VISA L2 Process and Documents

L2 Visa is used for spouses and depends of those who have an L1 visa and are coming to the US to work for a company with offices in the country and abroad.  There’s still an application process to go through separately and a set of documents to provide.

This process usually goes hand in hand with getting a work permit. You’re allowed to work in the US if you’re a L2 Visa holder. For this you’ll need a social security number and a work permit which can be issued months after L2 Visa.

L2 Visa documents

There’s a set of documents that you’ll need to prepare and these may sound confusing to someone who’s just getting into the process. It’s best to take your time and familiarize yourself with the nomenclature since you’ll be hearing a lot of it in the months to come.

You’ll need:

-DS-160.  This is the online application for the visa and that’s the only way it can be done, there used to be a paper form as well, but that’s now obsolete.
-You’ll need a valid passport from your own country
-A photo in the style used for passports
-A marriage certificate
-Birth certificates for your kids
-Written approval by the holder of L1 visa on which your visa is based
-L1 visa holders, proof of employment
-L1 visa holders, I-797 form
-Visa application and insurance fees

The process of going through these documents will take up to 30 days.

Employment Authorization Documents (EAD)

One thing that’s great about L2 visa is that you’re able to work based on it. That means that you can work both full time and part time and that you can be self-employed as well. In order to do so you’ll need to have an EAD which is issued separately from the visa.

It takes 90 days to issue this document and that means that you may need to move to the US while you’re not able to work, until that additional issue is resolved. All of the documents related to L2 Visa can be issued jointly with your spouse or separately.

Changing your status

You can change your status from being and L2 Visa holder to many other statuses as your conditions change. Visa holders can change their status to B1, B2, H1 or H4, depending on which one is applicable for you.

This change is done by applying via the form called I-539.

Denials

L2 Visa is issued based on the status of your spouse. That means that it’s rather rarely denied if the spouse gets their L1 Visa. The parents of the L1 holder are however, always denied since they are not considered to be dependents.

Still the government has the right to deny a person this visa if they feel there’s a reason to do so. It also has a right to revoke it at any point again only with stating the reason within the law. This will mostly happen if you commit a crime or you a part of an organization working against the US.

Application tips

Every application is different since every person is, but that there are a few broad tips that you should follow in order to make sure you’ve done your part and you’ve presented yourself in the best possible light. Here are a few:

-If you and your partner are filling the application together, you should come to the embassy together as well and do the interview that way.
-Change your passport and other documents if you’ve changed your last name after your marriage. It’s a way to avoid complications.
-Make sure that all the names in all the documents are correctly spelled and that all the numbers are right.
-Be advised that you need to leave the country if your visa is expired. This means that you’ll need to leave until it’s renewed if you don’t apply on time.
-When you switch to a different status, the time spent on a visa won’t count into the time you have in the US under a different status.

Fees

Have in mind that there are fees that you’ll need to pay when applying for this visa. The fee for DS-160 is set at $160. There’s also a fee for crossing the border which is at the same value, unless you’re under 15 years old. Then it’s 16$.

There are also attorney fees if you hire a lawyer to help you with the process and there are naturally travel costs.

Conclusion

There’s a complicated process for getting the L2 Visa. That’s the case even when your spouse has already got the L1 visa on which your stay in the US will be based. It’s important to know the process and to have the proper documents ready.