USCIS Form I-129S

I-129S, Nonimmigrant Petition Based on Blanket L Petition Use this form to classify alien employees as L-1 nonimmigrant intracompany transferees (executives, managers, or specialized knowledge professionals) under a previously approved blanket L petition. Forms and Document Downloads Form I-129S (PDF, 468.79 KB) Instructions for Form I-129S (PDF, 323.09 KB) Form Details Edition Date Dates are listed in mm/dd/yy format. If you complete and print this form to mail it, make sure that the form edition date and page numbers are visible at the bottom of all pages and that all pages are from the same form edition. If any of the form’s pages are missing or are from a different form edition, we may reject your form.

If you need help downloading and printing forms, read our instructions . Where to File If the alien employee is outside the United States and requires a visa, they should present their Form I-129S (that you completed as their petitioning employer) to a U.S. consular officer. If they are a Canadian citizen, they may file Form I-129S (that you completed as their petitioning employer) directly with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at certain ports of entry and certain pre-flight inspection locations. If they are inside the United States, they may file their Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker , together with Form I-129S (that you completed as their petitioning employer).

Filing Fee You can find the filing fee for Form I-129S by visiting our Fee Schedule page. Checklist of Required Initial Evidence (for informational purposes only) Please do not submit this checklist with your Form I-129S. The checklist is an optional tool to use as you prepare your form, but does not replace statutory, regulatory, and form instruction requirements. We recommend that you review these requirements before completing and submitting your form.

Do not send original documents unless specifically requested in the form instructions or applicable regulations. If you submit any documents (copies or original documents, if requested) in a foreign language, you must include a full English translation along with a certification from the translator verifying that the translation is complete and accurate, and that the translator is competent to translate from the foreign language into English. Did you provide the following? A copy of the approval notice for the blanket L petition; and A letter detailing the employee’s dates of employment, job duties, qualifications, and salary.

The letter must also show the beneficiary worked for you for at least one continuous year out of the preceding three years in an executive, managerial, or specialized knowledge professional capacity. Form Filing Tips Filing Tips: Review our Tips for Filing Forms by Mail page for information on how to ensure we will accept your form. Don’t forget to sign your form. We will reject any unsigned form.

Special Instructions Extension of Stay Requests for Beneficiaries Who Were Admitted to the United States Based on an Approved Blanket L Petition If you’re requesting an extension of stay for a beneficiary who was admitted to the United States based on an approved blanket L petition, you must file: Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker; Form I-129S, Nonimmigrant Petition Based on Blanket L Petition (the 01/20/25 edition only); and A copy of the beneficiary’s previously approved Form I-129S. Change of Status Request for Beneficiaries Who Are in the United States If you’re requesting a change of status to L-1 based on an approved blanket L petition for a beneficiary who is currently in the United States, you must file: Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker; and Form I-129S, Nonimmigrant Petition Based on Blanket L Petition (the 01/20/25 edition only). Evidence of Petition Approval Needed When Traveling Along with a valid passport and visa (if applicable), the alien employee seeking admission pursuant to an approved blanket petition should carry the following documents when traveling to the United States: Form I-797, Notice of Action (approval notice); or A copy of the approved Form I-129S. The alien employee should present this documentation to CBP when seeking entry or re-entry into the United States in the approved L-1 employment classification.

However, this does not apply if the alien employee is a Canadian citizen and is filing Form I-129S directly with CBP as indicated in the “Where to File” section above. Evidence of petition approval is not a visa and the alien employee must have the appropriate nonimmigrant visa, if one is required, before applying for admission into the United States. I-94 Validity When an alien employee with an approved Form I-129S is admitted to the United States, CBP grants them a period of stay documented on Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record, or as noted in the passport or travel document. The date on the Form I-94, or the date noted by CBP in the passport or travel document, reflects their actual approved period of admission.

If the approved period of admission ends before the end of the validity period of the Form I-129S petition (as shown on the I-797 approval notice) or the validity period of the approved blanket petition (as shown on the I-797 blanket petition approval notice), one of the following must happen for you to continue to lawfully employ the alien employee: You must file a request for an extension of stay (using Form I-129) on behalf of the alien employee; You (or in some cases, the alien employee) must file a request, according to applicable form instructions, for a different immigration benefit that would allow them to remain in the United States; or The alien employee must depart the United States and seek readmission to the U.S. according to existing law. If the alien employee’s stay is limited as described above, any dependent family members who accompanied or followed to join the alien employee must also: Request an extension of stay using Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status ; Apply for some other immigration benefit that would allow them to remain in the United States; or Depart the United States before the expiration date on their Form I-94 or the date noted in their passport or travel document and seek readmission according to existing law. Last Reviewed/Updated: 05/29/2026