Can I be hired as a contractor by another company in the U.S. on an L-1?

No. The L-1 visa was created to transfer a professional within the same organization, and therefore it authorizes work exclusively for the company that sponsored your transfer to U.S. operations. Being hired as a contractor by a different company falls outside that purpose.

Providing services to an employer other than the one that filed the petition may be interpreted as unauthorized employment and a violation of the visa terms. The consequences are serious: they range from loss of current status to difficulties in future applications and travel.

This does not mean your situation is frozen. If an opportunity arises to work for another company, there is a legal path: pursuing a change of status or seeking the visa category appropriate to the new employment relationship, through a formal process, before you begin working.

Before accepting any arrangement of that kind, it is worth consulting an immigration specialist and verifying the current rules, avoiding proposals that promise shortcuts outside U.S. law.

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.