A blanket L1 visa petition is a single petition under which the USCIS qualifies companies to transfer a certain number of executives and managers to the US on L1 visas, eliminating the need to file separate L1 individuals visa petitions for each employee. Once the L1 blanket petition has been approved, the employer only needs to complete Form I-129 and send it to the qualified employees along with a copy of the blanket L1 petition approval notice and other required evidence so that the employee may present it to a US Consular Office and apply for L1 visa. Each applicant can also apply for L2 visa for L1 dependent spouses and children.
There are two types of L1 procedures:
- L1 Individual Visa is applicable to transfer a single individual. L1 visa petition can be applied for each individual separately.
- L1 Blanket Visa is applicable to transfer multiple employees together. An L1 blanket visa petition can be applied for multiple individuals at a time.
With an L1 individual visa, the company or employer must file a petition with USCIS every time there is a requirement to transfer an employee.
With an L1 blanket visa, the individual visa applicant will only have to file a copy of the approved blanket L1 petition, along with other documents supporting his or her personal qualifications, giving the US consulate or embassy jurisdiction over his or her place of residence.
L1 Blanket Visa Requirements
The L1 blanket visa requirements and eligibility criteria are detailed below.
- Each of the qualifying organizations of the company must be engaged in commercial trade or services.
- The company must have an office in the US that has been doing business for one year or more.
- The company must have three or more domestic and foreign branches, subsidiaries, or affiliates.
- The company and other qualifying organizations must meet one of the following criteria:
- Have obtained at least 10 L1 visas during the previous 12 months,
- Have a combined annual sales of at least USD 25 million, or
- Have a US work force of at least 1,000 employees.
L1 Blanket Visa Fees
The fee requirements for L1 blanket visa are listed below.
- The required fee for filing L-1 Blanket Visa Petition is $460.
- An anti-fraud fee of $500 is also required.
- There is also an optional fee of $2,500 for premium processing.
Blanket Visa Validity
The initial validity of a blanket visa is 3 years. The US company may also file for an extension if needed.
