that have been increased.

If you have been given a denial, you should seek out expert advice as soon as possible on your choices and the activities you should take next. These may include submitting a fresh petition or pursuing an alternative immigration path.

L1 visa lawyers from Immigration Advice Service are prepared to assist you in resolving any problem you may be experiencing in relation to the acquisition of a L1 Visa.

The highly qualified immigration lawyers at IAS  have an abundance of expertise and have observed that the greatest results can only be achieved via an individualised strategy that takes into consideration the client’s preferences together with all of the relevant facts and circumstances.

IAS consultants are prepared to assist you in resolving any problem you may be experiencing in relation to the immigration in the US. Call us on +2342013306361 or on +44 (0) 3316300929, or you can contact us online.