Visas for Business Owners

How business-based visas work

Business-based immigration usually rests on one of two links: the applicant either transfers within a company they already run or work for, or invests in and directs an enterprise in the destination country. In the US, these routes are the L-1 and E-2 categories. Neither should be confused with the B-1 business visitor visa, which covers meetings and negotiations but not running operations or drawing a US salary.

An L-1 petition is filed by the US employer on Form I-129 with USCIS, and the employee must have worked for a related foreign company for at least one continuous year within the previous three. L-1A covers managers and executives and allows up to seven years in total, while L-1B covers staff with specialized knowledge and has a five-year limit. L-1A holders often move on to a green card in the EB-1C category for multinational managers and executives.

The E-2 treaty investor visa is open only to citizens of countries that have a qualifying treaty with the US and requires a substantial at-risk investment in a real, operating business; it is usually issued by a US consulate rather than USCIS. Other countries use different models: France grants a multi-year Talent Passport to company founders and investors, and Australia's 482 relies on an approved business sponsoring the worker.