For L-1 Visa holders, requests for admission to the United States are made at the border upon arrival at a U.S. port of entry. The immigration officer has the authority to deny admission to a foreign national even if a visa has been issued. However, such denial rarely occurs in the case of L-1 aliens.
The alien seeking admission must have a valid passport with the L visa stamped. The alien should also have the approval notice of the L-1 petition, a copy of the petition, and supporting letter.
If the immigration officer decides to admit the visa holder, the officer will place a stamp in the passport noting the admission and the period of authorized stay. The immigration officer will also annotate Form I-94. After that, the L visa holder obtains L Status in the United States for the authorized period.
To maintain valid L status, the alien may not engage in unlawful employment, which means the alien not only has to work for the employer/petitioner, but also has to work in the capacity specified in the petition letter, such as managerial, executive (L-1A) or special knowledge employee (L-1B).
An alien in L status may attend an academic institution without explicit approval from the USCIS (formerly INS) if such enrollment is limited and incidental to the authorized employment.
An alien in L status needs to file an extension request with the USCIS when the authorized stay is about to expire, failure to do so will jeopardize his/her stay and future reentry into the United States.
For more information on L visa, please click on
the following links:
Description
Benefits of L visa
Requirements for L visa
Requirement Details I: Qualifying entities
Requirement Details II: Qualifying Position
Procedure for obtaining an initial L visa
Obtain and maintain an L visa
From L Status to Green Card
Documents and Information Needed
L-1 Status in I-485 Pending Period
Attorney and Filing Fees for L Visa
Memo: Be Aware of Abandonment of COS and AOS Applications
L-1 visa FAQ
|
