This year, the demand for H-1B visas from employers looking to temporarily add highly skilled foreign workers to their U.S. ranks is expected to yet again outstrip the visas' limited availability. But employers that come up empty in the H-1B sweepstakes have other alternatives, including L-1B visas.
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Under the L-1B program, even a tremendous amount of knowledge about a technology that's openly used or widely available won't make the grade, says Greenberg Traurig LLP's Ian Macdonald.
Specialized knowledge means “knowledge that is specific to a particular company and one that involves either a customized business process unique to the company or knowledge of a proprietary piece of machinery or technology that is exclusive to the company,” Macdonald says.