L1b and L2 Visa Process

[donnelly9]

Hi All,

Great forum which has provided me with a lot of information already. I do have some questions regarding the L1b and L2 visa process.

My company is looking into transferring myself to the US on a L1b visa. Myself and my girlfriend for 5 years have come to the conclusion that we will have to get married, the joy in her family followed by the stress in my life

I believe we can submit both our L1b and L2 visas at the same time but do we have to be married before submitting the application or just by the time the interview comes about? Regarding the interview do we choose this date ourselves or is it provided? and is there a time frame for this to be attended from when the application is submitted/processed?

As this would all go through rather quickly we're thinking it may just be better for my girlfriend to keep her surname as that is what will be on her passport and any forms submitted?

Finally, if the visa is granted does it start from when the visa was accepted at the interview or the date you enter the US?

Thanks and I appreciate any help.

[raghvi]

Hi All,

Great forum which has provided me with a lot of information already. I do have some questions regarding the L1b and L2 visa process.

My company is looking into transferring myself to the US on a L1b visa. Myself and my girlfriend for 5 years have come to the conclusion that we will have to get married, the joy in her family followed by the stress in my life

I believe we can submit both our L1b and L2 visas at the same time but do we have to be married before submitting the application or just by the time the interview comes about? Regarding the interview do we choose this date ourselves or is it provided? and is there a time frame for this to be attended from when the application is submitted/processed?

As this would all go through rather quickly we're thinking it may just be better for my girlfriend to keep her surname as that is what will be on her passport and any forms submitted?

Finally, if the visa is granted does it start from when the visa was accepted at the interview or the date you enter the US?

Thanks and I appreciate any help.

You need not be married at the time of booking of the appointment, but yes, you two need to be married at the time of the interview, you would need to take proof of marriage too to the interview. Interview slots can be chosen by you if they are available. Typically you will get a calendar view and you can chose a date, of course it may not be immediate, depending upon the load at the consulate, so plan ahead. Would not advise booking tickets without first getting visa in hand.

I believe the DS-160 and associated fees is valid for 1 Year.

Yes, its fine to keep the maiden name.

Visa has its end date on it. But, only time spent on L1 while in US is counted against the L1 5 Year limitation. Time spent outside US can be recaptured by filing suitable paperwork.

This is my opinion not legal advice.

[donnelly9]

Thanks for the information.

I think the best way to deal with it will be to process my L1 visa first and do the interview process by myself. After my visa has been granted we can then proceed with the marriage and submitting the L2 for my future wife.

[sasvi]

Thanks for the information.

I think the best way to deal with it will be to process my L1 visa first and do the interview process by myself. After my visa has been granted we can then proceed with the marriage and submitting the L2 for my future wife.

The easy process is to get married first and do the interview together. So both visas will be issued at the same time, most likely you will arrive together and have the I-94 with same expiration date.. and this will be a life saving when you have to renew your visa...remember that the visa expiration is defined by your country...for some this can be a little as 2 years and will require frequent renewals until the 5 yrs. Changing names, in my opinion, is an old habit that makes no sense...but you will see that US is a little behind in this compared to other countries that are more liberal (some allow the husband to adopt wife and changing it is really not a common practice)...It is crazy the amount of letters we receive in the name of the family...but anyway, culture...

Getting the marriage paperwork is easy as 1, 2, 3...if you want a big celebration is another issue. And as soon as you have all the forms completed, usually the interview dates are available for the next months and not all dates are open. This depends on how busy the consulate is in your country. In my, it takes only 2-3 weeks MAX. And 2-3 weeks to get married...so less than 2 months total.