A Section Chief With Only Three Direct Reports — L-1A Under a Blanket L Approved Two Business Days After the Interview

Does an L-1A applicant have to be a general manager or a deputy general manager? What if your title is "section chief" or "team lead" and you have only three direct reports?

The L-1A is a nonimmigrant visa that lets multinational companies transfer executives and managers to work in the United States. Whether an applicant qualifies as a manager turns on actual duties: whom they manage, what managerial authority they hold, and whether most of their time goes to managing or to front-line work. Rank is not a ceiling. How the case is proven is what matters.

In a recent case, the applicant was a section chief with only three direct reports. The corporate group already held a Blanket L approval, and we handled the applicant's individual L-1A visa application under it.

What is a Blanket L, and what does it simplify?

A Blanket L is a group filing mechanism available to qualifying multinational corporate groups. Once the group is approved, eligible employees applying for L visas abroad generally do not need the U.S. employer to file a separate L petition with USCIS for each person. Instead, they apply at a U.S. consulate with the group's approval, Form I-129S, and supporting documents, and attend a visa interview.

This streamlines the process, but it does not make an employee automatically eligible. Each applicant must still show that their employment relationship, work experience outside the U.S., and proposed U.S. position meet the requirements.

I. Case at a glance

• Interview: August 27, 2026
• Approval: August 31, 2026 (two business days after the interview)
• Type: Individual L-1A visa application under the group's Blanket L approval
• Validity: 3 years
• U.S. employer: A wholly owned U.S. subsidiary of a Taiwan parent company, about 15 employees
• Applicant: Section chief in a business unit of the Taiwan parent, with three direct reports

The applicant's title and team size naturally raise the question of whether the position meets the L-1A managerial standard. In preparing the case, we focused on two issues.

II. The two key issues

1. With only three subordinates, how do you show the work is truly managerial?

The applicant directly manages three professionals. To show that the managerial standard is met, the case must explain whether the subordinates perform professional work, and whether the applicant mainly manages the team or still does the front-line work personally. A supervisory title, or a general statement that the applicant "is responsible for the team's work," does not answer those questions.

We documented each of the three subordinates' professional backgrounds, roles, and independent responsibilities. Using the organizational chart, work assignments, performance management, and decision-making authority, we showed how the applicant manages and supervises the team. The point was to let the officer see the team's real division of labor, and why the applicant's role is primarily managerial.

2. Does belonging to the same group mean the same Blanket L approval applies?

While reviewing the employment verification letter and company documents, we found a key question that had to be settled: which company was actually the applicant's employer outside the United States?

A Blanket L approval does not automatically cover every company in a group. Using the process requires confirming that the employer is a qualifying entity covered by the approval. If the applicant's foreign employer is not covered, that can affect eligibility to use the process.

Large groups can have complicated structures. An employee may work in one business division whose operations span several subsidiaries, and the division's name may differ from the company named on payroll and HR records. The group or division name alone cannot establish the actual employer.

We reconciled the applicant's employment letter, payroll and HR records, the group's organizational structure, and the list of legal entities covered by the Blanket L, so that every document told the same story: who the actual employer is, and why that employer falls within the approval.

III. Takeaways: could you qualify for an L-1?

The interview took place on August 27, 2026, and a three-year L-1A was approved on August 31. There is no simple formula for title or headcount.

If you hold a supervisory position such as section chief or team lead, do not rule out the L-1A on the basis of title or team size alone. What deserves evaluation is your actual managerial responsibility and authority, your real place in the organization, and the work your subordinates perform. The application has to answer these questions with specific facts and evidence.

If your group already has a Blanket L approval, also confirm that your actual employer is covered and that you personally meet the visa requirements. Group approval and individual eligibility are two separate questions, and both must be checked.

If you plan to transfer to the U.S. within your company, or your business is sending key staff to the U.S., we recommend evaluating the options early in light of the actual roles, the relationship between the U.S. and foreign companies, and the U.S. team. Please contact our team for a tailored strategy.