If you’ve been employed by your company for at least one year within the past three years, you might be eligible to transfer to a U.S. office through the L-1 visa. However, your job title and role are key factors in determining your eligibility.
TL;DR
- L-1A (Managers/Executives): Titles that manage people or a key company function—with hire/fire authority, budgets, KPIs, vendors, or cross-border teams—tend to qualify.
- L-1B (Specialized Knowledge): Titles tied to company-specific products/processes/systems where the knowledge is advanced and critical.
- Your duties win cases, not titles: Craft duty bullets showing control, strategy, metrics, and structural leverage (org charts!).
- New office tip: Early hires must still show managerial/executive or specialized-knowledge substance—not hands-on IC work.
Titles That Often Map Well (When Duties Match)
Likely L-1A (Manager/Executive)
- Chief Executive Officer / Country Manager (U.S.)
- Head of U.S. Operations / General Manager
- VP of Engineering / VP of Product / Director of Sales
- Global Program Manager (with budget, cross-functional leads, vendors)
- Function Manager (e.g., Head of Compliance, Head of Supply Chain) managing a critical function with resources/authority
What makes them strong: Direct reports (or managed vendor teams), budget & hiring authority, policy-level decisions, measurable KPIs, and a function that matters to the company’s revenue/risk.
Likely L-1B (Specialized Knowledge)
- Principal Solutions Architect (Proprietary Platform)
- Lead Process Engineer (Company-Specific Methodology)
- Senior Implementation Specialist (Internal Product X)
- Technical Program Manager (Proprietary Stack/Workflow)
- Quality Systems Lead (Internal GMP/Validation Library)
What makes them strong: Mastery of internal tech/process that outsiders can’t readily learn; proof it’s critical to deployments, quality, or security; concrete examples of saving time/money/risk due to that knowledge.
Titles That Are Risky (Without Strong Duties)
- “Manager” with zero reports or budget; purely hands-on.
- “Consultant / Analyst” with generic market skills (can an average U.S. hire do it?).
- “Project Manager” who only coordinates tasks without real authority.
- “Lead” that means “senior IC” rather than leadership.
- Founder/CEO who executes individual tasks (coding, sales calls) instead of managing people/vendors/budgets (for L-1A).
Fix: Strengthen duties and structure: add reports, managed vendors, budget sign-off, KPI ownership; for L-1B, document proprietary systems and why they’re advanced.
Duty Statements That Win (Swipe These)
For L-1A Manager/Executive
- “Owns North America P&L ($3.2M), sets quarterly targets, and approves budgets across Sales, Customer Success, and Ops.”
- “Manages 7 FTEs (2 managers, 5 ICs) and 2 vendor teams; authority to hire, promote, and terminate.”
- “Chairs the U.S. Risk Committee; sets policy for data security; reports to the Global COO.”
- “Leads the U.S. launch of Product X; approves roadmap, headcount plan, and SLA thresholds; accountable for NPS ≥ 60.”
For L-1B Specialized Knowledge
- “Architect of the firm’s proprietary ETL engine integrating System A ↔ System B; enables 43% faster onboarding than market tools.”
- “Only U.S. trainer certified on internal calibration protocol Z used in regulated deployments; author of SOP-101.”
- “Designed company-specific quality validation scripts required by three Fortune-100 clients; reduces downtime by 28%.”
Org Charts & Function Managers (L-1A nuance)
You can qualify without many direct reports if you’re a function manager:
- The function is critical (e.g., InfoSec, Regulatory, Supply Chain).
- You exercise discretion over goals, budgets, vendors, and policies.
- You leverage teams indirectly (matrixed reports, contractors, third-party vendors).
- Your time is primarily managerial, not hands-on execution.
Show it: Function box on the org chart, dotted-line resources, vendor SOWs, budget approvals, policy docs, dashboards you own.
New Office L-1 Titles (First-Year Reality)
- Early leaders can qualify as L-1A if they primarily manage launch activities (hiring vendors, setting policies, establishing KPIs) vs. doing IC tasks.
- Titles like “U.S. Country Manager,” “Head of U.S. Operations,” or “Director, U.S. Launch” work when paired with vendor management, hiring plan, and budget control.
- Expect to show a 12–24-month staffing plan proving the role will remain managerial at extension.
FAQs
Do I need direct reports for L-1A?
Not always. Function managers can qualify by running a critical function with real discretion, budgets, and resources (including vendors/contractors).
Can “Project Manager” qualify?
Yes—if it’s truly program leadership with budgets, hiring power, policy decisions, and multi-team oversight. A task scheduler with no authority is risky.
What if my title is “Lead” but I manage no one?
Reframe the role. Add reports or vendor teams, define KPIs, and show decision authority—or consider L-1B if your edge is proprietary knowledge.
I’m a founder—can I be L-1A?
Often yes, if you primarily manage people/vendors/budgets and set policy, not just sell/code. New office cases must show a path to sustained managerial work.
For L-1B, what proves “specialized knowledge”?
Detailed descriptions of internal tools/processes, why they’re advanced, and where they’re applied—plus third-party letters showing reliance.
