The L-1 intra-company transferee visa allows executives, managers, and employees with specialized skills to transfer from a foreign company to a U.S. office, subsidiary, or affiliated company to perform temporary services.
The applicant must have been employed by the foreign “parent company” for at least twelve months during the three-year period immediate prior and must have been employed as an executive, manager, or as a specialized skill worker for a minimum of twelve months during the three years immediately preceding the filing of the L-1 visa petition. The current (foreign) and prospective (U.S.) companies must be either the same company, or related by subsidiary or affiliate ownership.
In order to be eligible, candidates must show that a significant portion of their company operations include trade between the United States and their nation of origin. This visa is only intended for company owners or staff members who oversee investments and trade transactions.

In order to obtain an E-1 Treaty Trader Visa, one must first verify their eligibility based on citizenship in a country that has a treaty with the United States, show that there is substantial trade between the two countries.