Employment-based immigration enables U.S. employers to hire foreign workers for roles where qualified Americans are unavailable. These programs fill critical skill gaps while safeguarding U.S. worker protections.
Intracompany Transfers
Multinational companies can transfer executives, managers, or employees with specialized company knowledge using the L-1 Visa for Transfer Employees to the United States. The worker must have at least one year of prior employment with a qualifying foreign affiliate, parent, subsidiary, or branch. L-1A visas support managers and executives up to seven years; L-1B covers specialized knowledge up to five years, with no annual cap.
Specialty Occupations
For new hires in fields requiring bachelor’s degrees or equivalent, employers turn to the H-1B Visa Program. Unlike L-1 transfers, H-1B allows hiring from any qualified source but faces annual caps, lotteries, prevailing wage rules, and a six-year limit.
Key Considerations
L-1 avoids labor certification and caps, suiting internal moves, while H-1B demands DOL approval and offers employer flexibility. Both require USCIS petitions proving job needs and worker qualifications.
An Independent Team to Decode Government
GovFacts is a nonpartisan site focused on making government concepts and policies easier to understand — and programs easier to access.
Our articles are referenced by .gov and .mil websites as well as trusted think tanks and publications including Brookings, CNN, Forbes, Fox News, Pew Research, Snopes, The Hill, and USA Today.
