This visa is initially granted for 3 years, so long as the qualifying U.S. company has been in existence for more than one year (see below for information on new companies) and can be extended in two year increments resulting in a total stay of seven years or less.
This visa is also initially granted for 3 years, so long as the qualifying U.S. company has been in existence for more than one year and can be extended one time for two years resulting in a total stay of only five years or less.
In contrast to the L1-A visas which are intended for higher-ranking employees, USCIS has determined that the L-1B visa focuses on the employees interaction with the company’s product, service, research, equipment, techniques, management, or other interests and its application in international markets, or an advanced level of knowledge or expertise in the organization’s processes and procedures. Due to the intricacies of proving specialized knowledge, L-1B petitions are typically scrutinized more heavily by USCIS than L-1A.