The updated filing fee for form L-1B can be found here.

When you send a payment, you agree to pay for a government service. Filing and biometric service fees are final and non-refundable, regardless of any action we take on your application, petition, or request, or if you withdraw your request.

Requirements:

1. Applicant must generally have been working abroad for a qualifying organization for one continuous year within the three preceding years of his/her admission to the U.S.;
2. Applicant must be seeking to enter the U.S. to provide services in a specialized knowledge capacity to a branch of the same employer or one of its qualifying organizations;
3. Applicant must possess specialized knowledge of the company, its product or service, and its application in international markets, or to have an advanced level of knowledge of processes and procedures of the company.

Limitations:

1. Employers must possess a qualifying relationship between the foreign company and the U.S. company, such as parent company, branch, subsidiary, or affiliate;
2. Employers must be doing business currently or in the future in the U.S. and in at least one other country during the duration of the L-1B visa;
3. Qualifying applicants seeking to establish a new office in the U.S. can stay for a maximum initial period of one year, all other qualifying individuals can stay for a maximum initial period of three years;
4. Requests for extensions to duration of stay can be granted for an additional two years until the applicant has reached the maximum limit of five years.

OI 214.2 (I)

(2) Basic requirements for L classification. The following requirements apply to all petitions filed for L classification:

(i) There must be a qualifying relationship between the business entity in the United States and the foreign operation which employs the alien abroad;

(ii) For the duration of the alien’s stay in the United States as an intracompany transferee, the petitioner must continue to do business both in the United States and in at least one other country, either directly or through a parent, branch, subsidiary, or affiliate.

(iii) The alien must have been employed abroad continuously by the foreign operation for the immediate prior year. Although authorized periods of stay in the United States for the foreign employer are not interruptive of the immediate prior year of employment, such periods may not be counted towards the qualifying year of employment abroad.

(iv) The alien’s prior year of employment abroad must have been in a managerial, executive, or specialized knowledge capacity. The prospective employment in the United States must also be in a managerial, executive, or specialized knowledge capacity. However, the alien does not have to be transferred to the United States in the same capacity in which he or she was employed abroad. For example, a manager abroad could be transferred to the United States in a specialized knowledge capacity or vice versa.

(v) The petitioner and the alien must have the intent for the alien to come to the United States for a temporary period and return abroad at the end of the authorized stay, unless the alien becomes a permanent resident of the United States during the authorized stay. The L classification may not be used for the principal purpose of circumventing the wait for a preference visa number.

8 USC 1101(a)(15)(L)

(L) subject to section 1184(c)(2) of this title, an alien who, within 3 years preceding the time of his application for admission into the United States, has been employed continuously for one year by a firm or corporation or other legal entity or an affiliate or subsidiary thereof and who seeks to enter the United States temporarily in order to continue to render his services to the same employer or a subsidiary or affiliate thereof in a capacity that is managerial, executive, or involves specialized knowledge, and the alien spouse and minor children of any such alien if accompanying him or following to join him;

INA 1184(c)

c)         Petition of importing employer

(1) The question of importing any alien as a nonimmigrant under subparagraph (H), (L), (O), or (P)(i) of section 1101(a)(15) of this title (excluding nonimmigrants under section 1101(a)(15)(H)(i)(b1) of this title) in any specific case or specific cases shall be determined by the Attorney General, after consultation with appropriate agencies of the Government, upon petition of the importing employer. Such petition, shall be made and approved before the visa is granted. The petition shall be in such form and contain such information as the Attorney General shall prescribe. The approval of such a petition shall not, of itself, be construed as establishing that the alien is a nonimmigrant. For purposes of this subsection with respect to nonimmigrants described in section 1101(a)(15)(H)(ii)(a) of this title, the term “appropriate agencies of Government” means the Department of Labor and includes the Department of Agriculture. The provisions of section 1188 of this title shall apply to the question of importing any alien as a nonimmigrant under section 1101(a)(15)(H)(ii)(a) of this title.

(2)(A) The Attorney General shall provide for a procedure under which an importing employer which meets requirements established by the Attorney General may file a blanket petition to import aliens as nonimmigrants described in section 1101(a)(15)(L) of this title instead of filing individual petitions under paragraph (1) to import such aliens. Such procedure shall permit the expedited processing of visas for admission of aliens covered under such a petition.

(B) For purposes of section 1101(a)(15)(L) of this title, an alien is considered to be serving in a capacity involving specialized knowledge with respect to a company if the alien has a special knowledge of the company product and its application in international markets or has an advanced level of knowledge of processes and procedures of the company.

(C) The Attorney General shall provide a process for reviewing and acting upon petitions under this subsection with respect to nonimmigrants described in section 1101(a)(15)(L) of this title within 30 days after the date a completed petition has been filed.

(D) The period of authorized admission for-

(i) a nonimmigrant admitted to render services in a managerial or executive capacity under section 1101(a)(15)(L) of this title shall not exceed 7 years, or

(ii) a nonimmigrant admitted to render services in a capacity that involves specialized knowledge under section 1101(a)(15)(L) of this title shall not exceed 5 years.

The L-1 Visa Reform Act of 2004 applies to all petitions filed on or after June 6, 2005, and is directed particularly to those filed on behalf of L-1B employees who will be stationed primarily at the worksite of an of an employer other than the petitioning employer or its affiliate, subsidiary, or parent.  In order for the employee to qualify for L-1B classification in this situation, the petitioning employer must show that:

• The employee will not be principally controlled or supervised by such an unaffiliated employer; and 
• The work being provided by the employee is not considered to be labor for hire by such an unaffiliated employer.

See INA 214(c)(2)(F) and Chapter 32.3(c) of the USCIS Adjudicator’s Field Manual, available in the “Laws” section of the website.

Qualified employees entering the United States to establish a new office will be allowed a maximum initial stay of one year.  All other qualified employees will be allowed a maximum initial stay of three years.  For all L-1B employees, requests for extension of stay may be granted in increments of up to an additional two years, until the employee has reached the maximum limit of five years.