This article will provide you with all the information you need to know about the L-1 visa process.
Stages of obtaining an L-1 visa
The first and most important thing you need to do is talk to an immigration lawyer. What is the role of a lawyer? First, he determines how you qualify for this visa. At the consultation, you will be able to discuss the requirements that immigration imposes. You will also learn which strategy is best for you. Of course, after the consultation, you will be able to think about everything you hear and make a decision.
The next step is to decide whether you will buy a ready-made business or open a new one. If you are going to buy, you need to contact business brokers like INVMAG who can help you find the right business for your L-1 visa.
After you sign a contract with an immigration lawyer, the process of collecting documents begins. They are collected both for business in the country where you lived and for the United States (when you have already acquired an enterprise here or are close to concluding a deal). It is important to understand that there are businesses that qualify only for an L-1 visa and those that qualify for both a visa and a green card. This information is also provided to you by the immigration lawyer.
After all the documents for both countries are collected, when all the questionnaires are ready and the letters are written, the whole package is ready. The documents can then be sent to immigration. If you send documents in the usual way, it will be cheaper, but they will be under consideration for a long time (about three to five months). Therefore, we strongly insist on paying an additional amount for an accelerated process of reviewing documents. In this case, the first response will come in the first 15 days. Usually, this is either “yes” or “provide more documents”. After that, 60 days are given in which you need to collect all cover and explanatory letters and send them to immigration.
After receiving the documents, it takes about 15 days to review your response. As a result, the exact answer is sent. Occasionally in isolated cases, there were additional requests for documents.
If you receive a positive response, you can get a visa. It is possible to deliver it both at the consulate of your country (then you can safely travel to other countries) and in the USA (if you do not need to travel outside the USA). The L-1 visa is usually issued for 3 years.
When you have a visa in your hands, you and your whole family can move to the United States. And then, if there are such plans, you can discuss with the lawyer the possibility of obtaining a green card.
Learn more about the L-1 visa in our article.
