The L-1A visa allows companies to transfer managers and executives from foreign offices to the United States. The success of your application will depend on how well you document managerial qualifications. The company support letter serves as the foundation that ties all evidence together and demonstrates why your employee qualifies for L-1A status.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services processed a record 10 million cases in 2023 alone. However, preliminary data show that the agency had a backlog of over 11.3 million pending applications in early 2025.
With so many applications to review, officers need to be able to locate specific information quickly. A well-structured support letter makes their job easier and increases approval chances.
What Is a Company Support Letter for L-1A?
The support letter is issued by an authorized company representative and details the employee’s role. This document must describe the employee’s duties during their foreign employment and the responsibilities they will assume in their position in the United States.
Your support letter performs several important functions:
- Explains how the employee meets L-1A manager or executive requirements.
- Connects all supporting documents in your petition.
- Demonstrates the company’s ability to support a managerial position.
- Addresses specific regulatory criteria that immigration officers must verify.
What Must Your Support Letter Address?
Immigration regulations require you to prove three specific elements in your support letter. Each element demonstrates a different aspect of managerial authority.
Management of the Organization
You must explain how the employee will manage the organization, department, subdivision, component, or function. This means showing authority over business operations rather than just performing tasks. Your letter should describe decision-making power and strategic responsibilities.
Supervision and Control of Work
You need to demonstrate how the employee will supervise and control other supervisory, managerial, or professional employees. Alternatively, you can show management of an essential function, department, or subdivision. Include specific details about who reports to the employee and what authority the employee exercises over their work.
Decision-Making Authority
Your letter must show how the employee makes decisions about daily operations within their authority. First-line supervisors must manage professional employees who need bachelor’s degrees for their positions. Document the types of decisions the employee makes and their impact on business operations.
What Details Should You Include About Job Duties?
Immigration officers need to understand exactly what the employee does each day. Generic descriptions will not satisfy regulatory requirements.
Provide these specific details:
- Day-to-day duties, with the percentage of time devoted to each task.
- Examples of actual decisions made by the employee.
- Specific projects managed with documented outcomes.
- Strategic planning responsibilities.
- Budget authority and financial decision-making.
- Personnel management, including hiring, firing, and promotion decisions.
Your duty descriptions should show managerial work rather than hands-on operational tasks. If the employee performs some non-managerial duties, explain why this occurs and show that it represents a small percentage of their time.
What Documentation Should Support Your Letter?
The support letter cannot stand alone. You need evidence that supports every claim you make about the employee’s managerial role.
Include these documents with your petition:
An organizational chart showing the employee’s position and direct subordinates.- Staffing list with employee names, titles, duty summaries, education levels, and salaries.
- Educational credentials and resumes for subordinate employees.
- Federal and state quarterly wage reports.
- Payroll summaries and tax forms (W-2, W-3, 1099).
- Employment contracts with employees.
- Agreements with independent contractors.
- Company tax returns.
Each document serves a specific purpose in verifying that your employee qualifies as a manager or executive.
How Do You Demonstrate Managerial Qualification?
Showing managerial qualification requires more than listing subordinate employees. You must prove that the employee exercises genuine managerial authority over qualified staff.
Document Actual Management Activities
Include copies of contracts the employee signed, progress reports showing oversight, emails demonstrating supervision, and letters from business partners who witnessed managerial decisions. These materials prove that the employee actually performs managerial work.
Show Essential Function Management
If your company operates internationally, foreign employees who support United States operations count toward demonstrating managerial need. Immigration policy recognizes that global operations require coordination across borders. You can show how foreign staff perform day-to-day operational work while the United States manager provides strategic direction.
Include Financial Evidence
Companies must demonstrate financial ability to pay managerial salaries and support operations. If your business has not yet achieved profitability, include proof of other investments that will support the company’s operations.
What Role Do Subordinate Employees Play?
The number of subordinate employees matters less than their qualifications. Immigration regulations focus on whether subordinates perform professional or managerial work.
Professional Employees
Professional employees need bachelor’s degrees for their positions as a typical industry requirement. First-line supervisors of non-professional workers do not qualify as L-1A managers. Your support letter must demonstrate that subordinate employees perform professional-level work.
Independent Contractors
Independent contractors count as subordinate staff when you properly document their work. Include details about projects completed, hours worked, compensation paid, and supervision provided. Many industries routinely use independent contractors for specialized work. Marketing, website development, and content creation commonly use contractor arrangements.
How Pride Immigration Can Help with Your L-1A Support Letter
Writing an effective support letter requires understanding both immigration regulations and business operations. Each company has distinct circumstances that affect how you present managerial qualifications.
Pride Immigration has extensive experience preparing L-1A petitions and support letters that satisfy regulatory requirements. Our team comprehends the business immigration process from both legal and practical perspectives, having worked on numerous L-1A cases.
Contact us today at (703) 594-4040 or online to discuss your L-1A petition and make sure that your support letter effectively demonstrates managerial qualification.
Beeraj Patel, Esq.
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