Can a foreign company with an American owner sponsor the L-1?

Yes. A foreign company with an American owner can sponsor the L-1. The owner’s nationality is not, in itself, a barrier: what the category requires is a qualified corporate relationship between the foreign company and the company in the United States.

The L-1 was created to transfer executives, managers, or specialized knowledge employees between linked entities, such as a parent, branch, subsidiary, or affiliate. The essential requirement is to establish that corporate link and that both operations are real and remain active.

Having an American owner simply reinforces the need to demonstrate that the two companies operate separately and legitimately, each with genuine commercial activity. The candidate must also have worked at the foreign company, during the required qualifying period, in a leadership, managerial, or specialized role.

• Qualified corporate relationship between the foreign entity and the U.S. entity.
• Real and active operations on both sides.
• Eligible role for the candidate within the group.

Since each case is assessed individually, it is worth verifying the current requirements with USCIS or with a specialist before filing.

About the author

Victoria Harper

Editor-in-Chief

Meet the author

As a journalist and lead editor at Visto n’ Visa, Victoria helps ensure that immigration topics are covered in a clear, trustworthy, and easy-to-understand way. Her focus is on delivering useful, human, and relevant content for people exploring new paths abroad.