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United States · Work visa
L-1B Intracompany Transfer (Specialized Knowledge)
- Processing
- 3-6 months
- Cost
- From $2,690
- Validity
- Up to 5 years maximum
For specialized knowledge employees transferring within a multinational company.
Requirements
- Worked for qualifying foreign company for 1 year in past 3 years
- Specialized knowledge of company products, services, or procedures
- Transferring to US affiliate
- The US entity files the transfer petition; there is no L-1 self-petition
Time and cost
- Processing time
- 3-6 months
- Validity
- Up to 5 years maximum
- Cost
From $2,690
Required
- $1,385 Form I-129 petition (standard; small employer $695)
- $500 fraud prevention and detection fee
- $600 Asylum Program Fee (standard; small employer $300, nonprofit $0)
Optional
- $250 visa-integrity fee at issuance, if your post already charges it, as DHS is still rolling it out post by post ($250 is the statutory floor before annual inflation adjustments)
- $4,500 Public Law 114-113 fee, if the employer has 50+ staff and over half are H-1B or L-1 (extensions included from 9 September 2026)
- $2,965 premium processing
- Path to residency
- EB-2/EB-3 green card (requires PERM)
Documents
Form I-129 with L supplement
Petition from US entity
Specialized knowledge evidence
Training, projects, expertise documentation
Employment verification
From foreign employer
Your family
Status your spouse and unmarried children under 21 can hold alongside this route. Children can study on it too.
L-2 DependentSpouse can work
Your spouse is authorized to work through their status and does not need an EAD under the 2022 policy.
- A spouse may work as soon as the I-94 shows L-2S
Tips
- The company must document why the employee’s knowledge is special or advanced
- No lottery required
- An L-2 spouse with an L-2S I-94 is work-authorized incident to status