L-1 Visa Lawyer in Tampa

Board-Certified Immigration Attorneys for Intracompany Transferee Visas

Maney | Gordon | Zeller, P.A.

Transferring key personnel across borders is a precise legal undertaking. Our employment immigration attorneys work with multinational corporations, universities, research institutions, and hospitals to navigate L-1 intracompany transferee visa petitions from start to finish. With over 100 years of combined legal experience, our team understands the corporate structures and evidentiary standards these petitions require.

We assist with the full range of temporary employment-based visas, including L-1A, L-1B, H-1B visas, O-1, and TN visas. This breadth matters: many intracompany transfers involve questions about which category fits best, and we can evaluate that with you.

If your company is planning a transfer to a Tampa office or you’re preparing to relocate as a transferring employee, contact Maney | Gordon | Zeller, P.A. today at (800) 708-4399 to discuss your options.

L-1A vs. L-1B: Two Categories, Different Standards

The L-1 visa allows a multinational company to transfer qualifying employees from a foreign affiliate, subsidiary, branch, or parent to a related U.S. office. There are two distinct categories. The L-1A covers executives and managers and carries a maximum stay of seven years. The L-1B covers employees with specialized knowledge. This means knowledge of the company’s products, services, research, equipment, or processes that is distinctly advanced compared to what is generally found in the industry. It carries a maximum stay of five years.

The evidentiary burden differs meaningfully between the two. L-1A petitions must demonstrate genuine managerial or executive authority. L-1B petitions require a specific showing that the employee’s knowledge isn’t easily transferable and goes beyond general industry familiarity. We help employers build the record that fits the category.

L-1 Eligibility Requirements

To qualify, the transferring employee must have worked for the related foreign company in an executive, managerial, or specialized-knowledge capacity for at least one continuous year within the three years immediately before the transfer. The U.S. entity and foreign entity must share a qualifying relationship through common ownership or control, as a parent, subsidiary, branch, or affiliate.

The U.S. employer files the petition with USCIS using Form I-129. The employee doesn’t file independently. One notable advantage: unlike H-1B visas, L-1 visas aren’t subject to an annual numerical cap, which means there is no lottery and no filing deadline tied to a fiscal year.

New Office Petitions & Blanket L Certification

Two petition paths deserve attention for companies at different stages of U.S. operations.

A new office petition applies when the U.S. entity has been operating for less than one year. These initial approvals are generally granted for one year only. At the extension stage, the company must demonstrate that the U.S. business has grown enough to support the executive, manager, or specialized-knowledge worker on a continuing basis. We help employers document that growth before the extension deadline arrives.

A blanket L petition is available to large multinational organizations that transfer employees frequently. Once approved, the company’s qualifying corporate structure is pre-certified, allowing eligible employees to apply for L-1 visas directly at a U.S. consulate without a separate USCIS petition for each individual transfer. Blanket L certification generally requires at least three qualifying U.S. and foreign branches, subsidiaries, or affiliates meeting specific size or revenue thresholds.

L-2 Status for Accompanying Family Members

The spouse and unmarried children under 21 of an L-1 visa holder may accompany them to the United States under L-2 dependent status, which aligns with the principal holder’s authorized period of stay. An L-2 spouse is generally authorized to work incident to their status, meaning they can work for any U.S. employer during that period. We can include family member filings as part of the overall petition process.

The Path from L-1A to an EB-1C Green Card

L-1 status carries dual intent, meaning a visa holder may pursue permanent residence without placing their nonimmigrant status at risk. For L-1A holders, this creates a meaningful green card pathway. The EB-1C immigrant visa category is reserved for multinational managers and executives and doesn’t require a labor certification through the PERM process. Executives and managers transferred on L-1A visas may be well-positioned to move directly into an EB-1C petition.

Our Credentials & Tampa’s Multinational Business Community

Tampa is home to nearly 500 foreign-owned companies representing close to 40 nations, including financial institutions, pharmaceutical companies, and professional services firms that regularly move personnel between U.S. and international offices. That volume of corporate activity creates steady demand for intracompany transferee visa counsel from attorneys who understand both the legal requirements and the corporate context behind each petition.

Our founding attorneys, Richard Maney and Christian Zeller, are both Board-Certified in Immigration and Nationality Law by the Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization and Education, a credential held by a small percentage of Florida attorneys practicing in this area. The firm holds an AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell and is licensed to practice in 16 states and 4 countries. We represent employers and transferring employees across the full range of L-1 matters.

Start Your L-1 Visa Process with Our Tampa Team

Whether you’re a Tampa employer initiating a corporate transfer or an employee preparing to relocate to a U.S. office, we can guide the process from petition strategy and documentation through dependent filings and timelines. We work with both sides of the employer-employee relationship and can address all of it in a single consultation.

Reach out to Maney | Gordon | Zeller, P.A. at (800) 708-4399 to schedule a consultation with our immigration attorneys.