These are some of the benefits of L Visa:
- There is no degree or educational requirement for an L1 visa and the specialized knowledge does not need to be in a specific field as is in H1B non-immigrant visa.
- Only multinational companies qualify for L1 visas. Thus, if applicant work for a multinational, a L1 visa petition can be filed by the parent, subsidiary, affiliate or branch of the foreign company where the alien has worked for at least 1 year in preceding 3 years in the capacity of manager, executive or special knowledge work. All employers do not have such choice as not all companies have foreign presence or are multinational.
- For the companies, it does not require for majority ownership or control from a specific country as long as qualifying organization criteria is met.
- L-1A has a maximum duration of 7 years while L-1B visa has a maximum duration of 5 years that is more than H1B that has a period of three years extended to maximum 6 years.
- One of the benefits of the L-1 visa program is that it allows companies the opportunity to re-locate employees to the United States to expand their business and open up new offices.
- Spouse and minor unmarried children under the age of 21 years can accompany L-1 visa holder and L-2 spouse can get work permit and work in the U.S. Both (spouse and children) also can study and travel within and outside the U.S. on short trips and return.
- It allows dual intent. So, a L visa holder does not need to prove intent to not abandon a foreign country in order to get approved.
- Another benefit of the L-1A visa is that it can provide a stepping stone to lawful permanent resident status. A specific employment-based immigrant preference category (EB-1C) was created for managers and executives who meet the L-1 standards and are interested in becoming lawful permanent residents. If you qualify for a L-1B visa you may qualify for E-B1 or E-B2 as well.
Comparison and Differences between other non-immigrant visas:
| VISA | L | E | B-1 | H-1B |
| Need a treaty between U.S and foreign country to bring owners or employees to the United States | Not need of a treaty. | Required | N/A | N/A |
| Maximum period to stay in U.S. | L-1A – 7 years L-1B – 5 years | 2 years initially extended to 2 years. There is no limit on how many times an E visa holder can extend their stay | 6 months extended to 6 months more | 6 years |
| Ability to change employer | NO | NO | N/A | YES |
| Dual Intent. Can file petition to immigrant visa without proving intent to abandon foreign country. | YES | NO | NO | YES |
| Minimum Educational requirement or specialized knowledge in a specific field | No degree is required | N/A | N/A | Required Degree or equivalent experience. |
| Prevailing wage | Not required | Required. Must be paid at least the prevailing wages | ||
| Spouse benefits | Spouse can get work permit | Spouse cannot get work permit. | ||
| Dept. of Labor Approval | Not required | N/A | N/A | Required |
| Blanket Petition | Available | Not Available. Individual petition must be filed for each proposed H1B Worker. | ||
| Green Card | L-1A visa holders can apply for E-B1C, without PERM labor certification and usually get green card within less than one year. L-1B visa holders would need PERM labor certification approval to get them green card. | Employers of most H-1B visa holders would need PERM labor certification approval to get them green card. |