Certain organizations may establish the required intracompany relationship in advance of filing individual L-1 petitions by filing a blanket petition.  Eligibility for blanket L certification may be established if:

• The petitioner and each of the qualifying organizations are engaged in commercial trade or services;
• The petitioner has an office in the United States which has been doing business for one year or more;
• The petitioner has three or more domestic and foreign branches, subsidiaries, and affiliates; and
• The petitioner along with the other qualifying organizations meet one of the following criteria:
  • Have obtained at least 10 L-1 approvals during the previous 12-month period;  
  • Have U.S. subsidiaries or affiliates with combined annual sales of at least $25 million; or
  • Have a U.S. work force of at least 1,000 employees.

The approval of a blanket L petition does not guarantee that an employee will be granted L-1A classification.  It does, however, provide the employer with the flexibility to transfer eligible employees to the United States quickly and with short notice without having to file an individual petition.