Spouse Visa Query

[jamieh 0]

Hi All,

I am from Ireland & working for an American company here. They want me to transfer to their office in the States & willing to take care of visas (get lawyers involved, pay all costs, etc).

I don't think I will have any problems in getting a H1B visa (presume this is the visa I should be going for?). However, my wife will also want to work in the USA. She is a Radiographer/Sonographer.

Do we have any options to allow both of us to work or is it a case whereby my wife just simply won't be allowed to work in the USA? This would probably be a dealbreaker as she naturally wouldn't like to be alone everyday waiting for me to come home from work.

[canadian_wife 1,822]

You'll want to speak to the lawyer handling your visas. I believe an office transfer would be an L visa. Your wife would be granted an L2 visa which I think is allowed to work. However, she'll want to make sure she is fully certified in her field of sonography/radiography before she travels to the U.S. to work.

good luck

[Penguin_ie 5,993]

Sounds like you'll be getting an L1 visa (intra-company transfer), which is available anytime; the H1B is closed till next year so you wouldn't start working on that till October 2017. Your eife, as mentioned above, can work on a L2, but she may need country specific certification in the USA.

[Boiler 45,497]

also it takes time to get an EAD, c 90 days before she could work assuming her qualifications translate.

[jamieh 0]

Thanks for all the advice folks. I was under the impression that the L visa was only applicable to executives that are setting up a new branch office in the States. I didn't realise I could qualify for a an L visa (albeit it an L1B visa by the looks of things).

My wife is looking into undertaking the necessary exams to register as a sonographer in the States - the big concern was that her visa wouldn't allow her to work, but looks like the L visa could be a great fit.