L-2 visa

An L-2 visa is a visa document used to enter the United States by the dependent spouse and unmarried children under 21 years of age of qualified L-1 visa holders. It is a non-immigrant visa, and is only valid for the duration of the spouse's L-1 visa.

The holder of an L-2 visa needs to obtain an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) to be allowed to work with any employer. According to the I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification Form, it is enough if a person possesses a social security card as long as the card does not state any restrictions such as "Not valid for employment", "Valid for work only with INS Authorization" or "Valid for work only with DHS Authorization". In these cases, the L-2 visa holder needs proof other than a social security card in order to establish employment authorization. Such proof includes the EAD card. It is recommended to apply for an EAD, even in cases where someone does not explicitly need one, in order to be able to prove to prospective employers that the holder is authorized. The spouse of an L-1 visa holder with an EAD is allowed to work freely; dependent children of an L-1 visa holder are not automatically authorised to work in the USA.

L-2 status may be renewed and extended within the United States when the L-1 visa is renewed. Renewal in the United States applies to status only, not the actual visa in the passport. For visa renewal, the applicant must go to a U.S. consulate or embassy outside the United States. An alien cannot leave the United States and then re-enter without a valid L-1 or L-2 visa, and must appear personally before a consular officer for visa issuance. This often leads to difficulties for applicants, because it means leaving their adopted home in the United States for as long as it takes the embassy to issue their new visa. At particularly busy times of year, or at some consulates or embassies, this can take several weeks or more.

The L-2 visa allows the dependent spouse and unmarried children under 21 years of age of qualified L-1 visa holders to enter into the U.S.

The applicant may:

The following must be submitted:

The law states that the USCIS shall issue Employment Authorization documents within 90 days. However, at some service centers, the wait exceeds 90 days.

There is an option to submit a new Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, along with copies of the required supporting documents and the receipt for the original application at the Service Centre closest. Based on this, the applicant will receive an Employment Authorization document which is valid for 240 days while the USCIS processes the two year employment authorization document.

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Wikipedia