How many employees does the foreign company need to qualify for L-1?

There is no fixed minimum number of employees. For L-1, the qualification of the foreign company is not measured by the size of its workforce, but rather by the existence of a legitimate corporate relationship and a real, ongoing business operation.

The L-1 is designed to transfer executives, managers, and specialized knowledge professionals between related companies. What is required of the foreign entity (parent, branch, affiliate, or subsidiary) is that it genuinely exists and operates, conducting business on a regular basis.

For this reason, even companies with a lean team may qualify, provided they:

• Maintain a qualifying corporate relationship with the U.S. entity.
• Carry out real, ongoing commercial activity, not merely on paper.
• Support everything with consistent documentation.

In the case of opening a new branch in the United States, a coherent initial structure and business plan are typically expected, but this does not translate into a mandatory minimum number of employees. Since each case has its own particularities, it is worth assessing eligibility with a specialist and reviewing the updated USCIS guidelines.

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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.