Temporary work visa
L-1A Intracompany Transferee (New Office)
For founders who already run a company abroad and want to open and lead a related new US office.
L-1A lets an executive or manager transfer from a foreign company to run a qualifying US affiliate, subsidiary, or new office of that company — a common path for founders who first built a business outside the US and now want to establish a US entity.
Category
Temporary work visa
Best for
Founders who already operate a business outside the US and want to establish and personally run a US office of that same company.
Eligibility
- At least 1 continuous year of qualifying employment abroad, in an executive or managerial capacity, within the 3 years before filing.
- A qualifying relationship between the foreign company and the new US entity (parent, subsidiary, affiliate, or branch office).
- For a "new office" petition, evidence of sufficient physical premises and a credible plan to support an executive/managerial role within one year.
Benefits
- Doesn't require extraordinary-ability evidence or outside investment — the foreign company's existence and the founder's role there carry the case.
- Can lead to the EB-1C green card category (multinational executive/manager) later, which also skips labor certification.
- Spouse can apply for work authorization on L-2 status.
Tradeoffs to know
- New-office L-1A petitions are approved for only 1 year initially, then must show the new office is actually operating at executive/managerial scale to extend.
- Requires an existing, operating foreign company — not available to founders starting from scratch in the US.
How to apply
The foreign company (as petitioner) files Form I-129 with the L supplement, including evidence of the qualifying corporate relationship and the transferring executive's role abroad.
Immigration law changes frequently and eligibility is highly fact-specific. This is a starting-point reference, not legal advice — talk to a qualified immigration attorney before choosing or relying on any pathway here.