Does the Blanket L replace the individual petition?

Partly. The Blanket L allows a company to avoid filing an individual petition for each transferred employee, but it does not replace the entire process: each beneficiary still goes through the visa application and the consular steps, such as the interview.

L visas serve the transfer of executives, managers, and specialized knowledge professionals within the same multinational organization. The Blanket L is designed for companies that have already obtained prior eligibility approval, demonstrating that the organization qualifies to transfer multiple employees under a single umbrella.

In practice, the difference plays out as follows:

• In the traditional process, an individual petition is filed per employee.
• Under the Blanket L, the company’s qualification has already been recognized, which eliminates the individual petition and tends to expedite group transfers.
• In both cases, each beneficiary completes the visa steps and is evaluated individually.

Since each situation is analyzed on a case-by-case basis, it is worth checking the current requirements with USCIS or a qualified specialist to ensure that both the employer and the beneficiaries follow the applicable rules.

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.