L2 Visa - for Dependents of L Visa Holders

The L2 Visa is for the dependents of L1 Visa holders. If L1 Visa holder changes to another visa, the L2 Visa holder must also do the same based on their category of l 1 visa above.

The L1 visa is usually issued to foreign specialized workers who are going to be employed in a branch of their company in the U.S.

So if your spouse or parent is currently in the U.S. under the L1 permit, you can apply for an L2 Visa.

Only immediate family members are eligible to apply, such as spouses and children. Grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. are not eligible for the L2 Visa.

This means that you must fit into one of the two categories below for the L2 Visa:

• You are the spouse of an L1 Visa holder
• You are the unmarried child under the age of 21 of a foreign specialized worker

If you do not fall into one of those categories, you may still enter the U.S. to visit your or other family members. For example, you can apply for a B2 Tourist Visa. Contact us to find out the best route to submitting a U.S. visa application.

To apply for an L2 Visa, you can submit your l 2 visa application form together with the L1 Visa petition, or you can file it at a later date.

In either case, you will need to submit certain documents to support your L2 visa application and to prove your eligibility.

L2 required documents include:

• Completed Form DS-160, the ‘Online Non-immigrant Visa Application’
• A valid passport for you
• A valid passport for each of your children and/or spouse, if they are travelling with you
• One photograph of each applicant, showing the full face. It must comply with the photograph guidelines provided by your local U.S. consulate
• An original birth certificate for every applicant under the age of 14
• An original marriage certificate (if you are the dependent spouse of an L visa holder)
• A copy of the approved L petition
• A confirmation letter from the primary L1 visa holder
• A letter from the L1 visa holder’s employer

You may be required to submit further information to USCIS depending on your circumstances.

Missing documents are one of the common reasons for a U.S. visa application to be rejected so all necessary documents should be compiled and submitted promptly.

The L2 Visa allows spouse holders to work, although children of L1 visa holders do not qualify to work, only spouses do.

Dependent spouses of L1 Visa holders can live and work in the U.S. under an L2 visa.

In the U.S. you need to apply for an EAD (Employment Authorization Document) before you can seek employment. This is called an L2 visa work permit.

If your EAD is approved, you should then apply for a Social Security Number (SSN). The SSN is a document that will be requested by employers in the U.S.

Once you have your EAD, you will be able to apply for part-time or full-time jobs at any U.S. business. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) refers to this as ‘open market employment authorization.’

Note that your EAD will only be valid for two years but you can extend it as many times as you need, as long as your L2 visa remains valid.

Your L2 Visa will last for the same length as the principal of L 1 visa holder/1 Visa holder’s L1 Visa lasts. In other words, you can stay in the U.S. for as long as your parent or spouse holds a valid permit.

As a general rule, an L1 Visa is valid for up to three years.

Can the L2 visa be extended?

If the L1 Visa is extended, then the L2 dependent Visa is also eligible for extensions, and in most cases, if the L1 Visa has been extended, the L2 Visa will also be extended.

The length of time an L2 Visa can be extended for depends on the type of L Visa held by your relative, this being a maximum of five or seven years.

In order to apply for a new visa, the visa holder will need to spend at least 12 months outside the U.S. before they can apply for a new visa. This is the same for primary visa holder for both L1 and L2 visas.

If you wish to spend more time in the U.S., you may be able to apply for a different permit while your current visa is still valid.

Note that when the visa of the L1 holder expires, the L2 Visa holder must also return to their home country.

Yes, generally you will be eligible to switch from the L2 Visa to another U.S. visa category.

Depending on your circumstances and which new visa you wish to apply for, you could switch to the F1 Student Visa, the H1B Visa, the H4 Work Visa, or even the L1 Visa if you meet the eligibility requirements.

Again, depending on your circumstances, if you have an Employment Authorization Document (EAD), you could request that your employer sponsors you for the H1B Visa.

If your L1 Visa holder switches their visa category while you are resident in the U.S., your status will also change.

For example, if your relative moves from an L1 to an H1 Visa, you can similarly switch from the L2 to the H2 Visa.

Note that your EAD issued under the L2 Visa status will not be valid after you switch visas, and you will need to apply for a new one.

An L2 Visa affords several benefits, including being able to do the following:

• Attend school in the U.S.
• Work either part-time or full-time. (After obtaining an EAD)
• Open a bank account
• Apply for another non-immigrant status visa
• Apply for an adjustment of status and get an immigrant permit (Green Card)
• Travel freely within and outside the U.S.

If you wish to have the further benefits of settling in the U.S. with the aim of applying for U.S. citizenship, you will need to change your status and apply for a different visa once in the country.