The L -1 visa to certain employees who are transferred to the US grants from a related entity abroad. This visa is for those employees who come into managerial and executive positions , which is given the L -1A visa, or those with certain expertise , which receives the L - 1B. The main features of the Visa L-1 are:

• The beneficiary can only work for the company that was transferred and served sponsor for coming to the US However, the spouse of the beneficiary of the L -1 may request authorization to work for any employer in the US ;
• The visa has an initial term of three years. After this period , they may request extensions for up to seven years for management and executive positions , and five years for those who come under the category of employees with specialized skills;
• The company located abroad must continue to operate during the time the employee is transferred in the US; and
• The beneficiary of an L - 1 visa may be accompanied by their spouse and unmarried children under 21 years

The L - 1 visa will not be granted to anyone willing to come to the US to occupy a managerial position , executive , expertise . This person must first have worked for a related company abroad for at least one year of the last three. And a relationship between the two companies and is a subsidiary of the other or a subsidiary of the other or affiliates must exist. There would also be the possibility of using the L -1 to transfer an employee between two distinct entities, provided that the transfer operates within the framework of a joint project between. However , this possibility exists, whether under this project together , each company has the power to veto decisions of the other, and receives benefits and losses assumed equal. For purposes of the L -1B specialized knowledge a person must possess special knowledge of the products or services offered by the company. This knowledge should be beyond the standard knowledge possessed by other employees. This includes expertise in machinery , production techniques , management of the company or any advanced knowledge about the processes and procedures of the company level. In contrast, a manager or executive with a vocation for L -1A is not a first-line supervisor ; ie those who supervise employees under ladder. The beneficiary of this visa must deal with managing an essential function of the company or one of its subdivisions ; have the authority to make decisions regarding the daily operations of the company or subdivision in charge ; and monitor and control the work of other employees of medium or high range. There is one exception to the above. When the manager comes to the US to establish a new office constituted less than one year prior to arrival, then it is not necessary to show strict adherence assigned functions described above. In these situations, the L -1 would be granted for a period of one year, conditional on the renewal application is demonstrated that after a year the new office has grown so yes justify a manager or executive strictly adherence to the approved tasks for a manager or executive within this classification L -1A. In short , this means that the L- 1 is not for self - employment. It requires the beneficiary to spend more than half their time gerencial esespecíficas functions , as would the supervision of other professionals, or required to possess expertise in excess of the required average employees with the same professional background.