To apply for the L1 visa, you must furnish the original or copy of the Notice of Action, Form I-797A or B (the approval notice forwarded to your employer when the petition is approved). Your visa application must include the following documents:
DOS Form DS-157, Supplemental Nonimmigrant Visa Application, for all male applicants between the ages of 16 and 45
3.
A copy of your passport which is valid for at least six months beyond the period of stay in the U.S. and with at least one blank page
4.
Two identical color photographs showing full face without head covering against a light background. You may wear a headdress if required by a religious order of which you are a member
5.
Your resume
6.
Copy of the petition submitted to the USCIS (recommended)
IV.
L1 Blanket Visa
The USCIS created the L1 Blanket Petition process to accommodate the needs of large businesses that desired to transfer key personnel to the U.S. The employer must be a member of the company's corporate family; however it need not be the parent or the principal office.
The L1 Blanket visa process involves two separate steps and relies heavily on coordination between the Department of State and the USCIS.
A.
The L1 Blanket Petition
The first step in the blanket petition process is for an employer to file a USCIS Form I-129, Petition for Nonimmigrant Worker, at a USCIS Service Center.
The petition should list the branches, subsidiaries, and affiliates that plan to transfer L1's under the blanket petition. The blanket petition must be accompanied by evidence establishing the following:
1.
The employer and each of the entities included in the L1 blanket petition are engaged in commercial trade or services
2.
The employer has an office in the U.S. that has been doing business for one year or more
3.
The employer has three or more domestic and foreign branches, subsidiaries, or affiliates
4.
The employer and the other qualifying organizations have done at least one of the following:
a.
Obtained approval of petitions for at least ten "L" managers, executives specialized knowledge professionals during the previous 12 months
b.
Have U.S. based subsidiaries or affiliates with combined annual sales of at least $25 million
c.
Have a U.S. work force of at least 1,000 employees and that all of the entities listed on the blanket
petition are qualifying entities
B.
Validity of an Approved Blanket Petition
The initial validity of an approved blanket petition is three years. The U.S. company is required to file for an indefinite extension of the blanket petition.
C.
Applying for L1 Visas
Once the USCIS approves of the blanket petition, the organizations listed on the petition can use the petition to move personnel to the U.S. The employee may apply for a visa directly at an American Consulate by submitting an USCIS Form I-129S, a copy of the Form I-797, approval notice of the blanket petition and the following documents:
DOS Form DS-157, Supplemental Nonimmigrant Visa Application, for all male applicants between the ages of 16 and 45
3.
A copy of your passport which is valid for at least six months beyond the period of stay in the U.S. and with at least one blank page
4.
Two identical color photographs showing full face without head covering against a light background. You may wear a headdress if required by a religious order of which you are a member
5.
Your resume
6.
Proof that you have been employed as a manager or executive by one of the qualifying organizations for at least one year in the immediately preceding three years
