Is your business opening a new branch in the United States? Do you want to send a trusted employee to manage operations? Or, have you been working in the U.S. under an L1 visa and now need to extend your stay? This article will guide you through the process of sending key personnel to live and work in the U.S. under the L1 visa, covering:
- What the L1 visa is and how long it lasts.
- Who can extend their L1 visa and how, including the required documents.
- How to appeal a denied L1 extension and who can apply for a green card from this visa.
What Is An L1 Visa?
The L1 visa is designed for intra-company transfers, allowing businesses to send executives, managers, or employees with specialized knowledge to their U.S. offices. It is a great tool for companies expanding into the U.S., facilitating growth and entrepreneurship.
For example, if you’ve built a successful Boba tea franchise in Singapore, expanded it across Asia and Europe, and now want to enter the U.S. market, the L1 visa allows you to send key personnel—like your COO or CEO (or even yourself)—to oversee U.S. operations.
How Long Does An L1 Visa Last In The United States?
For new offices, the initial L1 visa is typically valid for one year. After that, it can be extended twice, each time for up to three years, with a maximum stay of seven years. This makes the L1 visa a strong option for those who might want to explore permanent residency, also known as green card options, in the future.
Whether your goal is to settle in the U.S. long-term, raise a family, or continue expanding your business, the L1 visa provides an excellent stepping stone.
Attorney Alicia Khoo is an ambitious and driven lawyer from California who has helped countless clients across the country and the globe obtain or extend their L1 Visa status. A business owner herself, attorney Khoo understands the stakes involved, and her writing is steeped in her experience as an attorney and entrepreneur.
Hoping to apply for or extend your L1 visa status in the United States? Contact Alicia Khoo today to schedule an initial consultation.
Call For Evaluation - (714) 276-1235
What Are The Eligibility Requirements For Extending An L1 Visa?
Once your L1 visa is approved, it’s important to make a good-faith effort to follow the business plan you submitted with your application. While you don’t need to be profitable immediately, you do need to show progress.
If you’re still setting up operations or haven’t had enough time to implement your full plan, don’t panic. USCIS understands that many businesses, particularly in industries like retail or food service, take three to five years to break even.
As long as you can show that you’ve made substantial efforts, and documented them with evidence, you can apply for an L1 extension. Just be sure to follow all legal requirements during your stay—any violations could make you ineligible for an extension.
What Documents Are Required For An L1 Visa Extension?
The specific documents required for an L1 visa extension will vary depending on your business and industry. While basic documents such as passports and birth certificates are universal, the corporate paperwork needed to demonstrate progress and justify your extension will differ from one industry to the next.
In general, you’ll need to provide documentation that compares where your business stands now versus where it was when your visa was initially granted. These documents will show USCIS that you’ve made meaningful progress and are on track to meet your business goals in the U.S.
How Long Does It Take To Process An L1 Visa Extension?
Immigration timelines have become increasingly unpredictable. Without premium processing, it’s difficult to estimate how long your L1 visa extension will take—it could be anywhere from three months to eight months, or even longer.
Once you submit your extension request, your application will be marked as pending, and you can technically stay in the U.S. while awaiting a decision. However, this situation isn’t ideal. Having an expired L1 visa with a pending extension doesn’t look favorable and could create complications later on, especially if you plan to apply for a green card.
Attorney Alicia Khoo is an ambitious and driven lawyer from California who has helped countless clients across the country and the globe obtain or extend their L1 Visa status. A business owner herself, attorney Khoo understands the stakes involved, and her writing is steeped in her experience as an attorney and entrepreneur.
Hoping to apply for or extend your L1 visa status in the United States? Contact Alicia Khoo today to schedule an initial consultation.
Call For Evaluation - (714) 276-1235
While staying in the U.S. with a pending extension doesn’t count as accruing overstay or unlawful presence (if you filed before your L1 expiration), this does not mean you are in full legal status. If you continue working and later apply for a green card, you may face questions about whether you worked without authorization. We recommend avoiding this situation altogether and often suggest paying for premium processing.
For an additional fee, you can receive a response within 15 days. However, this doesn’t always mean you’ll get a decision right away. In practice, even with premium processing, it may still take two to three months to get a final decision.
Frequently, USCIS will send a request for more evidence to extend the timeline, given their backlog of cases. Once you respond with the necessary documents, the 15-day countdown begins again, and you’ll likely receive a decision within that period.
Can I Appeal A Denied L1 Visa Extension?
If your L1 visa extension is denied, you do have the option to appeal the decision. However, for most applicants, it’s often more efficient and cost-effective to refile the extension request from scratch. The appeal process can be lengthy and expensive, and in many cases, starting fresh is the better option.
That said, if you believe your denial was based on something egregious, such as discrimination, appealing could be worthwhile. In some cases, appeals can even lead to lawsuits if there are grounds for legal action.
If My L1 Visa Extension Is Granted, Can I Apply For A Green Card Later Down The Road?
Yes, one of the main advantages of the L1 visa is that it allows you to apply for a green card down the line, thanks to its dual-intent nature. This means that even if your green card application is denied, you can continue to stay in the U.S. on your L1 visa, unlike other visas (such as the F1 student visa), which do not permit dual intent and often prevent further extensions if a green card is denied.
With an L1 visa, you won’t face such obstacles. You can extend your L1 visa while pursuing permanent residency without the two processes conflicting.
Many L1 visa holders are highly skilled professionals, often founders, CEOs, or other top executives of successful companies. Because of their high level of achievement, many L1 visa holders qualify for the EB-1 or EB-2 green cards, sometimes called “genius green cards.” These green cards are designed to attract top global talent, such as exceptional doctors, lawyers, athletes, and entrepreneurs.
Attorney Alicia Khoo is an ambitious and driven lawyer from California who has helped countless clients across the country and the globe obtain or extend their L1 Visa status. A business owner herself, attorney Khoo understands the stakes involved, and her writing is steeped in her experience as an attorney and entrepreneur.
Hoping to apply for or extend your L1 visa status in the United States? Contact Alicia Khoo today to schedule an initial consultation.
Call For Evaluation - (714) 276-1235
The EB-1 visa, for instance, is reserved for individuals with extraordinary ability—Olympic athletes, Academy Award-winning actors, or Forbes-level entrepreneurs. It’s also an option for Ph.D.s or researchers who have gained significant recognition, such as stem cell scientists or cancer researchers with substantial academic citations.
For entrepreneurs, the U.S. government will look at what you’ve built and the financial success you’ve achieved. If your business has generated substantial revenue—say, $10 million or more—you could qualify for an EB-1 or EB-2 visa for individuals with exceptional or extraordinary ability.
Many L1 visa holders eventually apply for these types of green cards, and we would be proud to help guide you through the process to ensure a successful application.
Does Working With An Immigration Attorney Guaranteed Your L1 Visa Or Extension Approval?
No attorney can guarantee the outcome of your L1 visa or extension. We are not miracle workers, despite what some might imply. What we can promise is 100% effort, dedication, and a personalized strategy aimed at maximizing your chances of success.
An honest attorney will provide you with a realistic assessment based on your specific case, offering insight into the likelihood of approval. They’ll be transparent about their success rate and won’t sugarcoat potential challenges. On the other hand, be wary of any attorney who guarantees 100% success—they are either being dishonest or overselling their abilities.
At our firm, we focus on offering you the support, comfort, and transparency you need. From the moment you review our client welcome sheet, which outlines clear expectations and our commitments to you, you’ll know you’re a genuine priority. Our goal is to ensure you feel heard, validated, and confident throughout the process.
Ready To Apply For Or Extend Your L1 Visa? We Can Help.
For more information on how to extend your L1 visa or start the application process, the next best step is to schedule an initial consultation. Call us at (714) 276-1235 today to get the legal guidance you need to move forward.
Attorney Alicia Khoo is an ambitious and driven lawyer from California who has helped countless clients across the country and the globe obtain or extend their L1 Visa status. A business owner herself, attorney Khoo understands the stakes involved, and her writing is steeped in her experience as an attorney and entrepreneur.
Hoping to apply for or extend your L1 visa status in the United States? Contact Alicia Khoo today to schedule an initial consultation.
Call For Evaluation - (714) 276-1235
