With the ever-growing global economy, multinational transfer visas are increasingly more important to a company’s well-being. We are versed in all visas needed by multinational companies and have developed quick and efficient procedures for our clients to hire the needed workers from their related corporations abroad.
L-1 visas: A “qualifying corporate relationship” is required to transfer certain workers from a parent, subsidiary, affiliate, or branch office abroad. The worker must have been employed abroad for at least one year. These visas are reserved for managers, executives, and workers with specialized knowledge. This is a temporary visa, issued for up to five to seven years.
E-1 and E-2 visas: Corporations and individuals from a country that has a treaty with the United States might qualify to send workers to the U.S. on the E-1 or E-2 visa. These visas are reserved for the investor him or herself, as well as managers, executives, and essential skills workers. The worker must be from a country that has the treaty with the U.S. For the E-1, the company in the U.S. must engage in substantial trade with the foreign country. For the E-2, there must be a substantial investment from the designated country abroad. These are temporary visas issued in five year increments, as long as the substantial trade or substantial investment continues to exist. Some people refer to the E visa as “the next best thing to a green card.”
Permanent Residence for Multinational Transferees: Most managers and executives who qualified for the L-1 visa (described above) will qualify for the permanent residence classification known as EB-1. This is reserved for managers and executives who worked abroad for at least one year as a manager or executive and who will fill a position in the United States as a manager or executive for a related corporation.
The Rose Immigration Law Firm recognizes for our corporate clients that time is money. Therefore, we evaluate every multinational transferee case for eligibility for a Blanket L-1 Petition. Once a company has been approved for a Blanket L-1, the processing time to qualify a worker and obtain the L-1 visa is shortened significantly. Sometimes we can successfully have a worker transferred to the U.S. within one week’s time. Likewise, for our clients using the E visa, we will assist the company to register for E-2 status with the visa-issuing consulate abroad. This saves considerable time in the application process.