Which work visas do not require an employer sponsor?

Among green cards, the EB-1A (extraordinary ability) and EB-2 NIW (national interest waiver) allow self-petition, so the individual files without an employer or a PERM labor certification. The E-2 doesn't use a traditional employer either, since it's based on the applicant's own investment.Every other major work visa, including the H-1B, L-1A, O-1, TN, and the standard EB-2 and EB-3 green cards, requires an employer or a job offer.

Do I need a new Form G-28 for every case I file?

Yes. USCIS requires a new Form G-28 for each separate application, petition, or appeal.Even if the same attorney is handling multiple filings for you, they must submit a new G-28 with each one.The form applies only to the specific case it is filed with and does not carry over to other matters.

Which work visas lead directly to a green card?

The immigrant categories, EB-1A, EB-1C, EB-2 NIW, and EB-2 or EB-3 through PERM, lead directly to a green card. The temporary work visas don't grant permanent residence on their own, but several act as bridges.An H-1B holder can move through PERM to EB-2 or EB-3, an L-1A manager to the EB-1C, and an O-1A performer to the EB-1A.

What is the fastest U.S. work visa to get?

For eligible candidates, the visas without a lottery or labor certification tend to move fastest. The O-1 and L-1A have no annual cap, so a qualified case can be filed at any time, and the TN can sometimes be obtained at the border for Canadian citizens within days.Speed also depends on whether premium processing is used, which guarantees USCIS action within 15 business days for an added fee, so the right answer depends on the candidate's profile and how urgently you need them.

What is L-2 visa processing time?

It depends on the route. A consular L-2 visa stamp follows the consulate's own appointment and issuance schedule, while a Form I-539 filed from inside the United States follows USCIS's current processing-times data for that service center.Neither figure should be assumed from memory; check the live tool before planning around a date.

L-2 visa status - eligibility and work authorization

L-2 is the status held by the spouse and unmarried children under 21 of someone in L-1A or L-1B status. The L-1 holder is the "principal," transferred to a U.S. office under an intracompany transfer, and L-2 dependents travel with that status rather than qualifying on their own. The L-2 visa requirements are short, and the detail most people searching the term want is what it lets the spouse do. The short version: work is already part of the package, built into L-2 dependent status rather than bolted on afterward. This post covers who qualifies for L-2 visa status and what L-2 visa work authorization looks like in practice. It also covers how long status runs, how a dependent gets it, and what happens if the L-1 principal's own status ends.

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What is L-2 visa status, and who qualifies

L-2 visa status, defined at 8 CFR 214.2(l), covers the spouse and unmarried children under 21 of a principal admitted in L-1A (manager or executive) or L-1B (specialized knowledge) classification. A child ages out of L-2 eligibility at 21, the same cutoff that applies across most derivative immigration categories. The L-1 principal can be transferred under a blanket petition or an individual petition. A blanket petition lets a qualifying multinational company file for L-1 workers without a separate petition each time, while an individual petition is filed case by case. Either route produces the same L-2 eligibility for the family. L-1 blanket vs. individual petition covers which route a given employer uses and why it matters for timing.

Can an L-2 visa spouse work?

Can an L-2 visa holder work in the U.S.? Yes. An L-2 spouse does not file a separate work-permit application the way an H-4 spouse does. L-2 visa work authorization is incident to status, meaning the right to work comes from holding valid L-2 status itself, not from a standalone adjudication. This has been the rule since a November 2021 USCIS Policy Manual update. It was implemented through 8 CFR 274a.12(a), which lists L-2 spouses among the classes of noncitizens employment authorized incident to status. Before that change, an L-2 spouse needed a separate L-2 visa work permit. That meant filing Form I-765 and waiting for a standalone Employment Authorization Document before starting a job, the same way an H-4 spouse still does today. That extra step is gone for spouses. One distinction worth stating plainly: this incident-to-status rule covers the L-2 spouse only. L-2 children do not get work authorization under this or any other provision, since the regulation names the spouse specifically.

What the L-2 visa I-94 needs to show

Since January 31, 2022, CBP has issued L-2 spouses an I-94 notated "L-2S," and that notation is itself List C evidence of work authorization under Form I-9, the form every U.S. employer uses to confirm a new hire's eligibility. An employer's HR team can accept a current I-94 showing "L-2S" without asking for anything further. An L-2 spouse whose I-94 predates that change and still reads "L-2" is not left without a path. That older I-94, paired with the Form I-797A approval notice confirming the L-2 dependent spouse determination, works the same way under USCIS guidance. An L-2 child's own I-94 never carries the "S" notation, since children are not employment authorized. I-94 form explained covers how to read every field on the document and where to pull a current copy from the CBP website.

Compare your visa optionsSee differences in requirements and eligibility criteria across U.S. visas.

Compare U.S. visas

How long does L-2 visa status last

L-2 status is tied to the L-1 principal's own period of authorized stay, shown on each family member's individual Form I-94. An L-1A holder gets an initial period of up to three years, or one year under a new-office petition. Extensions come in two-year increments, up to a seven-year maximum. L-1B follows the same pattern, with a five-year maximum. L-1A visa requirements and L-1A vs. L-1B visa cover those limits and how the two categories differ. When the principal's L-1 petition is extended, each L-2 dependent needs a matching extension filed in their own name. Status and the I-94 do not extend automatically off the principal's approval alone. The same is true when the principal changes employers within the same multinational company under a new petition. The practical point for L-2 visa validity is the same one that governs every derivative status. The dependent's own current I-94 date controls, not a general sense of where the principal's job stands. Applying for a green card does not put L-2 dependent status at risk. L-2 shares the L-1 principal's dual intent under 8 CFR 214.2(l)(16). The filing or approval of an immigrant petition cannot be the sole basis for denying an L-1 extension. That same protection extends by name to an L-2 spouse or child's own application for admission or extension of stay. A family pursuing a green card alongside L-1 and L-2 status is not putting that status in jeopardy by doing so.

Getting L-2 visa status: consular stamp vs. change of status

A dependent outside the United States applies for an L-2 visa stamp at a U.S. consulate, using the approved L-1 petition as the basis. They are then admitted as an L-2 nonimmigrant at the port of entry. A dependent already inside the United States in another status takes a different route. They file Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status, to change into L-2 status or extend an existing L-2 period alongside the principal's own extension. The filing fee is $470 for a paper filing or $420 if filed online through a USCIS account. L-2 visa processing time for an I-539 filing varies by service center and current workload. Check the USCIS processing-times page for the figure that applies to a specific filing instead of relying on a number pulled from memory. One risk worth naming while that filing is pending: leaving the United States before USCIS decides generally gets an L-2 change of status or extension request treated as abandoned. That risk catches families off guard more often than any fee or form edition does. Traveling while your petition is pending covers what counts as abandonment and when it is safer to wait for a decision before booking travel.

What happens if the L-1 principal's status ends

The 60-day grace period under 8 CFR 214.1(l) applies when the L-1 principal's employment ends early, for example through a layoff or termination. It does not apply when the principal's authorized stay simply runs its course and expires on schedule. In that early-termination scenario, L-2 status for the spouse and children does not end that same day. The grace period gives the family a window to find a new sponsoring arrangement, change to another status, or depart, and L-1 and L-2 share it alike. It does not come with work authorization of its own. An L-2 dependent cannot work during the grace period itself, even though L-2 status is otherwise employment authorized incident to status. L-2 status ends either way: when the grace period runs out without a new filing, or when the principal's authorized stay simply reaches its own normal end date. The incident-to-status L-2 visa work authorization that came with it ends at the same time, since that authorization was never a separate benefit to begin with. In September 2026, DHS proposed a rule that would eliminate the discretionary grace period for several nonimmigrant categories, including L-1 and L-2. As of this writing, that proposal has not been finalized, and the 60-day grace period described here, for an early end to the L-1 principal's employment, remains the current rule.

L-2 visa vs. H-4: the one thing that is different

An L-2 spouse's path to work is built into the status itself. An H-4 spouse's is not. H-4 status on its own carries no employment authorization. An H-4 spouse becomes eligible for an EAD only once the H-1B principal has an approved I-140 immigrant petition, or an AC21-based extension past the six-year H-1B cap. Even then, the H-4 spouse still has to file Form I-765 and wait for a separate approval. That is the one structural difference a reader comparing the two categories needs to understand. L-1 and H-1B serve different kinds of transfers, and neither status is simply the better choice in general. Spouse work authorization in the U.S. lays out H-4, L-2, and E-2 dependent work authorization side by side for anyone weighing more than these two. An L-2 spouse's status answers the work question before it gets asked. That is the single fact worth carrying out of this post. It is also why an attorney reviewing an L-1 case treats the L-2 filing as part of the same conversation, not an afterthought that gets handled later. Tukki works with L-1 principals and their families on the full case, not just the petition that got the principal here. That includes L-2 status for a spouse and children, plus the I-539 filing when status needs to change or extend from inside the United States. Our attorneys handle the L-2 filing alongside the L-1 petition rather than treating it as a separate matter. That means full visibility into where both cases stand, and into the eventual green card process once the company is ready to sponsor.