I worked 1 year as a paid intern abroad: does it count for the L-1?

In general, the answer is no: a paid internship is unlikely to qualify as the work experience the L-1 requires, even if it lasted a significant amount of time. The visa is designed for the transfer of employees who worked for the company abroad in an executive, managerial, or specialized knowledge capacity, and internships typically serve a learning purpose rather than constituting full employment.

What matters is not the label on the contract but the nature of the duties performed. If the internship activities actually corresponded to managerial responsibilities or specialized technical knowledge within a formal employment relationship, there may be room to argue the case. Otherwise, the experience tends to be viewed merely as training.

Some factors that are typically evaluated:

• Whether there was a formal employment relationship with the company abroad.
• Whether the duties were executive, managerial, or specialized knowledge in nature.
• Whether the period of service meets the qualifying time required before the transfer.

Because each background is reviewed individually by the USCIS, it is worth gathering your employment documentation and verifying the current requirements with a specialist before filing for the L-1.

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.