There are many ways for successful professionals to use their careers to gain entry to the United States. Sometimes, workers apply for openings at domestic companies and then partner with those organizations to pursue a visa. Businesses that have trouble locating the right skilled and educated talent domestically may happily extend job offers to international candidates with the right education or skills.
However, it can be a challenge for foreign professionals to find job opportunities with domestic employers. An L visa allows someone to transfer within a company that currently employs them to a position in the United States. Workers may be able to convince their employers to consider such an option because of the mutually beneficial nature of the L visa program.
How L visas benefit employers
Recruiting new talent is an expensive and time-consuming process. Even if a company has a reputation as an excellent employer, connecting with the right talent for vacant positions will often be prohibitively difficult. Organizations hire outside recruiters and pay thousands of dollars to find the right talent.
Being able to work with a candidate who has a proven track record of doing exactly what the company requires is far better than hiring someone externally in many cases. Employers can greatly reduce the cost necessary to bring in the right talent for a project or growing department by pursuing an intracompany transfer instead of an external hire. The company also then stands to retain talent that it might otherwise lose if someone cannot obtain internal opportunities.
Why L visas are good for workers
Being able to keep a job at a company that has proven to be a reliable employer is typically beneficial for the worker involved. L visas may require less waiting than other, more in-demand visa programs that use lottery systems.
Additionally, the spouses of those who secure an L visa may have more opportunities to help support the family if they obtain a visa subordinate to their spouse’s employment visa. They won’t have to apply for authorization to work in the United States the way that spouses of those with other work visas might need to, which can improve the family’s overall financial stability after the move to the United States.
Ultimately, discussing the possibility of an intracompany transfer and an L visa with an employer could help someone leverage their career success to gain the immigration opportunities that they desire.
This information is not intended to constitute legal advice nor does it create an attorney-client relationship between Law Offices of Robert P. Gaffney and anyone else. This information is not intended to be used as a substitute for specific legal advice based on an individual or organization’s particular facts and circumstances, and it should not be considered as such.
